Medical Status of Boardmembers

Started by Ball Hopper, December 19, 2019, 03:25:19 AM

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balladmaker

Well done BH, inspirational stuff!

GiveItToTheShooters

Inspirational stuff BH! Keep er lit and take care!

macdanger2


trileacman

Congrats BH.

I amazed reading the details of your ops. As someone who works in health what can be achieved by modern medicine is actually mind-blowing.
Fantasy Rugby World Cup Champion 2011,
Fantasy 6 Nations Champion 2014

Ball Hopper

My second leak test was on Monday last, 30 November.  Unfortunately, the repairs of the first leak test proved insufficient as the second leak test showed the original leak path has not closed fully.
 
However, the leak opening is now smaller in size and the track of the leak is much thinner, described as almost wisp-like on the screen.  So progress is being made, even if at a slower than expected rate.

The surgeon said the leak could close by itself over the next year or so, but he can help it along by conducting another non-surgical procedure where a small drain will be placed at the leak opening and the area will be dealt with abrasively to promote scarring and healing.  Conducted under general anesthetic and in and out of the hospital inside half a day. This means I'll undergo another repair procedure on 9 December and the clock restarts with regards to healing and the leak path closing fully.

He says the radiation knocked the area out of commission, more or less, and is very slow to recover.  The rate is also slow due to the width of the opening among other things – imagine a large cut on your knee...the edges of skin in the middle might be a fair distance apart and will take time to grow back together.  Hence the use of stitches on occasion, but the gap in my case was not wide enough to need stitching initially, although I'll bet the surgeon might say in hindsight that stitching would have set me right in October with a successful test 2 this week rather than needing a second repair.

I'm also very slow in recovering as the early August surgery took so much out of me, with the body fighting small battles on several fronts.  Since the area from the large intestine to daylight at the rear end is not in use right now, the body doesn't need to focus on fixing anything there with any degree of urgency, which is another contributing factor to the failure of both leak tests.

We will probably give the area a third month to repair this time around, rather than the two months from the early October first leak repair, so it looks like March 2021 for the next test.  If successful, the ileostomy reversal surgery will take place within two weeks of the leak test.  It could be a Happy Easter after all.

Meanwhile, I need to continue to provide the body with the fuel sources necessary for it to do the repairs.  Plenty protein in the diet, plus add some Vitamin D which came back low in a recent test.  In addition to bone health, Vitamin D has other roles in the body, including reduction of inflammation as well as modulation of such processes as cell growth, neuromuscular and immune function, and glucose metabolism – all of which will aid in accelerating my healing process.

The ileostomy bag is part and parcel of my daily life at this stage.  I'm up two or three times a night to take care of it, so multiple alarm times are set each night as I'm sleeping so well now.  The bag only needs to be changed out about every four or five days and that is not the chore it used to be – I haven't had a leak in ages, a sign of proper placement and care.

Peripheral neuropathy is still with me, although improving every month.  Fingers are almost back to normal, but still have a tingling in them.  My left foot is still sending wrong signals to the brain – it feels like I have about 4 insoles under it and every solid surface I stand on barefoot feels like it is subzero temperature, and that includes the bathroom floor and even the shower once the hot water is turned off.  The right foot is much better, maybe a single insole added. Rubbing my bare feet on surfaces of different texture is supposed to help...things like rubbing my feet with a sock, dragging them along a carpet and also along a coarser rug...the coarser the texture the more painful it feels, but the nerves are being stimulated and will hopefully revert to normal soon.  When I'll be able to drag them along a coarse and bristly surface, like a doormat, without pain will be signal of being cured – that could take another six months or so.  I'm still taking a prescription drug for this odd and annoying, but not overly painful, condition.

