Hey all…November is going to be a tough month for me. Mom’s birthday is on the 12th, so it will be hard not to think of her this month, especially so close to her passing. I know everyone thinks they have the best mother, but the older I get, the more I appreciate her & everything she did for not only me, but us as a family. She was truly the glue that held this family together. Though to be honest, Dad has done a great job…he calls regularly, we go out occasionally & still break bread together as a family at least once a month. I’m very proud of my father, he’s a great example for us & we know that he loves us.
As for an update with me, things are going OK, I guess. My chemo has just recently finished, so it’s now a matter of letting that garbage get out of my system so I can start feeling better. I keep trying to do more & more, but get frustrated as I don’t seem to have the strength or stamina. My wife reminded me that my surgery was only 5 months ago & that I was expecting too much. The rectal cancer surgeon told me that it could be a year before I’m back at 100% because of how invasive the surgery was.
At least with the chemo being done, I can figure out more of the colostomy side. For those that have weak stomachs or don’t want to “know too much”, this is where you can check out and/or skip at least the next couple of paragraphs. 
The Chemo was causing “output” from the colostomy to be soft, almost to the point of diarrhea. It’s bad enough if you have that “normally”, but when you’re trying to get it to go into a bag with a 2″ opening, it’s near impossible! Let’s just say that it makes for a MESS, and it’s incredibly frustrating/irritating, etc. If it weren’t for this, I’d be better able to adapt to this colostomy. I’m not saying there aren’t other issues or concerns, but this one gnaws at me the most.
Now that I’m off the chemo, I’m also trying to exercise more. The goal is at least 3-4 times per week of walking at least a mile+. I’ve been throwing in the occasional jog, and it really tires me out! I’m bowling again as well – you’d be amazed how much that does for exercise as well, not to mention it’s good to hang out with the guys.
Going forward, it’s just a matter of consistency. In what I eat, exercise, etc. We’ve got a lot going on personally though as we’re trying to get the house ready for sale. We also close on our new property here in the next couple of weeks, so that’s exciting as well. And we’re also going on vacation in the next couple of weeks as well! November and December should be a BUSY 2 month period for us, so we covet your prayer…
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