Remember that the body is an amazing thing, it can adjust over time and learn how to work in a way it was never supposed to. I’m seeing those results now that I’m three years out of surgery and you, hopefully, will too.
Tag: surgery
In September this year it will have been three years since I lost my bowel, it’s taken me this long to fully appreciate how much this has affected me. The bowel is a funny organ to lose. You often hear of throwing parties before amputations or things like that. When it comes to your bowel, how do you send it off in style? It’s not exactly an organ we talk about openly.
My fight or flight response at the time definitely was to fight. I pushed through and didn’t let my emotions get in the way of moving past each hurdle and making a full recovery, although very importantly I did start seeing a psychologist because I did have a lot of fears and anxiety around the diagnosis. I had no idea how to process the news that I needed to have major surgery to remove my bowel. I barely knew the importance of my bowel (I definitely do now that I no longer have it!).
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Next week on September 11 it’s been 2 years since my proctocolectomy, where my entire large bowel was removed and a j-pouch was made from my small intestine to act as my large bowel. Life has changed for better and worse in that time period, but overall I think that my surgery and illness has in a strange way had a positive impact on my life ever since.
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Today is International Nurses Day, and as a patient I I couldn’t be more thankful for the kindness and expertise I’ve been shown in my care by nurses. Through my eye surgeries, my bowel surgeries, the day procedures I’ve had done, my few trips to emergency and currently at the cancer clinic, I’ve always felt like I’ve been in great care. Continue reading
When something is less than perfect, we usually feel the need to cover it up or find a solution to make it better and more normal. I have big scars on my stomach from my surgeries and how I feel about them has changed over the last year and a half. Continue reading
Shrinking the Silence 