Alright, so I know I said Thursday/Friday I'd be out but hey, somethings came up
. I went in to get "hooked up" where basically, since my entire colon was removed, the doctor replaced it by installing a "tube" made from a material simular to what an actual colon is made of. The tube is bent/folded into itself, stapled together(forming a "J" shape) and placed where the colon isn't. Then the bottom of the "J" is snipped off and attached to the rectum (yes I know-this is more than you wanted to hear about...BUTTT, it is pretty cool when you think about the science and medical procedures involved). The last step is to connect the small intestine (above the colon) to the top part of the J tube (leaving the short leg of the "J" as storage for food waste), and this is the step I will have done in a month from now (Life will finally be back to normal-Dating, mountian biking, swimming, going out with friends, normal diet, etc.).
The 2 hour operation I went in for was going excellent...for the first hour and a half. Then (while the final touches were being applied) my surgeon noticed that my bladder wall and some nearby tissue had "adhered" to one another and the procedure for correcting this is very risky. The entire operation took over 5 hours...but (7 days later) everything healed up great, the punture in my bladder is fixed and everything is good. Now I am home living off homeade cookies (chocolate chip-YUM
) and pain killers. Oh yeah, now I have about seven more inches of scaring on top of the 9 inch cut I had to begin with. Every single PET/CT Scan and scoping procedure I had done is spotless, and now I just have to get about 45 staples removed-Easy money (staples are WAY easier than suitures and stitiches
). BTW thanks for all the support, you guys are great and I am so happy to have found this site! Happy trails everyone and God Bless!!!
Andy
