The Ass Cancer Chronicles

Continued from So, how did we get here: Part 1

I was referred to a GI specialist, surgeon, and a gastroenterologist after I spent some time in the ER. The blood was an every day thing, I needed more and more rest and naps, and my primary doctor didn’t like the sound of any of that.

So I finished a meeting at the coworking space, packed up my stuff, and drove to the ER at Touro where I’d had our two babies. Even though it’s across the river, it was the place that was most familiar, in-network for insurance, and where I overall felt most comfortable in getting treatment.

There, I had a CT scan that showed a large mass as well as potentially two abscesses. I was back home in about 4 hours with antibiotics and people to call.

I went back and saw the GI Specialist & surgeon, and they wanted a surgery scheduled to remove the abscesses in case the antibiotics wouldn’t resolve the issues I was having. At this point, the thought was IBD or Crohn’s or something along those lines.

My stepdad had passed away in July from a rare form of cancer, and his Celebration of Life was that weekend in Michigan, which I didn’t feel right missing. They gave me the go ahead, and I soon found myself on a plane with my brother for a long weekend.

I arrived back from Michigan very late on a Tuesday night with surgery schedule for Wednesday morning at 10:30am. While in the airport, I received a call and said that my surgery had been moved up to 9am, which I actually couldn’t physically make as we have children to get ready & drop off at school. I was feeling a shit ton better from the antibiotics, and so I had them cancel the surgery altogether as I would be seeing the GI specialist soon to evaluate if it was even still needed once she came back from time off.

Monday, 10/14, I met with the GI specialist and surgeon again, we talked everything over and where I was with my meds, how I felt, etc. I let her know that I was fine to do surgery, however I also had a colonoscopy scheduled for that Thursday, 10/17, and thought it would be best to get that done, and then see what kind(s) of surgery were actually needed from there. She agreed, and, well, you all know how Thursday, 10/17 went.

Moral of the story

• When something’s just not right, you know better than anyone else. It’s your body. Go get that shit taken care of.
• Each of us has an obligation to ourselves to put our health first.
• Without taking care of ourselves, we can’t take care of others. We can’t run businesses. We can’t support the things we want to support, or be involved in the things that bring us joy.
• Get screened early for whatever family history stuff you have – for whatever screenings are available for your specific age group – for whatever. Catching things early makes all of the difference, I hear.