Hallelujah!

First reports are often wrong.

A mentor shared that with me a number of years ago to teach me not to go crazy or overboard with the first pieces of information flowing in during a crisis or stressful situation.

This past weekend once again reminded me that I need to slow my roll.

After arriving in the Walter Reed emergency room Saturday afternoon, the first reports started flooding in from the ER doctor and the attending surgical resident.

My CT scan and subsequent x-rays showed that one of my stents migrated from my esophagus to my upper small intestines. There was likely still a leak from my initial gastrectomy with infection build-up between my liver and spleen.

It was recommended that would undergo a procedure the next day to reposition the migrated stent, add a third stent, and place a drainage tube in my abdomen to remove the fluid buildup that could lead to sepsis if not cleared out.

Not a positive prognosis, with implications of a couple-week hospital stay.

I was devastated at this news.

Why? Why so many set-backs? I just made it through chemo. I was doing everything the doctors asked of me.

Then the call went out to family and friends alike to pray and fast for me. Two of my best friends came and administered a Priesthood blessing of comfort and healing.

In the blessing, I was reminded to stay strong, not to lose faith, trust in my doctors, and that I would be healed and made whole.

Sunday afternoon came and the decision to conduct the procedure was delayed until Monday so the lead Gastro-intestinal doctor could be consulted, along with my primary oncological surgeon. Seemed like a fair decision.

Well-wishes flooded both mine and my wife’s phone and email. We knew lots of prayers and fasting focused on our family.

Then, everything changed Sunday evening.

My oncological surgeon visited my room. He turned the proposed game plan on its head and kicked it out.

His assessment: yes, a stent had migrated, but both stents should just be removed…permanently. There is (and was) no leakage on-going. The “fluid” that the previous medical team was looking at was non-existent. In removing my stomach, the anatomy of my digestive track has changed and would be hard for someone not intimately familiar with my case to interpret CT scans or x-rays properly. In the end, he believed the stents did their job and protected the perforation in my esophagus to heal. The pain I was experiencing was simply the jagged edges of the stent scraping their way down my small intestines as the muscle were just doing their job trying to move stuff down the line.

Hope was immediately restored!

With his words I was reminded of my mentor’s caution. And I also knew that the prayers and fasting on my behalf made this all possible.

Monday came and I underwent the GI procedure.

Upon waking, I was immediately aware that I was pain free. A stark departure from my last GI procedure when I ended up in cardiac arrest due to the excruciating pain caused by the newly placed stents.

The second thing of which I was made aware is that my perforation was completely healed.

Hallelujah! A Christmas Miracle!

Everything my heart desired came to pass. All those prayers and fasts help deliver what I really wanted. The stents removed and my perforation closed.

On Tuesday, a nasty Swallow study confirmed my esophagus was completely healed.

Wednesday morning I was released from the hospital.

This cancer journey has tried me and my family more than I ever thought I could be tested. Irrespective of the pain and suffering, I have tried to remain positive and upbeat. It has not always been easy. But how could I not be positive knowing I have so many people rooting for me to succeed and heal?

Again, I am eternally grateful for the support my family and I have received from so many friends and family.

This has been a team effort!

I still have some healing to do…chemo keeps reminding me that it is still flowing through my veins.

Regardless, I am on the path to a complete recovery.

I know this to be true because I ate pizza today and it was wonderful!