Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

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susie0915
Posts: 945
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:17 am
Facebook Username: Susan DeGrazia Hostetter
Location: Michigan

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby susie0915 » Thu Oct 26, 2017 7:24 am

NHMike wrote:I was reading about the distance from the AV and the impact on reversal in another thread so I decided to look it up and it's 5.1 CM and I'm not too sure what that means but it's higher than some and lower than others.

Mine was 5 cm also. I had a temp ileostomy and reversal. It was not bad. It is what it is. I doing pretty well right now and have figured what works best for me to live a fairly normal life. I'm sure you will do well.
58 yrs old Dx @ 55
5/15 DX T3N0MO
6/15 5 wks chemo/rad
7/15 sigmoidoscopy/only scar tissue left
8/15 PET scan NED
9/15 LAR
0/24 nodes
10/15 blockage. surgery,early ileo rev, c-diff inf :(
12/15 6 rds of xelox
5/16 CT lung scarring/inflammation
9/16 clear colonoscopy
4/17 C 4mm lung nod
10/17 pel/abd CT NED
11/17 CEA<.5
1/18 CT/Lung no change in 4mm nodule
5/18 CEA<.5, CT pel/abd/lung NED
11/18 CEA .6
5/19 CT NED, CEA <.5
10/19 Clear colonscopy
11/19 CEA <.5

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby NHMike » Thu Oct 26, 2017 7:32 am

O Stoma Mia wrote:For your hospital stay, what I would recommend is to plan, in advance, which of your personal items you will want to put on your rolling over-bed table.

When you return from surgery you will likely be encumbered with all sorts of tubes and other items (drain tube, urinary catheter, IV lines, epidural catheter, stoma bag, and maybe an oxygen tube or NG tube, etc.). In any event, you will probably be in a bit of pain and will not be able to move around freely to fetch things from elsewhere in the hospital room. For the first couple of days, everything you need should be arranged on your over-bed table, since this will probably be the only place that you can easily access while in bed.

What I would suggest for this is:

1. Ear plugs and face mask -- in case you have a roommate who snores or who wants to run the TV all night.
2. A small flashlight -- so that you can have a light to see things at night after they have turned off the overhead room light.
3. A pen and notepad -- for writing down the names of all the medications that they bring to you - for future reference.
4. A small container for keeping the medications that they give you for the night.
5. Another small container (e.g., the top of an old shoe box) for arranging the small items so that they don't roll off the table
6. A glow-in-the-dark alarm clock (or a wrist watch) -- so that you can tell what time it is at night.
7. Your cell-phone, and charger with extension cord that can reach the wall outlet.
8. A plastic water glass (or a small, refillable water bottle)
9. A small packet of Kleenex, wet-wipes, or paper towel / wash cloth/ etc.
10. Eye glasses case (if applicable)
11. Your pocket diary or calendar (if applicable)
12. Your laptop computer (if there is enough room left for it to fit on the table)
13. Pack of chewing gum

Also, be sure to ask them to set up or fasten the nurse call button so that it is easily accessible to you in bed and so that you don't have to lean over to reach the telephone night stand to call the nurse.


That's quite the list.

Time is getting short and I have a lot of things to get done (work project thrown in too) so I have some limits on planning time. I have a lot of this stuff set up for my backpack. I have an Anker 40 Watt 4 port USB charger (10 watts per port), cables, Swiss Army Knife (which they might not allow on the ward), Running Watch (notifications, lighting, motivational messages, step tracker), my iPhone, some old phones and tablets, laptop, 960 Lumen flashlight (300 Lumens is blinding). So a good list to add to my planning and I'll do the best I can.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby NHMike » Thu Oct 26, 2017 7:33 am

susie0915 wrote:
NHMike wrote:I was reading about the distance from the AV and the impact on reversal in another thread so I decided to look it up and it's 5.1 CM and I'm not too sure what that means but it's higher than some and lower than others.

Mine was 5 cm also. I had a temp ileostomy and reversal. It was not bad. It is what it is. I doing pretty well right now and have figured what works best for me to live a fairly normal life. I'm sure you will do well.


