Morning CT Scan

For the last four days or so I have taken one to two one-mile walks per day. It is such a wonderful feeling and we live in absolutely beautiful country. To walk with one another means so much to both of us. We went for walks evening after evening shortly after we moved out here. Quiet roads, farms & wetlands, beautiful trees and skies. It provides so much for us. And this week is the first week we've been able to walk together since the last walk we had together - on May 11, 2007 - the day before the benefit. Our walk is the big event of our day and we look forward to it each time. It's great to have it back.

Thursday August 7th, I will have a morning CT scan and then blood tests and an afternoon meeting with Dr. Allerton (my chemotherapy doctor). Fortunately, my meeting with Dr. Alleton will not include reconnecting my chemo port. Man, I feel nauseous just thinking about starting chemotherapy again. No reason to mention anymore about that right now.

My big concern is my CT scan and if I have an infection that an oral antibiotic can't treat. Like I said - I hope to find out on Thursday afternoon because if I need to be re-admitted, I'd prefer to do right then and there - not after I've already driven home.

Another CT Scan For Thursday

I am doing well as far as how the antibiotic impacts my stomach. Now I only take the stuff on top of a big meal. And I've got back up options shared from others as well if my stomach is still irritated.

The rest of my body feels pretty good. I go on about two walks a day. This morning I was feeling pretty depressed - I don't want a colostomy and in fact don't want anything to do with a colostomy. So, from sitting in my recliner depressed, I got up off my butt and went for an hour long walk. Not only did it feel great as far as my healing body goes, but it just about vanished any feelings of depression. Exercise is a beautiful thing. Plus I saw two neighbors I really like and got to tell them the great news. I still can't tell people I'm cancer-free without crying.

Sitting is still a little painful, so my Nurse Practitioner has scheduled another CT Scan for Thursday. And of course, if the infection is worse, they will re-admit me and insert a drainage catheter as well as prescribe me an IV antibiotic. I'll let you know on Thursday. Believe it or not, I'm shootin' for not being readmitted.

CT Scan...and Staples

Finally my staples are gone - what a relief!!! Those things were driving me nutz.

I also had a CT scan and blood work to determine the source of my recent abdominal pain. And in looking for it, it seems I may have a slight infection near the top of my backside suture. That explains why I still have a little pain when I sit - I had just figured it was post-surgery pain.

Fortunately, I was given an antibiotic to take home with me. I say "fortunately" because prior to be given the prescription, Dr. Cagir informed me that I may need to be re-admitted and administered an IV antibiotic as well a drainage catheter. So, we waited an hour until a well-respected radiologist had the opportunity to review my CT scan and provide Dr. Cagir with a second opinion.

Initially I FREAKED at the thought of being re-admitted. And then after a few minutes, I was able to relax and realized that it would likely be nothing more than a boring hospital stay with minimal discomforts. Initially upon hearing that I may be admitted again, my brain went to the only experience I recall as an admitted patient: heavily drugged and occasionally in a great deal of pain. Oh. And with a room mate who woke me up every single night at 1 AM & 4 AM until I finally got my hands on some soft ear plugs to sleep with. In his defense, he was 87-years old and confessed to being hard of hearing and forgetting - at 1 & 4 AM - that he had a room mate.

And he was very apologetic for being hard of hearing. He compensated for it by yelling when ever he spoke to any of the hospital staff or whenever he spoke to his wife when she came to visit. And of course they all provided him the same courtesy of yelling when they spoke to him. It was a real treat for me when ever he met with the staff and/or his wife. Oddly enough, when his two sons-in-law came to visit, they would talk for over an hour and no one seemed to need to yell to communicate...

Anyway, I will be scheduled for another CT scan in one to two weeks to make SURE there is no infection. Apparently, once a bad infection shows up in tissue that has been radiated, i.e., my backside, it can take "forever" to be healed (or so said Nan, my Nurse Practitioner).

So, as much as I despised the idea of being re-admitted, by the time I thought it through, I was perfectly content with it. When Dr. Cagir prescribed an antibiotic and sent me home, I asked him, "Are you sure?" I have no desire to take ANY chances. He assured me it would be okay because I am to be scheduled for another CT scan in the next week or two to keep an eye on things.