Now that I have had the tumor removed, I only needed to have the ileostomy reversed and things would be back to normal. Easy as that, right? I would get my strength back from the surgery and have the surgery area healed properly so as to not have any infection set in. I could then have the reversal and all would be fine. An ileostomy reversal is a technique that rejoins the two ends of your bowel after an ileostomy. Its purpose is to restore bowel function so you can remove waste normally. I was so excited. I could actually see the light at the end of the tunnel. I knew the light was there, but I had no idea how far away it was and how long it would take to get there.
About 8 weeks had passed by and we were getting a bit nervous about why we had not heard any news of when the reversal surgery would be. One day in mid to late November we got a phone call from our doctor. He wanted to do the reversal as soon as possible. In fact, he said he wanted us to be at the hospital the next day to have tests and scans prior to the surgery. I was to do a prep very similar to a colonoscopy prep that evening and come into the hospital ready to have the reversal. So we made arrangements for Brenda's sister to take care of things for a week or so, packed our things, and headed for Eric's house to get ready for the next day. We stopped at Walmart on the way to pick up some Gator Aid and some meds to mix in and were on our way. We spent the night in our little downstairs apartment and went to the hospital the next day for scans, etc. I had a barium enima. Don't ever want to do that again. Some scans were made and an MRI. I couldn't have any food and needed to start my prep that evening. I needed to be cleaned out as much as possible. So I mixed up my beverages and started drinking. I finished up and surprise, surprise, Everything I had taken down came back up and into the toilet. I was upset about that and wondered if it would make any difference. About an hour or so after losing my Gator Aid, I got a call from Dr. Kim himself. He asked me who had ordered the MRI. I said "I thought you did. I don't understand." He went on to tell me that he had not ordered an MRI for me, but it was a good thing someone had. He said that as he had been studying the results, the MRI was showing a large bag of infection in the proximity of where the tumor had been. He went on to say that If we would have operated now, without knowing of the infection it would have been a disaster. He said that we would have to get rid of the infection before we could even think of doing a reversal. The bag would burst letting the infection out and causing me to go septic and I would be dead within a few days.
I hope you have enjoyed this episode of Healing. Please feel free to join me each week for the next 2 or 3 months, and hopefully, I can help you or someone you know become a stronger cancer warrior. Share this musical podcast with your friends and family. Cancer needs to be put in its place!
