The operation results

Family is everything to me

On 27th November I completed my last parkrun for a while supported by my running group Roath Park Runners who gave me a guard of honour at the finish.

On the 29th Nov, I had my bowel cancer operation the surgeons took just 7hrs 30min to remove my large bowel, giving me a colostomy Stoma for the rest of my life. After the operation, I was moved to the high-dependency ward where I spent 2 nights being looked after by our NHS nurses who took great care of my family and I. They were empathetic and professional in their duties. 

After 2 days I would spend the next 10 days recovering from the operation and the effects of the anaesthetic. I also had to find a way of getting through what was an absolute nightmare of a time. I was sick which I was told later was called Bile it was green in colour and made me quite poorly. We had to manage the pain I was now in waking up at all different times of the night to have my medication. 

After a while, I was starting to get things together and all the drips and machinery I was hooked up to was beginning to be removed. I even managed to eat small pieces of food not a meal just tiny bits. I was able with the help of my stoma nurse care for Shrimp 🍤 The stoma.

So why have I called my Stoma Shrimp 🤔 well I'm the youngest of 7 children 5 boys 2 girls and when I was a much younger Paul my siblings used to tease me by calling me Shrimp scum pee wee because I was so small growing up. So I decided in honour of the younger Paul I would call it Shrimp.

After 12 days in hospital I was allowed to come home my wife had installed a new banister rail outside and inside so I was able to manage the stars. Today I'm incredibly sore during the operation my bowel was removed from butt along with the cancer. They then gave me 12 stitches in my butt as I'm never going to use it again now I have Shrimp. The also inserted a drain into the cheek of my butt to drain away any remaining fluids. This is also very sore. 

Earlier today I received a phone call from my colorectal nurse Caroline who told me to take things easy and rest this recovery will just take time, she also said I have the results from your operation a week early I immediately called Deb and we held hand while Caroline proceeded to devolve the results, Caroline explained the surgeons got all the Cancer out of me they checked while the surgery was taking place that there was no more areas Cancer was hidden and they found nothing, she then said the words every Cancer patient wants to hear 

YOU ARE NOW CANCER FREE oh my god Deb and I burst into tears. We then phoned our family to inform them of this most welcoming early Christmas present the best gift I've ever been given. I now have a life to look forward to living. 

This year started fantastically with the birth of our 2nd Grandson Emyr we were looking forward to 2022 then this one day in April this went horribly wrong and now 2022 will end with the best news ever. My family and I have had the best support ever from our close friends, both our colleagues at work, my running group Roath Park Runners and the Masons here in Cardiff. Your messages of support have been invaluable at times. I'm still a way off recovering but recover I will. I aim to continue to raise awareness of this horrible Cancer and I am attempting to get the symptoms posters in every public toilet. It's only by making awareness we can end bowel cancer. Thank you for reading my blog I hope it goes to show what it's like to go through Bowel cancer and survive.

Check your poo my friends like me it could just save your life.