That's good to know. I may do some digging for your past posts to see how it went with you as you were going through it.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby NHMike » Thu Oct 26, 2017 8:20 am

Open Enrollment started this week where I work. I'm going to increase life insurance to the maximum and long-term disability to 66% from 50%.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

Aqx99
Posts: 403
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:28 am
Facebook Username: aqx99
Location: Pfafftown, NC

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby Aqx99 » Thu Oct 26, 2017 9:38 am

NHMike wrote:Open Enrollment started this week where I work. I'm going to increase life insurance to the maximum and long-term disability to 66% from 50%.


I made some changes to my benefits during open enrollment as well. I had always gone with the cheapest insurance plan, with the most out of pocket cost because I never needed it before. I lost that gamble this year. I opted for the top plan this time, with much more coverage and a lot less out of pocket cost.
Anne, 40
Stage IIIB Rectal Cancer
T3N1bM0
2/21/17 Dx, Age 39
2/21/17 CEA 0.9
3/23/17 - 5/2/17 Chemoradiation, 28 treatments
6/14/17 Robotic LAR w/temp loop ileostomy, ovaries & fallopian tubes removed, 2/21 lymph nodes positive
7/24/17 - 12/18/17 CapeOx, 6 Cycles
7/24/17 Dx w/ovarian cancer
9/6/17 CA 125 11.1
11/27/17 CEA 2.6
12/5/17 CT NED
12/13/17 CEA 2.9
1/11/18 CA 125 8.6
1/23/18 Reversal
3/21/18 CT enlarged thymus
4/6/18 PET NED
7/10/18 CT NED
7/11/18 CEA 2.6
9/18 Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby NHMike » Thu Oct 26, 2017 9:50 am

Aqx99 wrote:
NHMike wrote:Open Enrollment started this week where I work. I'm going to increase life insurance to the maximum and long-term disability to 66% from 50%.


I made some changes to my benefits during open enrollment as well. I had always gone with the cheapest insurance plan, with the most out of pocket cost because I never needed it before. I lost that gamble this year. I opted for the top plan this time, with much more coverage and a lot less out of pocket cost.


I had done the same but last year, the cheapest traditional plan also turned out to be excellent. For some reason, the EPO medium plan was cheaper than the HMO and PPO plans which wasn't the case in the past. In-network includes the hospitals in MA, VT and NH including Mass General and Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's and lots of other great Boston Hospitals. We have HSAs available and my OOP would have been higher but I haven't really run the numbers on premium savings vs OOP.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

Aqx99
Posts: 403
Joined: Fri Mar 31, 2017 7:28 am
Facebook Username: aqx99
Location: Pfafftown, NC

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby Aqx99 » Thu Oct 26, 2017 10:02 am

NHMike wrote:
Aqx99 wrote:
NHMike wrote:Open Enrollment started this week where I work. I'm going to increase life insurance to the maximum and long-term disability to 66% from 50%.


I made some changes to my benefits during open enrollment as well. I had always gone with the cheapest insurance plan, with the most out of pocket cost because I never needed it before. I lost that gamble this year. I opted for the top plan this time, with much more coverage and a lot less out of pocket cost.


I had done the same but last year, the cheapest traditional plan also turned out to be excellent. For some reason, the EPO medium plan was cheaper than the HMO and PPO plans which wasn't the case in the past. In-network includes the hospitals in MA, VT and NH including Mass General and Dana Farber/Brigham and Women's and lots of other great Boston Hospitals. We have HSAs available and my OOP would have been higher but I haven't really run the numbers on premium savings vs OOP.


I maxed out my flexible spending plan this time as well. That way it totally covers my out of pocket costs, and the full amount is available to me on January 1. I planned it that way since my reversal will be after the first of the year. I can just have them swipe my flex card when they ask for payment, then not have anymore out of pocket expenses for the rest of the year. The really nice thing is, since I took my husband off my insurance due to our separation, I'm actually paying less in premiums for just myself on the better plan, versus the lower level family plan. I gave myself a raise by doing that!
Anne, 40
Stage IIIB Rectal Cancer
T3N1bM0
2/21/17 Dx, Age 39
2/21/17 CEA 0.9
3/23/17 - 5/2/17 Chemoradiation, 28 treatments
6/14/17 Robotic LAR w/temp loop ileostomy, ovaries & fallopian tubes removed, 2/21 lymph nodes positive
7/24/17 - 12/18/17 CapeOx, 6 Cycles
7/24/17 Dx w/ovarian cancer
9/6/17 CA 125 11.1
11/27/17 CEA 2.6
12/5/17 CT NED
12/13/17 CEA 2.9
1/11/18 CA 125 8.6
1/23/18 Reversal
3/21/18 CT enlarged thymus
4/6/18 PET NED
7/10/18 CT NED
7/11/18 CEA 2.6
9/18 Bilateral Prophylactic Mastectomy

