Chemotherapies are not all the same. They can be as individual as the cancer they are treating. I have my PICC 2.0 and just started a chemotherapy called Folfox4. Cool name. Get foxy Chemotherapy is often a combinations of drugs. There is the specific cytotoxin that attacks cancer cells and then other drugs and substances added to support this. Folfox4 is specifically for Stage III coloretcal cancer. It has friends treating other colorectal cancers that go by the names Folfiri, Folfoxiri, Folfox6, Folfox7, Fuox, Fufox, Xelox, and Flox. Folfox4 involves three main drugs: Flurouricil - cytotoxin (toxic to cells) Folonic acid - added to support Flurouracil Oxaliplatin - cytotoxin (toxic to cells) Fol + F + Ox + ? The actual infusion that takes place in the hospital involves even more drugs. These are to control side effects (mainly caused by oxaliplatin) such as nausea, and nerve damage in my fingers and toes. These 'helpers' are given just before the cytotoxins are added to your body: Glucose - yummy Dexamethasone - anti-nusea Kytril - anti-nausea Magnesium suplhate - minimises nerve damage Calcium gluconate - minimises nerve damage Saline - refreshing ... View more

My ultra low anterior resection was an 'open surgery' because the surgeons needed a good look and lots of light, a better look and more light than if it had been laparoscopic. Laparoscopic versions of my surgery leave you with four small holes and a small cut near the pubic bone where the actual tumour and colon is pulled out. My open surgery left me with a 33 cm incision and 47 staples. Oh, and I lost my belly button because the incision went right through it, rendering any 'button' unrecognisable. Staples are usually made of titanium mixed with a bit of nickel. Staples were also used inside me to join healthy colon and rectum back together. Joining two tunnels back together is slightly tricky and was done by inserting a circular stapler up my bot bot. Circular staplers consist of two parts - the anvil and shaft. A circular stapler looks like a weapon in Star Trek. Joining colon and rectum is as easy as 1, 2, 3 1. Put anvil in colon, make a J pouch out of healthy colon and then poke the anvil out. 2. Poke the shaft of the stapler through the rectum (entering the rectum via the anus) and attach to anvil. 3. Start stapling. A knife in the stapler cuts away excess tissue and staples at the same time so you are left with an open and clean tunnel. Looking for leaks Once the anvil and shaft are pulled out (via the same way it went in, the bot bot) the new join is tested for leaks. This is done in the same way you test a bicycle tire for leaks - water and air. The area outside the join is filled with fluid and air is pumped into the colo-rectum. Bubbles coming out of the colon mean a small hole is present. The join is also tested by injecting dye inside the colon (again, via the bot bot) and watching for leaks outside the colon. Unlike the 47 staples used to close my abdomen, the staples inside my colon will stay there for the rest of my life. I can't wait for my next x-ray. See the original post with pictures here ... View more

Not enough is written about stomas, not just on this blog, but generally. Here are five things you wouldn't know about 'having a bag' unless you've had one. 1: I now fart in a more controlled manner. No more holding in wind, clenching muscles and worrying if the person next to me is going to smell it. Having a bag means that all gas is safely collected and ready for release at my convenience. Now that's civilized. 2: I can no longer sleep face down. Not sleeping face down is so much easier than the alternative (think popped water balloon filled with gravy). 3: There are as many types of bags as there are types of abdomens. Bags come in different shapes and sizes and with different ways of attaching and being emptied. I have had to change the type of bag I use many times because my belly has changed shape. 4: Stomas change. They can get smaller, bigger or redder. They can become more raised or less raised. They can develop little features such as bumps and sores. They change and keeping an eye on these changes is important. 5: Bags can fail. I have had small leaks where adhesive has come loose or where the adhesive hasn't properly sealed around my stoma. I have also had catastrophic leaks while driving or walking around town. Everyone loves a good poo story I decided to try jogging again 7 weeks after surgery. I emptied my bag and then strapped on my fancy support belt. This is a wide stretchy belt that supports my abdominal muscles. My abdominal muscles need supporting because I have a hole in my abdomen. Thirty minute walk, 10 minute jog, 30 minute walk home. About 15 minutes into the walk home I felt warm chunky stuff running down my abdomen. It was one of the those sensations that didn't require prior knowledge to know what was happening. I was walking along a major road in one of Sydney's most alternate suburbs. I did what anyone would do and used my hands to stop the flow. I created a type of dam on the outside of my running shorts - trapping the brown flow between my thigh and man organs, preventing it from running down my legs. This worked, but I now know that my running gear is not impermeable to poo. I continued walking home, hunched over and clutching at my genitals. This inner city suburb is such that I didn't look at all out of place. The smell didn't seem out of place either. The freedom experienced by the poo outside the bag encouraged more poo to attempt escape and my stoma went into overdrive. I reinforced the dam wall, hunched over a little more and began walking with my legs together in a type of waddle. An emergency call ('But weren't your hands dirty?' Yes) to my Sister meant she was outside her apartment block waiting with wipes and cloths. She has been living in this suburb for way too long. As she rushed towards me she said not to worry: 'You're not the first person I've seen sh*tting in this street.' See the blog entry and images here ... View more