scary gross health stuff that's going... okay actually? (thread)
hi fedi friends! a week ago today I started having terrible stomach flu symptoms. I lay in bed trying to keep fluids down for a few days before spending an afternoon + evening waiting to get seen in the Emergency Room (like ya do, in the urban US at least).
our local hospital system is really good once you can actually get, y'know, seen. turns out I had a pretty extensive intestinal blockage due to uh, cancer??
scary gross health stuff that's going... okay actually? (thread)
I was in too much pain to feel like I needed to engage with that word for days after, but it sure was hard for the friend with me to hear, and the various loved ones she passed the info on to. today I got the pathology report, reflecting the surgeon's initial assessment, & also indicating clearly that she got all the cancer out. that means they don't think I'll need chemo, barring the appearance of additional disruptive symptoms.
scary gross health stuff, bit of colon surgery tmi (thread)
along with the cancer went a good chunk of my colon, and I get the ol' ostomy bag treatment for some weeks/months until my intestines have settled. then I'll come back in for surgery to put it all back together again, woo!
surgery recovery
surgery recovery has not gone the smoothest! I had a hysterectomy ~6 weeks ago which went much smoother; I was home from the hospital relatively quickly w/ no complications. I'm sure the lingering weakness from that, + the lack of rest while I was sick beforehand, contributed to conditions that caused some bad infections in my gut post-surgery. I was really hating life for close on a week there. once these infections got identified and dealt with, progress has been much better!
surgery recovery
I'm trying to align (ally?) my will and attention better with my body's needs these days, so I've had a lot of opportunities to practice this. instead of feeling impatient with the obnoxious ol' meatsack's demands, I want to give it all the time it needs to rediscover what thriving means for it now. that really helps me feel okay about taking my time with what, for everyone else in my life, has been painfully slow progress. -_-
surgery recovery (covid mention)
this means maybe not being out of the hospital by the 25th. but this isn't as big a deal for me this year b/c I didn't have family plans anyway (covid + a breakup + living on the other side of the country from family = real quiet day plans anyway). I don't wanna Pollyanna it too hard, but I am really sincerely happy to be alive these days, and any day I feel good enough to actually enjoy being alive? that's a really good day.
surgery recovery (covid mention)
@twistylittlepassages i’m glad you caught it early & that were able to get it all out in a single procedure! I hope the rest of your recovery goes smoothly 💛
surgery recovery (covid mention)
@twistylittlepassages that’s a great feeling to have! I’m glad to hear it
surgery recovery (covid mention)
thank you @Satsuma, me too! hearing today that I didn't have to start scheduling chemo treatments was just such a relief. and it does feel like the hardest parts of recovery are behind me -- so many little things work now that just didn't before! 🧡