***Warning - as always I will continue to be open and honest about my experiences so I want to warn readers in advance - some of you might find some items discussed as "too much information" - but I need to be me so #sorrynotsorry***
Here is the very abbreviated version of what has been going on (most of you know that I am a brilliant story teller and really indulge in sharing all the details but I will try to stick to the high points in this blog entry 😉).
At the beginning of November 2018 I started to experience some pretty significant rectal pain and bleeding. After a few ED visits and a short hospital admission I was diagnosed with radiation proctitis (inflammation of the rectum). People who have had radiation to the pelvic area, like I did, can develop radiation proctitis during their radiation treatment or at a later date (even years after radiation). Unfortunately, the treatment options for radiation proctitis are limited and do not have an abundance of scientific support. More on this in a future blog!!
Due to the continued rectal pain I was unable to work (ya'll know how crazy I am about work so you can imagine how absolutely horrible this pain must have been to keep me home😖). Just when I thought things couldn't get worse - they did. On November 20th I woke up with severe abdominal pain and after a discussion with my oncology team I was directly admitted to the hospital. As the day progressed the abdominal pain got worse and I continued to need more and more pain medication in attempts to control the pain. After having an X-ray and CT Scan it was determined that I had a perforation (aka tear) in my bowel which required emergency surgery. During the surgery they confirmed that I did have a perforated bowel, removed some of my bowel, and created a colostomy (most likely this will be permanent). I spent 6 days in the hospital recovering from surgery, getting used to being "an ostomate", and unfortunately still experiencing the rectal pain (the surgeon had to leave a section of bowel at the end, aka a "rectal stump" and this tissue was also affected by the radiation).
Early on during these medical issues I was very naive and honestly thought I would be back to work in just a week or two. I didn't want to believe that it would take longer than that even though I was being told that it takes 4-6 weeks to recovery from major abdominal surgery and that it might take even longer for me due to previously being on a medication that causes delayed wound healing (thanks again Avastin). On top of all this, I experienced some complications during my recovery - part of the surgical incision did not heal correctly resulting in a large open wound (more on that in a future blog) and difficulties with my GI tract processing solid foods requiring another hospital admission.
For weeks I felt like a blob - just existing, not knowing what day it was, and struggling with constant pain that just made life miserable. I experienced so many emotions - frustration, anger, sadness, and depression. Luckily I have a great support group of family and friends that kept me going and encouraged me to seek professional help. In December I started seeing a psychologist that specializes in treating cancer patients/survivors and slowly I began the long road of recovery. With lots of time, support from others, and lots of work on my part, I am now much better - both physically and mentally. I'm getting better with this whole colostomy thing, eating real food (and actually enjoying it), and am back to working full time!!
And now for the silver lining in all of this mess..... all of my scans have been good = no signs of cancer!!
Tata for now!! Until next time......
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| Angry Bowels |
Due to the continued rectal pain I was unable to work (ya'll know how crazy I am about work so you can imagine how absolutely horrible this pain must have been to keep me home😖). Just when I thought things couldn't get worse - they did. On November 20th I woke up with severe abdominal pain and after a discussion with my oncology team I was directly admitted to the hospital. As the day progressed the abdominal pain got worse and I continued to need more and more pain medication in attempts to control the pain. After having an X-ray and CT Scan it was determined that I had a perforation (aka tear) in my bowel which required emergency surgery. During the surgery they confirmed that I did have a perforated bowel, removed some of my bowel, and created a colostomy (most likely this will be permanent). I spent 6 days in the hospital recovering from surgery, getting used to being "an ostomate", and unfortunately still experiencing the rectal pain (the surgeon had to leave a section of bowel at the end, aka a "rectal stump" and this tissue was also affected by the radiation).
Early on during these medical issues I was very naive and honestly thought I would be back to work in just a week or two. I didn't want to believe that it would take longer than that even though I was being told that it takes 4-6 weeks to recovery from major abdominal surgery and that it might take even longer for me due to previously being on a medication that causes delayed wound healing (thanks again Avastin). On top of all this, I experienced some complications during my recovery - part of the surgical incision did not heal correctly resulting in a large open wound (more on that in a future blog) and difficulties with my GI tract processing solid foods requiring another hospital admission.
For weeks I felt like a blob - just existing, not knowing what day it was, and struggling with constant pain that just made life miserable. I experienced so many emotions - frustration, anger, sadness, and depression. Luckily I have a great support group of family and friends that kept me going and encouraged me to seek professional help. In December I started seeing a psychologist that specializes in treating cancer patients/survivors and slowly I began the long road of recovery. With lots of time, support from others, and lots of work on my part, I am now much better - both physically and mentally. I'm getting better with this whole colostomy thing, eating real food (and actually enjoying it), and am back to working full time!!
And now for the silver lining in all of this mess..... all of my scans have been good = no signs of cancer!!
Tata for now!! Until next time......
