As promised the colorectal surgeon showed up at the appointed time to give Nalani and me all the lurid details about dealing with my gut. And here’s the scoop, pun intended!
If you are queasy about reading details about operations, you might want to skip the following paragraphs. She reconfirmed a mass was found on the right side of the colon which needs to be removed. It involves a two hour surgery with general anesthesia, you know the kind where you are out out. No Michael Jackson special here, not strong enough. Surgery date is, drum roll, December 19th. We’re staying here in Phoenix. Too much effort to fly home and back in two weeks.
Turns out he is a she and is a world class surgeon with over 200 papers published. She will take a short bit of the small intestine where it joins the large one all the way to where the large one traverses the abdomen. Think of a square, remove the bottom line, and you’re left with three lines. She’ll be removing the right line. It will be a laproscopic surgery with four areas of entry in the abdomen. She actually pulls the colon out and plops it on my belly, proceeds to cut the colon, sew the remaining ends together, and stuff it back in.
With any major surgery there is risk. On paper (with all my issues) she said I looked like a high risk patient. After talking to me she realized she was talking to Superman and felt much better. That said there is a 1-2% chance of leakage which would be a problem. And anything can happen during surgery. She encouraged me to get in physical shape by walking. They have a terrific trail system on the Mayo Campus I intend to wear out. And there’s a small gym in our hotel. That put a smile on Nalani’s face because she’s THE exercise nut.
Depending on how the surgery goes, recovery in the hospital will be anywhere from two to seven days. And then two weeks after that at the hotel before I’m cleared to fly. When I had a little hole put in my stomach in 2002 for tube feeding, I remember it taking three months before the pain subsided. I’m such a wimp! She was encouraging in that these days they have all kinds of tricks during surgery to reduce pain after surgery. I’m hopeful.
Today’s Daily Calm was about allowing emotions to arise, accept them and then let them go. I often find myself making judgements about emotions like fear, sadness, & anger being bad. Truth is they are just another emotion that will pass just as thoughts pass. By allowing the fear to be, acknowledging & accepting it, it frees me to be aware the fear is temporary, and my true way of being is to shine with love and joy.
Love of myself allows me to love others without labeling, judging or negativity. As I approach this operation, I approach it with compassion and kindness for myself. What a wonderful feeling to be in the moment full of love.
Blessings and love to each of you,
Jesse