My port has been removed, I am fully re-connected to my, slightly shorter, rectum and all of the tests I have taken have come back fine. So, hopefully, that's it, all done!
I really don't think I will ever be all done! The worry will always be there. I've been through a lot of stuff since the diagnosis last October, and I'm still going to have to have precautionary scans and colonoscopies every few months to make sure that nothing is still hanging around or tries to sneak back.
I read through this blog again this morning - I'd forgotten a lot of stuff, and I think I might have over-worried some things, while under estimating others.
I still can't feel my feet or the tips of my fingers properly because of some of the chemo drugs - it's no biggie really, but it is a constant reminder. My digestive system has changed considerably - I'm still tentatively introducing new foods. Last night I made a dish that involved napa cabbage, red peppers and pork with a fairly spicy sauce - one or more of those things didn't sit well with my system and I felt the tenesmus symptoms again for much of the evening.
It's not that debilitating, and I'm sure I will get to know how to avoid it and how better to deal with it in time. If that is all I have to worry about going forward, then I think it's a pretty good deal. The fact that my ostomy did not have to be permanent is the biggest relief of the year - the 8 months of wearing that thing were not easy, believe me!
People have been wonderful to me throughout this experience - little messages in email or on Facebook can be really helpful in snapping you out of self-pity - so thanks for all the comments and likes, emails and kind words.
If I can help anyone by sharing my experiences, I would be more than happy to be put in touch with anyone who may be about to go through a similar experience. I know that I found communicating with people who knew how it feels to be enormously helpful.
