Introduction

It is morning in Singapore, and it is raining very heavily.

Nice and cool weather.

As some of you know, I had colorectal cancer.

I had surgery and cancer is now gone.

But I also had ostomy for the past year and half, too.

Three weeks ago, I had the ostomy reversal surgery. Yesterday, I had the follow up appointment with my surgeon.

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Good News

I gave an update for my surgeon on what happened during the past 3 weeks while I rest and recovered at home.

Basically, to me, it was tough at first.

Whenever I strain a little, the area where I had the incision would be painful.

The surgeon assured me that that is ok. That is normal.

The had pain lessened over the past few weeks, and today it is relatively painless.

Then, because it is the gastrointestinal system, there was the issue of bowel movement.

So, for the 1st week after the surgery, I had diarrhoea.

It was quite bad.

At times, I almost didn’t make it to the bathroom in time. (Well, once I didn’t but let’s not discuss that 😄  )

As the weeks went by, the diarrhoea was gone.

But after that, there was the irregular bowel movement.

And sometimes, it was hard to go too.

The surgeon said that it was normal.

That is how it is with most patients after an ostomy reversal surgery.

The good news is that it will get better over time.

I look forward to that.

Now, The Not So Good News

It is not really bad news.

So, that is why I wrote it as not so good news.

As mentioned just earlier, the bowel movement will get better over time.

Just … how much time?

The surgeon said that in most cases it would take 12 to 18 months before bowel movement returns to what it was like before.

This is because of the cancer and the intestinal system needing time to heal and return to what it was before.

So, she said that it is best for now for me to mostly stay at home.

For example, do not to travel overseas. (There go my plans to visit Malaysia next year)

In fact, she suggested I rest home more these few months until the bowel movement is more predictable and controlled.

So, I’ll be resting at home more for at least 6 more months.

Hopefully when I see her again, and she can tell me it is ok to travel.

Sigh.

I guess I won’t be back teaching for a bit more time.

It’s ok.

What I’ll do is I’ll focus on my writing and my new career as an author.

I also had swollen feet and hands.

The surgeon had a look and said it is most probably water retention.

She suggested to raise my feet up as much as possible to alleviate the condition.

And to review this with the oncologist when I have a follow up appointment with her in August.

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Follow Up Appointment After Surgery and Results

Timotheus Final Thoughts

Whew! So much going on huh?

Well, at least it is not bad news, right?

That is why I wrote this as not so good news.

Thank you for reading this, my friends.

Now that I have an idea what I need to do to get healthier, I made plans for my career.

Since it is highly unlikely that I will go back to teaching so soon, I will continue my writing and will publish more books.

Actually, I have a new book already written.

The manuscript is done.

But I still have the book cover to design.

So, I will share about that later.

Have a great week ahead!

If you have ANY questions, or anything to clarify, please drop a comment below. I will be happy to help you.

I wish everyone good heath, wealth, and success!

Timotheus
Amazon Bestselling Author, Lecturer, Online Entrepreneur