Tri girl wrote:Her doctor ( specialist colorectal surgeon) told her the cancer is entirely on her rectum and she will most likely need a bag for the rest of her life. She is very nervous and scared. So am I.
Thanks for coming back and sharing the update. Scary times for sure, I have been there and done that as they say. It is a long road ahead as she is just at the start, tell her to truly deal with the day in front of her, can be overwhelming if you try to look for an end in sight when you first get started. She will get through it, there will be tough times, but also surprisingly good ones.
I had to have a permanent colostomy because of my tumor's location. While it's not one's first choice to have an ostomy, it really is not so bad as one thinks it will be. Sure it takes an adjustment period and definitely tacks on some initial anxiety, but with time she will come to accept her new reality and honestly, she won't have to give up any activity because of it. A definite help would be for you and/or her to venture over to the UOAA website (United Ostomy Associaions of America, UOAA.org) if it does seem she will be in need of a permanent ostomy. She will have a permanent colostomy (you have your entire colon, just have the rectum removed) which is different from an ileostomy in which the ostomy is created at the end of the small intestine. Just something for you to research and learn about--always better to be prepared and then if it happens she won't need an ostomy then no harm done, but if she will need one, best to have an idea of what all it entails.
Keep coming back and let us know how she's doing as well as yourself--so wonderful to know how much you care for your mom, she's lucky to have you help her through this.