Weight is staying at the same good level as last report and glucose numbers continue to fall and are now within the normal range, if only barely.  I'm walking two miles a day at about 16 minutes a mile pace and I'm feeling stronger every week...I made sure to get my walk done on the day I got the leak test result...no point in wallowing in any sort of pity as a result of a minor setback, since I know I'm going to win the war eventually.  Remember, my pathology report from August says I'm Cancer Free.

The initial disappointment of failing the second leak test has passed and I'm back on track to working hard to be ready for the next one.  In the big picture, the length of my treatment has extended from 12 months to 16 or so...almost negligible in the great scheme of things.

Once again, I thank everyone for the massive sense of support I feel, whether expressed directly or not.   It adds to my motivation when I see the replies and it helps me prove to you that, since you are on my team, I must do all I can to win this.

I'll update again before Christmas, meanwhile everyone remain safe and manage your health properly – it is priceless.


bannside

Great stuff BallHopper. You're still going through the mixer, but it looks like your resolve is still fully intact. The worst part is over hopefully, head down and face up the rest. You'll be a new man by the summer, hopping balls for fun.

Rossfan

Davy's given us a dream to cling to
We're going to bring home the SAM

Denn Forever

I have more respect for a man
that says what he means and
means what he says...

Taylor


Jeepers Creepers


ziggy90

All the best BH. You've the hard miles done, small steps now.
Best wishes to you and yours for the season ahead.
Questions that shouldn't be asked shouldn't be answered

Dinny Breen

The best thread in 2020. Best wishes BH and happy Christmas to all board members. May 2021 be as kind as 2020 was harsh.
#newbridgeornowhere

illdecide

Quote from: Dinny Breen on December 25, 2020, 12:27:09 AM
The best thread in 2020. Best wishes BH and happy Christmas to all board members. May 2021 be as kind as 2020 was harsh.

Good man Dinny B...Yip there wasn't much good news in 2020 but this thread was certainly one of them hearing how well BH done coping and sharing his illness. An inspiration for sure and hope 2021 is BH's best year.
Have a good one folks and a better 2021
I can swim a little but i can't fly an inch

Lotto

Inspirational thread, fair play Ball Hopper. Amazing stuff and all the best for 2021.

Ball Hopper

Thanks to all who took the time to reply with messages of support.  You don't know how much inspiration I get from just reading the replies.  I recall reading this entire thread during some of my lowest days after the 5 August surgery and before the pathology report arrived - I'm not ashamed to say I teared up on more than one occasion as I read messages from complete strangers.

My surgery site is still not fully repaired.  As we go into 2021 we have decided to slow-play the whole thing - the surgeon says I should be ready for the next leak test in early February, but instead I'll have him do another exam at that time to see if I'm on schedule - then I'll dawdle with making the appointment for the actual test.  My best guess for the test is now first week of March, just under three months from the last procedure on 9 Dec.

Taking that extra month is no great difficulty - it just prolongs the time I'll have the bag.  The bag is little more than a minor inconvenience at this stage - we are very comfortable changing it out every five days.  Getting up 2 or 3 times a night to empty it is the only hassle - a bit like night feeding for newborns.

Anyway, early March test for me and, if successful, I'll have the reversal surgery by the end of March and finally old Humpty Dumpty will be put back together again.  Might be done and dusted with surgery and home by Easter 2021. 

It is often said the cure can be harsh and that is true for me.  My treatment lasted from mid-Dec 2019 to the end of May 2020, five and a half months.  Two months downtime to be fit enough for the major surgery to remove all areas of concern in early August will be followed by about 9 months recovery before final surgery in late March.  That shows me the strength and power of the chemo and radiation treatments.  Understanding the strength of the treatment and the concoction of medicines that I took to almost completely eliminate the side effects of such powerful treatment is coming more to my thoughts these days - I really had a good tolerance to the treatment.

Roll on 2021 and a return to full health - and don't any of you underestimate the difference this thread has made to me and my attitude.

Nothing really on the horizon till early February, so next report might not be till then.

A very Merry Christmas to all.