Abrub is back

It’s been a while. Overall, I’m doing well, however, I’ve had 3 cancer-related surgeries since July, and a temporary colostomy.

My appendix cancer came back in my peritoneum a year ago, but I was considered inoperable because of some questionable spots on my lungs. Thus, back to chemo – FolFiri + Avastin. Abdominal cancer grew on chemo, tho lung spots shrank a bit. However, come April (after a bout with Covid), a tumor in my groin was pressing on nerves, and made it impossible for me to walk. I was in agonizing pain after walking just a few steps (and a few weeks earlier, I was easily walking several miles.) It was getting worse day by day. Thus we knew surgery was a must. Otherwise, I’d have no remaining quality of life.

Surgery was scheduled for the end of July, and included severing my femoral cutaneous nerve. Surgery appeared successful despite the vast net of adhesions and scar tissue I had (from my 5 previous abdominal surgeries and intraperitoneal chemo.) I could walk again, but we didn’t realize for a few weeks that the surgeon had nicked my rectum, and I developed an abscess. Oh, and severing the femoral cutaneous nerve did not leave the affected area painless and unable to feel pain. Other nerves kicked in, and it has been a very unpleasant, permanent side effect of the surgery. However, walking is more important.

Emergency return to the hospital, with numerous tests, placement of drains in the abscess, and ultimately more surgery at the end of August – this time for a transverse double-loop colostomy. We needed to let my rectum heal. No complications this time, just severe depression related to my new colostomy and bag explosions.
Then on December 9, back to the hospital for a reversal, from which I’m healing well. Still not 100%, but my plumbing is normalizing.

I was very fortunate in that Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center does allow visitors (usually 4 hour visiting windows, for a single visitor only), but with a variety of letters from my doctors attesting to why I needed him there, I had my husband (my only permitted visitor) available to me 24/7.
Somehow, our summer slipped away, with me in the hospital for a total of 6 weeks (2 ½ weeks each with the first 2 surgeries, but only 10 days at home between, so it felt like 7 straight weeks in the hospital; then another 5 days after my reversal.

Fortunately, I’m doing well overall. My whole family had Covid back in March, which has given us some immunity. And the latest CT scan (last week) shows no more cancer in my belly, tho still some questionable spots in my lungs that may be mets, but haven’t been confirmed as such.

Alice