I’m back doing my own updates again. It was rather nice having Leanne write them for me. Actually, I found them especially interesting to read after the fact, as the way she outlined the experience differed a bit from the memories of my drug-altered state of mind.
Anyway, first I’ll update you on the next steps in my treatment, and then you can keep scrolling down to find a few snapshots from my visit to the hospital. WARNING: If you don’t like seeing incisions or little red gooey things (my stoma) you probably should avoid these photos.
First, thank you all for your prayers. This surgery was a little more intense than I imagined. There were a few times I wasn’t totally sure I was going to make it, but prayer helped me through. Tony’s gone and I am one step closer to possibly being rid of this cancer.
I met with the oncologist on Nov. 27. He didn’t say anything really new. I still need a CT scan to check the status of my liver. It will likely be in the new year once my body has healed from the surgery. He also made me see a dietician before I left the appointment since I had lost so much weight.
Two days later, on Nov. 29, I met with the surgeon. He looked at my incision and then made one of my drain holes bleed. He said that in 3 months he can put me back together again (ie. hook my upper intestines back up to my lower intestines). He will do a dye test first to make sure my rectum and colon are not leaking, which I think is an excellent idea. He also wants to see the results of my CT scan, so I will likely be meeting with the surgeon once the results of the CT scan are in.
I also finally got the results of my genetic testing. My genes are normal, meaning that officially, my colon cancer was probably not caused by my genes.
Please continue to pray for my recovery. It’s been over six weeks since my second surgery. They keep saying the healing process takes 6-8 weeks, so I’m almost there. It’s taking much longer than I expected to gain back all the weight I lost though. A few Christmas dinners should help with that. You can also start praying for the next hurdle, the cancer in my liver, to be overcome.
I’ve been reading your posts. I have prayed for you and your family. I’m crying right now and thinking about how hard things have been for you all.
It’s hard to know the right thing to say when big stuff happens, life and death stuff, human suffering…
I’ve never met you, John Clark, but your story is an inspiration to me. I believe God is doing a miracle in your life…the doctors said you weren’t supposed to live. I feel kind of speechless and just amazed and I feel for the pain you’ve been through.
Thank you for having the courage to share your story.