In two days my intestines will be reconnected. I will hopefully be functioning somewhat like a regular person in a few short weeks. It may not go that easy. Many folks have urgency and incontinence issues. I've also seen accounts of people having relatively few issues so let's hope for that. I could be in the hospital a few nights depending on how quickly the old systems reboot themselves. The surgery itself will be a few hours and I'll only be having a small incision adjacent to my stoma. I'm hoping this means less pain and a quicker recovery. For the first time since this all began, I'll be having a surgery where they don't take parts out.
As for the cancer side of things; I am currently NED (no evidence of disease). A few weeks ago I had a CT scan and blood work. There was nothing to be seen on the scan. The blood work was in the normal range for the first time since they started tracking. The doctor is hopeful that they got it all and my last bit of cancer was just from one random cell that got loose. I will continue to have scans and blood work every 3 months. We obviously hope that we are done with cancer forever but for now are just taking it 3 months at a time. We are more prepared than ever to face whatever obstacles may arise.
Thanks to everyone for your support during another medically challenging year. Everyone has helped so much in various ways. My siblings traveled with me to Minnesota for my initial consultation at the Mayo Clinic. My wife endured a couple very long days in waiting rooms hoping for good results. She spent many long hours by my side in hospital rooms and 'lived' with me in Minnesota for 10 days. My parents and in-laws kept us afloat in various ways that allowed us to continue our 'normal' life as much as possible. Other relatives, friends, and many others helped in many various ways including food, support, love, prayers, and probably a hundred other ways I won't list here.
Thanks to everyone. I am sending you my wishes for a great 2019!
No comments:
Post a Comment