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby NHMike » Thu Oct 26, 2017 5:05 pm

I called admitting and they have a checkin process for your small stuff like phones, wallet, etc. Larger stuff like laptops and tablets would go to security. I will just bring phone and wallet and have someone bring me my laptop and bag that night or the next morning.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby NHMike » Fri Oct 27, 2017 4:28 pm

I called The Shapiro Pavillion to see if I could book a room (it's kind of like a hotel within the hospital) and they said that they don't take patients before their in-patient date. It would have been convenient as it's basically an elevator ride from their rooms to Admissions. My backup plan was a hotel two blocks from the hospital and I called them up to ask for availability. The cool thing is that they ask you if you're a patient when you call and then just give you the patient rate. I'd guess that it isn't available online - I tried booking online but their site was loading slowly.

So still a lot of things to take care of tomorrow and, especially Sunday with the prep. I'm assembling my big todo list this afternoon and will work to knock things off the list as best I can tomorrow and Sunday.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

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susie0915
Posts: 945
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:17 am
Facebook Username: Susan DeGrazia Hostetter
Location: Michigan

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby susie0915 » Fri Oct 27, 2017 5:32 pm

Sounds like you have everything under control. I'm sure you're starting to get a little anxious, but you will do great and you will be one step closer to completing treatment. Continue to keep us updated.
58 yrs old Dx @ 55
5/15 DX T3N0MO
6/15 5 wks chemo/rad
7/15 sigmoidoscopy/only scar tissue left
8/15 PET scan NED
9/15 LAR
0/24 nodes
10/15 blockage. surgery,early ileo rev, c-diff inf :(
12/15 6 rds of xelox
5/16 CT lung scarring/inflammation
9/16 clear colonoscopy
4/17 C 4mm lung nod
10/17 pel/abd CT NED
11/17 CEA<.5
1/18 CT/Lung no change in 4mm nodule
5/18 CEA<.5, CT pel/abd/lung NED
11/18 CEA .6
5/19 CT NED, CEA <.5
10/19 Clear colonscopy
11/19 CEA <.5

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Shana
Posts: 401
Joined: Sun Jul 30, 2017 9:45 pm
Location: Sonoma, CA

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby Shana » Fri Oct 27, 2017 5:42 pm

susie0915 wrote:Sounds like you have everything under control. I'm sure you're starting to get a little anxious, but you will do great and you will be one step closer to completing treatment. Continue to keep us updated.


As Susie said, sounds like you're ready to roll and well organized. Wishing you the very best and a speedy recovery, one step closer to your goal!
DX - 12/16
MSS - KRAS wild
Well-differentiated adenocarcinoma at splenic flexure
Stage IV CC with liver mets
5FU - Failed twice - 1/17 and 3/17
Irinotecan + Cetuximab: 8/17
Irinotecan and Erbitux ran it's course. CEA rising
Primary tumor invaded tail of pancreas and spleen. Liver mets major concern
Y-90 radioembolization on 9/17/18, liver enzyymes have dropped. 10 Radiation treatments to primary tumor completed too. CT scan Nov to assess overall situation...

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Robino1
Posts: 463
Joined: Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:09 pm
Facebook Username: Robin.lawthers
Location: Florida

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby Robino1 » Fri Oct 27, 2017 6:21 pm

Wishing you well on the way to NEDville! :D

You have done more planning and preparing that I ever thought of! Kudos!! :D

Keep us posted when you can.
At 54 2014 1st colonoscopy colon cancer detect
Colon resect margins clear. No chemo Stage II
2017
Distend abd, pain in intestines.
CT scan seeding & Ascites
Lap diag - cancer on the omentum
CEA 217; 219
FOLFOX started 6/17
CEA 202
8/29/17 CT melting of tumor.
Latest CT scan shows 2 new tumors and return of ascites.
CEA: (2017)9/30 -109; 10/12 -99.1; 11/4 -90.7; 11/30 -70.7; 12/14 -83.4; (2018)1/4 -73.3; 2/1-84.2; 89.2; 89.8; 88.5; 81.8: 93.5; 107; 119
BRAF V600e

mozart13
Posts: 158
Joined: Fri Dec 09, 2016 7:38 pm
Location: Toronto

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby mozart13 » Fri Oct 27, 2017 9:31 pm

All the best on Monday Mike, and fast recovery.
What is the plan after surgery, folfox?
55 year at the time of diagnosis, male
Diagnosed with T1,T2 N0 M0 rectal cancer
Total neoadjuvant therapy or TNT (chemoradiation followed by systemic chemotherapy)
Negative since Feb. '17
No surgery
Watch&Wait approach 8)
I don’t come much to the forum , so if this is not updated it means I remain negative!
Wish good luck to all!

