The Operation and After
Susan had the operation to remove her large intestine; she kept her rectum, the operation lasted some nine hours; this included getting prepared and the recovery room period.

The operation itself went well but the Doctors felt they may have not made it in time to stop the Cancer getting out of the bowel, they wanted Susan to have chemotherapy.

Once again Susan took control she asked what was the odds she was told there was a twenty per cent better chance that she would not get cancer again if she had the chemo. To Susan this was a waste of time and she had had enough of being prodded , battered and cut up, so she said no!. The Doctors then came after me and tried to get me to convince her to change her mind I made murmuring noises , asked Susan what she wanted to do and backed her all the way

The next few days were both worrying and extremely funny. We had seen another patient before Sues operation and she talked of a bright green liquid coming from deep inside her. Little did we know that Susan would be the new world record holder for exuding the aforesaid bright green liquid

The normal body functions were catered for via the usual tubes. Sue wasn't allowed food so that was not a problem at this stage. At first Sue had to save this dazzling liquid in those cardboard looking hats hospitals tend to use these days.

The nurses were at a loss to explain why the amount of liquid coming out of Susan was two or three times the amount going in. The funny thing was that the hats were taking over. Hats to the right of us hats to left of us, they were everywhere the toilet almost became a no go area. You could not get in there without stepping in a little hat. The staff relented and told Sue not to save them anymore.

After 10 days Sue returned home, during those ten days little victories were won the first drink the first solid food, walking around the ward etc. With Susan at home adjustment to life without the offending colon began in earnest.

Susan recovered quickly, her doctor looked in disbelief when she attended surgery, saying normal people took three months to get out and about. Our worry's were all to do with getting around without any disasters. Sue was suitably armed with an enormous bottle of Imodium and we managed to get from a to b without any mishaps. We quickly learned routes via public toilets and we gained knowledge to be envied of toilets that were available for use.

From being on six Imodium a day to start with Susan soon got that down to one as and when needed, the large bottle lasted a long time in fact Susan still has some left even now.

We started swimming again and life was starting to return to normal. However Susan had to watch her diet until we made a startling discovery. Fruit caused an urgent need for the toilet; one plum for instance would require us to stay near to a WC for the rest of the day. However when we went to Susan's sister for a stay Sue had hot and cold plums from the tree in the garden, they were organically grown. No urgent needs, no hours of being near loos. So we switched to organically grown fruit and wonders no rushes to the toilet. So fruit is back on the shopping list.

Then came the tests, what the doctors were worried about was polyps in the rectum and Liver cancer. They did find something in the liver but it was not cancer or anything to worry about, so we could relax until the next test. Anybody who has been affected by any cancer will know the awful wait for results and will it be alright this time The worry that goes through you never seems to lessen in fact I think it probably gets worse as the tests get further apart.

All seemed to be going well Sue attended for a belated breast screening at the mobile unit. For some reason she was not called for her screen when it was due. She nagged the doctor and was given an appointment in August. A week later a letter dropped on the mat it was from the hospital can Sue attend the breast unit as there was an abnormal mammogram. Do not worry this often happens and mostly proves clear after investigation. We attended the unit. The second mammogram confirmed the first and a small lump was present in her right breast and so began the next stage in Susan's cancer journey.
Breast Surgery (Cancer 4)