I've moved my CaringBridge posts to this site so that they're more accessible. I also wanted to be able to share these posts, even though they are old, with people interested in StomaStrap. Every ostomy has a backstory - These posts tell most of mine.
TLDR: The MRI results say there are no cancer metastases on my liver.
Seriously, this post is way long. You can stop reading here if you want. I’m still NED (no evidence of disease). The rest is so I don’t forget. Or rather, so that I’ll be able to remember after my mind covers the past week with layers of time, denial, and post traumatic amnesia.
Straight to the lede - I'm home! GI surgery team came in at 6AM this morning and said 'yeah, we could keep you another day, but you seem to be doing pretty good, so you can go ahead and get the fuck out'. That was my takeaway, anyway. Although they were much more polite about it.
Last night was rough. Dark-night-of-the-soul rough. Couldn’t get any sleep, not a moment lost. Just pain and discomfort interspersed with dementia-level personal crisis. I can’t explain why a live track by singer-songwriter Slaid Cleves being rendered as an .exe file ever once constituted an emergency. This thought occurred to me at least 3 times.
Surgery, by all accounts, went well. 12 hours, didn't lose much bowel, and they were asked to completely close my previously open abdomen. I'm feeling great about that.
After~400 days of TPN and not eating, surgery day is here. Again. Looks like it'll happen.
In pre-op bed, ready to get this day started. Should start at 7:20AM and last until ? - They said 8 to 14 hours or so. I think they're doing the water pump while they're in there.
Dr. Migaly wanted to offer you the soonest available surgery date he, the plastics, and urology teams had available for your multi-provider surgery. That date is 10/5/23. Please let me know if this date works for your schedule
Over the past year, since August 2022, my schedule consists of precisely one entry: Await fistula takedown surgery. I don't go out west for Christmas, or Iceland for spring break. No travel to Asia for work. I put TPN into my veins for 12 hours a day, and I wait.
As much as we rely on it, the written word is often insufficient for true and accurate communication. It relies on both a competent scribe to narrow an idea into words, and a willing and curious reader to interpret those words correctly. No matter how clear and brief, writing requires the attention of the reader.
I reflect on this now from my hospital bed, and come to this conclusion: While the meal delivery staff here at Duke Hospital most surely embody many positive qualities, ‘willing and curious readers’ is not among them.
Just a note from Duke ER (where I'm ensconced due to a blood infection). Looks like Monday's long awaited surgery will be still longer awaited. I'm on IV antibiotics. They've pulled my PICC line, which means I'm going with no TPN (nutrition) for the next few days. Hopefully I'll have news later on surgery reschedule date. Until then, I wait.
Got some news this week on the date of my next surgery – Monday, Aug 7th. I’ve been anxious about getting a date for this surgery. It’s nice to see some kind of finish line.
The surgery is a dual-specialty all day long affair. I’ll be asleep, so I won’t care.