Too much to let sink in, not just about the hospital results and upcoming surgery, but also about Cindy and @danny_thorpe who just lost their house in the California forest fires, despite it being on the humid side of the Santa Cruz mountains.
1/
1/
If you can help anybody affected by the
#CZULightningComplex, please do. Many families there are going through a rough time for the foreseeable future especially because of the combination of fires and COVID.
If you are in that area: be careful, be safe.
2/
#CZULightningComplex, please do. Many families there are going through a rough time for the foreseeable future especially because of the combination of fires and COVID.
If you are in that area: be careful, be safe.
2/
For me it is mixed emotions time.
The chemo did make the cancer operable. Some tumors have shrunken, a few small ones are invisible, probably because of the chemo-induced hepatic steatosis, and no new tumor were found.
3/
The chemo did make the cancer operable. Some tumors have shrunken, a few small ones are invisible, probably because of the chemo-induced hepatic steatosis, and no new tumor were found.
3/
The prolapse has grown big: extended it is at least 10cm of bowel pushing itself outside of the abdomen causing many stoma leaks (5 full ones in 2 weeks time and 2 almost ones yesterday).
The good news is that it means there is hardly any
intestinal adhesion.
4/
The good news is that it means there is hardly any
intestinal adhesion.
4/
The bad news: it takes 4-8 hours a day (of which 1-2 hours during the night) pushing the bowel back into the stoma so the output opening becomes unblocked and the poo can get out.
Though a temporary situation, this eats a lot of energy.
5/
Though a temporary situation, this eats a lot of energy.
5/
It means I need to find a way to keep my body in shape to prepare for surgery which is in 3-4 weeks (likely mid September).
The surgery will be tough as it will focus on 2 things:
6/
The surgery will be tough as it will focus on 2 things:
6/
1. Removing areas of of the liver where the tumors are and were (which is about 30-50% of the liver).
2. Likely remove the gallbladder, to minimise the chance of bile leakage (which is devastating when it gets into the abdomen)
(Good news: no chance to get gallstones)
7/
2. Likely remove the gallbladder, to minimise the chance of bile leakage (which is devastating when it gets into the abdomen)
(Good news: no chance to get gallstones)
7/
3. repair the small intestine and remove the stoma.
It is going to be bloody surgery (because of the liver part) taking some 4 hours or more, likely ending up in the IC because the post-surgery risks.
This scares the hell out of me.
7/
It is going to be bloody surgery (because of the liver part) taking some 4 hours or more, likely ending up in the IC because the post-surgery risks.
This scares the hell out of me.
7/
In addition recovery will take a long time, and even longer for liver tissue growing back (it will never reach 100%, but should be much more than 50% in a few years time).
I also need to re-learn how to poop, which likely means back to diaper age for quite a while.
8/
I also need to re-learn how to poop, which likely means back to diaper age for quite a while.
8/
So all of this means I feel very confused. Glad on the one side because I will loose the cancer and the stoma, but mixed about the risks and recovery.
More later.
9/9
More later.
9/9
