4 Weeks post surgery today. Continued improvements for most part.
BM's are still off, but better. I had 1 day of urgent movements (figures happened to be day I traveled to do some work on one of my second homes).
The following day mostly just passed mucus until later in the evening when the more regular clustering stools came back.
I decided to dabble in some THC and CBD as its legal in WA state. I've read a lot of stories of how it has helped people through chemo as well as the effects of CBD specifically with helping colon cancer cells die.
So I have experimented with vaping and an edible. The CBD strain does not create any high, but does induce a relaxation of body while actually being a bit of a stimulant in the body. The first time i tried half a dose of edible.
The edible has 1:1 ratio THC and CBD and I was tripping a bit a few hours later (such a light weight). I'm glad I didn't eat the entire single dose. Now I use the edible around 7-8pm so that it starts kicking in around 9pm. The THC
induces sleepiness and i fall asleep deeply. I noticed immediately upon starting on the CBD that the mild lower back/rectal pain I had was gone. Some of the abdominal swelling i still had decreased. I also noticed improved BM's in that I was able to actually sit down and go. My mood was improved and I started eating about 50% more. I actually gained 2 lbs this week. Which is great considering I had lost 13 lbs from diagnosis date to post surgery.
Friday I go in for blood draws and chemo/nurse meeting. Then next monday is not only 5 weeks post surgery, but day one of chemo.
Tdubz wrote:Hey benben,
Try getting a squatty potty, it angles your body for better evacuation. Does it work? I don't know, but my friends got me one and I think it helps.
I'm 5 weeks post surgery. My BM's have decreased quite a bit. I'm usually in the 0-2 range per day now. First one of the day is almost normal, and the second does have a bit more liquid. I am also pretty much back to a normal diet.
my port didn't bruise too much, but one of the other patients I met at chemo today said his bruised quite a bit. It didn't bother the nurse, she still popped it right in. If I remember correctly, when I got the port, they said to expect bruising but if you see like blood pooling under the skin like a blood blister then call your doc.
I did try to elevate my feet using some boxes to see if I would benefit from the squatty potty, but that actually didn't help at all - seemed to make things worse.
The angle that worked best for me was an obtuse angle of the legs as opposed to an acute angle or the typical 90 degree angle of regular toilet. As stated above things have improved for me somewhat in this area (thank god).
I'm able to sit down a good 75% + of the time now to complete the job - hopefully that will continue to improve. My port bruise has diminished to just a slight purplish hue right at the port. Looking better there too.
Soccermom2boys wrote:I was sore for several days after getting my port inserted--it felt like my upper left chest area was used for a punching bag. However, it was never a sharp pain--those are the ones you have to worry about and report. By the time I had my first infusion, five days after getting the port in, I was fine with my port, physically (mentally is another issue). It never gives me any issues as I faithfully get it flushed every five weeks for the past eleven months post-chemo, but I am anxious to hopefully have it removed this summer after another clean CT scan.
Glad to hear overall you are doing well, all things considered. It's a tough road from start to finish and there will be both smooth and bumpy days. Just keep heading forward, the road does eventually come to an end.
Thank you. I'm already looking for port removal and getting back into an exercise routine.
I pray you'll have another clear scan coming this summer and can have your port removed and sail on into NED.