Some Bad Health News - UPDATE x 2
Posted: Wed Jul 31, 2024 6:43 pm
I've gotten some very bad health news recently. I've been diagnosed with colon cancer. About a month ago, I had a colonoscopy, and they found a malignant growth. They removed what they could during the colonoscopy, but I'm going to have the part of my colon above the appendix removed. Then, they will resection everything together and will hopefully catch everything. However, we first ran a battery of other tests to see if I was up to the surgery. Those tests revealed I also have a large kidney stone. It hasn't caused me any pain or discomfort, and I didn't know I had a stone (I had a painful stone pass about 20 years earlier.) The fear is that this stone could shift which could be a much bigger problem once they've taken out a big chunk of my colon.
So, I'm going in tomorrow for outpatient surgery where they will (hopefully) blast the kidney stone and remove it. I should be out tomorrow afternoon from that. Assuming all goes well, they will operate to remove part of my colon in two weeks. (I won't need a colostomy bag; thank goodness for small favors.) They think we've caught the cancer early enough so it's still localized. However, it may have spread to the lymph nodes, which would mean chemotherapy. They can't even tell me what stage the cancer is until they go in there. It could be anywhere from Stage 1 to Stage 3. They also found that my lowest L1 vertebra is fractured, something else I've lived with for years with no pain. Any treatment for that will have to wait until I get through this. The one saving grace in all this is that Mrs. SSS can't understand all this any more, because if I'd been diagnosed two years ago, she would have gone completely to pieces worrying. I do have two daughters who have been very supportive and will be taking me to and from these various medical appointments as needed.
So, I'll be having outpatient surgery for the kidney stone tomorrow and bowel surgery on August 14. I should be in the hospital for 3-5 days after that and then limited activities at home for up to a month (no lifting over 10 pounds).
That's the reason I dropped out of the Grab Bag game. I didn't know how long it would run and didn't want to have to quit when I was just in a position to win. I'm also going to drop out of the Political Lounge for a while until I get back on my feet. Much as I enjoy sparring with the usual suspects, I probably won't be at my best mentally or physically for a few weeks. I'll keep people updated on my medical progress if and when I can, and may drop in to leave an odd note or two as well.
I really enjoy the time I spend here and look forward to continuing it for quite a while to come.
So, I'm going in tomorrow for outpatient surgery where they will (hopefully) blast the kidney stone and remove it. I should be out tomorrow afternoon from that. Assuming all goes well, they will operate to remove part of my colon in two weeks. (I won't need a colostomy bag; thank goodness for small favors.) They think we've caught the cancer early enough so it's still localized. However, it may have spread to the lymph nodes, which would mean chemotherapy. They can't even tell me what stage the cancer is until they go in there. It could be anywhere from Stage 1 to Stage 3. They also found that my lowest L1 vertebra is fractured, something else I've lived with for years with no pain. Any treatment for that will have to wait until I get through this. The one saving grace in all this is that Mrs. SSS can't understand all this any more, because if I'd been diagnosed two years ago, she would have gone completely to pieces worrying. I do have two daughters who have been very supportive and will be taking me to and from these various medical appointments as needed.
So, I'll be having outpatient surgery for the kidney stone tomorrow and bowel surgery on August 14. I should be in the hospital for 3-5 days after that and then limited activities at home for up to a month (no lifting over 10 pounds).
That's the reason I dropped out of the Grab Bag game. I didn't know how long it would run and didn't want to have to quit when I was just in a position to win. I'm also going to drop out of the Political Lounge for a while until I get back on my feet. Much as I enjoy sparring with the usual suspects, I probably won't be at my best mentally or physically for a few weeks. I'll keep people updated on my medical progress if and when I can, and may drop in to leave an odd note or two as well.
I really enjoy the time I spend here and look forward to continuing it for quite a while to come.
