Home !

The story picks up here from Surgery part 4, so let’s dive back into it. After getting a ride home from my Father-in-law, thanks Earl! I walk into the house after being gone for a week, which is long for me, I’m greeted by Tracy and my 2 boys Logan and Gavin, but I think it’s actually my 2 dogs Finn and Lola that meet me with the most enthusiasm. I’ve missed everyone dearly and am looking forward to healing and getting back to normal. Now the first day home I don’t remember much, but trying to relax and eat small portion meals and getting comfortable with 15-20 staples in your gut isn’t easy unless I lie straight out in the lazy boy, oh the lazy boy how good you treated me for about a month. I think I lived in that chair for a brief time and believe I shed a tear when I had to bring him out to the curb, good-bye old friend.

The second day home Tracy had to go back to work out of town, so my Dad came in from Calgary to help out and keep me company. We spent most of the time watching some TV or talking, but I do remember that I thought that the healing was going good. I was able to easily walk up the stairs to bed and we even got out to walk the dog on day 3 of recovery. Dad was supposed to spend about 6 or 7 days in Ontario, but after a couple days of watching this new threat on the news unfold we suspected his visit may be cut short, of coarse I’m talking about the Conoravirus. I believe it was on day 4 that he had to make the choice to fly out, as we unsure how this was going to all unfold and didn’t want to risk him getting stuck and unable to get home if flights were to be cancelled. So, although the visit was cut short I appreciate the company and help, Thanks Dad!

As the days turned into weeks my recovery went well, food went down well and everything seemed to get back on track. In the third week I had to go to the doctors office to have the staples removed. I don’t know how many of you have had staples taken out, but the tool used by doctors is basically the same as a staple remover you’d use for yanking out everyday staples. Laying on the the doctors table she started pulling them out one by one and at first it’s just irritating, but the skin has started to grow around the staples, so after every pull it’s a sharp, tearing weird sensation and when she get’s about three quarters the way done I ask for a break. After a few deep breaths she continues and finishes, gives the incision a good look and says, ” Everything here looks good and you should soon be hearing about the pathology report.” I’m booked for a follow up in a month and out to the car I go to drive home, with that odd, kinda burning feeling from where the staples were just removed. Yes, I drove myself…..I’m a stubborn, stupid man. I made it the 3 blocks home and rested the day away.

I had about three weeks before my return to work date and the week after the staple removal my progress picked up quickly. I was lifting again and doing some sit ups and core work to speed along the process, I felt really good. My constant bloating and stomach pain hadn’t returned since my surgery, foods went down well and I was back to eating what I wanted, when I wanted and was well on my way to returning to the 205 lbs I was before surgery. I felt strong and figured I’d return to work at 100% and on time.

The phone rang in mid April it was the hospital calling, “Hello”, said the voice, ” Is this Stephen Medhurst? It’s Dr. Healy, I’m an Oncologist at Brantford General, do you have a while to talk?” ” I sure do”, I said, thinking this follow up would go as smooth as everything else had been so far. ” The pathology report has come in, and I really don’t like doing this on the phone, but Stephen, I’m diagnosing you with Neuroendricine cancer and from what we see it has spread, so it’s at Stage IV.” is from what I remember he said. I paused for a while, ” Doesn’t that mean I’m going to die from this?” Is what I came up with……