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby NHMike » Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:04 pm

mozart13 wrote:All the best on Monday Mike, and fast recovery.
What is the plan after surgery, folfox?


I'm assuming XELOX but that should be determined at a meeting with the oncologist. We did discuss this several months ago.

I did the Hibiclens and it was a little trickier than I thought it would be. I did read the directions but my conclusion is that you need to make sure that you have several complete changes of clean clothes that completely cover you from the neck down (for sleeping and maybe daywear). Then you also need a bunch of towels and/or facecloths.

And you need some flexibility and/or some core strength or someone to help you apply the stuff as you have to apply a quarter-sized spot on the facecloth all over your body. The back may be a hard area to get to and it may be tricky doing the legs as you either have to lift the legs or bend down to do them or some combination of both. I assume that you get better at the process as you keep doing it (a total of four times). My wife prepared a bed with clean sheets and I'll be sleeping in that bed for the next two nights. I'll be at the hotel for the third night and they should provide clean sheets. The directions state only clean sheets on the third night.

So time to get some much-needed sleep and then working on my checklist and planning tomorrow.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Rectal cancer (Stage 3A) diagnosed late June 2017

Postby Lee » Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:20 pm

NHMike wrote:
O Stoma Mia wrote:For your hospital stay, what I would recommend is to plan, in advance, which of your personal items you will want to put on your rolling over-bed table.

When you return from surgery you will likely be encumbered with all sorts of tubes and other items (drain tube, urinary catheter, IV lines, epidural catheter, stoma bag, and maybe an oxygen tube or NG tube, etc.). In any event, you will probably be in a bit of pain and will not be able to move around freely to fetch things from elsewhere in the hospital room. For the first couple of days, everything you need should be arranged on your over-bed table, since this will probably be the only place that you can easily access while in bed.

What I would suggest for this is:

1. Ear plugs and face mask -- in case you have a roommate who snores or who wants to run the TV all night.
2. A small flashlight -- so that you can have a light to see things at night after they have turned off the overhead room light.
3. A pen and notepad -- for writing down the names of all the medications that they bring to you - for future reference.
4. A small container for keeping the medications that they give you for the night.
5. Another small container (e.g., the top of an old shoe box) for arranging the small items so that they don't roll off the table
6. A glow-in-the-dark alarm clock (or a wrist watch) -- so that you can tell what time it is at night.
7. Your cell-phone, and charger with extension cord that can reach the wall outlet.
8. A plastic water glass (or a small, refillable water bottle)
9. A small packet of Kleenex, wet-wipes, or paper towel / wash cloth/ etc.
10. Eye glasses case (if applicable)
11. Your pocket diary or calendar (if applicable)
12. Your laptop computer (if there is enough room left for it to fit on the table)
13. Pack of chewing gum

Also, be sure to ask them to set up or fasten the nurse call button so that it is easily accessible to you in bed and so that you don't have to lean over to reach the telephone night stand to call the nurse.


That's quite the list.

Time is getting short and I have a lot of things to get done (work project thrown in too) so I have some limits on planning time. I have a lot of this stuff set up for my backpack. I have an Anker 40 Watt 4 port USB charger (10 watts per port), cables, Swiss Army Knife (which they might not allow on the ward), Running Watch (notifications, lighting, motivational messages, step tracker), my iPhone, some old phones and tablets, laptop, 960 Lumen flashlight (300 Lumens is blinding). So a good list to add to my planning and I'll do the best I can.


I would like to add, a good pair of quality slippers for walking, walking, walking those halls. Also a long wrap around robe. Those first days, you might have tubes coming out of you. Much easier to manage those tubes with a wrap around robe. I only had one gown on and it was exposed in the back end :shock: . The robe was nice for walking those halls.

All the best with your up coming surgery.

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!


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