A warm HOWDY and a question

I've posted on a few threads, but figured I'd toss in a HOWDY to the community, introduce myself, and pose a quick question...

My name is Sam. I'm from central Missouri and 41 years old, wife and three wonderful children (two girls, one boy...as my avatar shows). I've spent my entire adult life involved in law enforcement, and currently work dispatch for the highway patrol. I'm into computers BIG time, rebuild and build them, program them, play games on them, you name it.

Last year, about this time, I had had three weeks of constipation and was in a great deal of pain. I worked my last shift on Sunday, March 7th, had off the following Monday and spent the day on the couch TRYING to get some rest. I had been unable to hold down anything but Boosts for over a week. That afternoon, I drank one just to have it come right back up five minutes later. After I had finished my business in the bathroom, I tried drinking a glass of water to calm my stomach, just to have IT come up a few minutes later. At this point, I said enough's enough. I'm a stubborn redneck, but even I know a person can't live without water for very many days. I was admitted into the hospital that evening, a cat scan revealed an obstruction in my colon, and I was operated on the next morning.

The surgeon told me that he cut out about six-eight inches of my colon, and that the mass APPEARED to him to be cancerous. He also told me that due to the extended period of time that I had waited, my intestines were EXTREMELY inflamed and swolen. He related to me that as soon as he made the initial incision, everything just "smooshed out" onto the table. Of course, being the quirky guy that I am, I asked him, "Oh, just like the hoth creature on Empire Strikes Back when Han Solo cut it open with the light sabre?!?" We both had a good laugh at that one.

A few days later, he gave me the bad news... the pathology confirmed his fears.. it was cancer. And since two of the lymph nodes indicated the presence of cancerous cells, it was classified as stage three. Talk about my world turning upside down and sideways. I don't cry very easily, but I have to confess to the old tear ducts getting a workout that evening.

The following week, my vitals crashed due to fluid loss... I had been retaining fluids so they had giving me medicine to get rid of them, but it was overkill. They almost had to get the crash cart after me, and I ended up spending a day and a half in ICU. Later that week, I developed a football sized mass in my abdominal cavity that had to be removed surgically. Turned out to be the result of a slight rupture in the small intestine that created the abscess. Then to add to my joyful hospital stay, I developed staff in my first surgical wound.

Five weeks later and 90 pounds lighter, I got to go home to recover. April 11th that was. Middle of June and I was back at work, and started chemo the third week (I believe...can't remember for sure). That first chemo treatment was scary, as everyone reacts differently to chemo, and I kept picturing the scene on the movie The Bucket List where Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman were shaking in misery and taking turns upchucking their socks. Fortunately I guess I had used up my quota of bad luck for that yaer, because I got off easy. A little diarrhea, a little fatigue, a little neuropathy and that was about it.

My last treatment was November 5th, 12 of 12 and I'm a chemo graduate! Even got an "atta-boy" certificate from my chemo-lounge nurses! Had a follow-up with my surgeon later that week and for the five-thousandth time asked him WHEN we could get the bag off my gut. He pondered it for a moment, then said, "Two weeks out would be about the middle of November...how does the 16th sound?". I'm a happily married man, but I swear I came VERY close to kissing the man.

My final trip "under the knife" came in the middle of January when I had corrective surgery on the hernia that had developed from the initial surgery. I also had the surgeon remove the port he'd put in. My feeling on the matter is that I've spend the last year with artificial appliances in me and on my... I'm ready to get back to being "all natural" again. So, a five week recovery from that surgery, and here I am back at work again, and if the prayers I say almost every day are answered... FROM NOW ON until I retire.

Through it all, my wife has stuck by my side. She has been the rope I held onto while dangling over the abyss. If it weren't for her, my family and my friends, I really, honestly don't think I'd be sitting her typing this right now. And of course, while I'm giving out thanks and kudos I must thank the most important person in my recovery... my Lord Jesus Christ. Without His 24/7 presence, love and healing, I KNOW I wouldn't be here right now.

Now... I'm done writing the book... here's the quickie question. I had my ileostomy reversal in the middle of November. After the initial several days of diarrhea I started having more solid output, and a sharp pain at the...ahem... "exit point". I just chalked it up to nine months of disuse, but it's STILL a sharp pain.

Has anyone else that's had this done experienced something similar, and if so, is there anything to be worried about, or that can be done?