Seven Year Itch?

Happy Stomaversary to me! Ripley and I became a team 7 years ago on 11/8/17 and I can not complain – I had a great surgical team.

But, it was not without an unexpected complication; the anesthesiologist hit my left femoral nerve with a pre-surgery TAP block (Transversus Abdominis Plane Block) so along with numbing my abdomen (worked great) he also numbed my entire left leg (not great).

I was unable to walk unassisted so a fairly routine colectomy became a necessity for me to stay inpatient several more days, working with PT, OT, and trying to meet my goal of walking out of the hospital on my own. It didn’t work out that way.

But, I fought to get discharged before Thanksgiving and was 🙌🏻.

Intensive inpatient rehab was also a fight but it didn’t get approved until I was already home so I had them choose homecare instead of me going back to inpatient care – after 6 weeks of sickness and surgery I was done; I was finally home and I said, “I’m staying home”.

God provided everything I needed and 7 months later, I was discharged from outpatient PT, able to finally walk again without falling.

But that was not to last.

To this day, it’s my “weak leg” and I’m often holding on to a wall and if I get really tired, I must stay seated. It’s challenging at times, unpredictable, and not optimal by I’m thankful I’m not incapacitated, needing a walker full time or wheelchair – or in that full leg cast.

I’m thankful to be alive!

And YES – I’m thankful for the surgery that saved my life from a severely diseased (IBD & cdiff) colon trying to end it.

I’m also grateful I am able to share my journey here and hopefully encourage others on this journey too.

Life isn’t always a cake walk, but I’m still blessed.

“I’m so blessed, I’m so blessed. Got this heartbeat in my chest.
No, it doesn’t matter ‘bout the rest. If I got You Lord…hallelujah I’m blessed” 🎵 (Cain).

Now for the “itch” (IYKYK) but really, I’m talking mentally…

We know a physical itch can mean it’s time to “make the switch” (change out the appliance because we may have the early warning signs of a leak). But mentally, I’ve been praying more about whether it’s time to consider making Ripley permanent or trying a J-pouch.

And I’ve decided I’m not willing to rock the boat right now. Ripley isn’t perfect – nothing on earth is – but my stoma has given me next to nothing for issues. Peristomal skin as well. So, looks like we’ll stay a team for the foreseeable future – which means possibly moving forward with proctectomy or just continuing biyearly scopes to make sure I don’t have any wayward cells. Colorectal cancer runs in my family so my GI is very proactive in early detection.

Until further notice, we’ll just keep talking it one day at a time 💜.