Update: May 4th

Tomorrow makes 3 weeks from most recent surgery. Starting to show signs of healing at last. No steady pain anymore in surgical area, but still hurts when any clothing rubs up against penis. If I wear boxers, things dangle and rubs against legs - hurts. If I wear briefs, then the front of them pushes against the head - hurts. I only stay fully clothed if I am going out somewhere, but at home, best relief is to wear my dressing robe only, and make sure I am not flashing anyone. Still a little difficult being comfortable to sleep, as I am limited after all these years to sleeping on left side (due to my stoma). Long as I don't move at all, I can lay without too much pain.

Next Monday, have follow up with PCP for all the special blood work that was done prior to the operation, and he was the referring doctor. I see the surgeon for followup sometime later in May, and also see my Oncologist late in the month. Next Thursday, have to have a followup with the VA, they have moved me from Columbia, SC to Asheville, NC. They finally figured out that I live closer to Asheville. My fellow vets tell me the service is superior at the VA hospital in Asheville, so I am glad they changed me.

good to hear your good news.

As always, you're in my prayers.

Andrew

Hi David

I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I just found out about your surgery. I'm very happy that you're starting to heal. Take care.

love
Loretta

Prayers for your continued healing hon. Life is certainly about patience, for you (& others)

Gentle hugs from afar..

David,

From what I understand, Ambien gives some people very vivid nightmares. A friend of mine took it once, had that experience, and never took another Ambien. Perhaps this is what is happening and your doctor can prescribe something else to help you sleep.

Glad to hear that your past the worst in your recovery from this surgery.

Concur with various sleep medications…prescribed and over the counter will cause nightmare…Even so called herbal and "natural " kine.. At one time I was taking dakine and whoopee…did i have some adventures in dark land there.. fortunately I know when I am dreaming and have the ability to fly and navigate my defenses and attacks… Knowing it is a dream I am fearless and relentless..
Ambian tried it once…would never touch it again…very dangerous that one…cost/benefit{non financial kine} is way out of balance…negatively so…Now I take nothing …not even benadryl…that and a 3200$ pillow top… I sleep well tho do wke up at least twice a night…but get back easily… I wish you well Purgatory...

David, continued good wishes on your recovery. As to nightmares...among health conditions I suffer include Restless Legs. Doctor put me on Requip. It caused what I would classify as night terrors. The most frightening terrifying dreams imaginable. I would wake convinced what was happening was real and when I fell back asleep the dreams would continue. It got to the point I was afraid to go to sleep. Due to other side effects from the medication I eventually gave it up. Now I take a number of medications for different ailments and I think they play a part in the vivid almost real dreams I have now. They aren't terrifying dreams but they are so intense I wake up mentally exhausted. I wish I could get off all my medications because the combination of all them leaves me unrested, tired and in a fog many days.

Best wishes to you for a speedy recovery!

We all,arguably, suffer from "self perceived injustices" as a children that we carry thru out our lives..CJ Jung's theory of neurosis's is interesting[google if interested}… they are very difficult to resolve…most never do…they are annoying to self and others…but quite forgivable by self and others… one of my sons refers to them as "quirks" another refers to them as abnormally normal..
As someone once said…' nothing is wrong…but something is the matter.'…
Oh the other son does not refer to them at all… I say: it's a good life if you don't weaken. C'est la vie!

Dave, it's good to hear you're still around! Hope things continue to improve.

On the surgical recovery side: doing well, feel its in the 90% range of being healed/recovered, pain level related to that area is manageable.
-------------------------------
Bad news: Terrible day, another "enemy" came back to me to visit.

By 1030 this morning, not long after waking up, starting having all the signs of still another intestinal blockage. And no, wasn't remotely constipated, went fine the morning before. It was hell again, but fortunately my wife (nurse) was home. Unfortunately, it spoiled all our Mother's Days plans - we were to go to one of our son's house for a get together, but it never happened. I insisted that she go without me, be she refused to leave, knowing the potential danger if the blockage didn't clear.

I went through 6 hours of terrible increasing pains and cramping, before it started to clear up. We were within an hour of going back to the ER, which I greatly feared. Laxatives were used, suppositories, hot liquids, other means I won't describe, it just kept getting worse. I finally passed out from the whole ordeal and somehow fell asleep for an hour or so. When I got up, the blockage finally cleared.

These blockages really traumatize me. I was in the ER 3x last year, two hospital stays (one of 3 days, then 5 days post the resection surgery in October), then back to the ER in early December.

Surgeon warned me, despite fixing it, some people, especially those with heavy radiation damage, it can keep repeating over and over again. Told me he had one patient that had to be operated on 8 times for the same problem.

I got through it, but it ruined the day for all of us. Plus to boot, it was only a year ago that my mother died shortly after Mother's Day. So this was the first Mother's Day I have had in 63 years without a mother.

Be glad when this day is finally over with.

David, sorry you had a tough day. I didn't know you'd lost your mother. Mine is still around, but not doing that well. Hope things go better tomorrow.

David, you have my sympathies for you mother. The loss of a parent at any age is hard.
So very sorry you had a bad day yesterday and hope your doing better on the blockage. I will hope you don't have to go to the ER, you have my prayers..So very concerned about you...