Retired Secretary with a colostomy bag

I have worked in the school system for over 20 years.  I will be retiring on June 10th of this year.  To say that I am excited is an understatement.  I have had a good run for many years, with a few bumps along the way.  My daughter passed away about ten years into my career from a freak accident.  That was very hard to recover from.  My husband and I divorced five years after that.  Strike number 2  in this game of life.  Just when I thought the innings were done being played, I found out in a routine Colonoscopy that I have Colon cancer.  Wow!  That new about had me running for home.

I proceeded to get a second opinion which confirmed the diagnosis of colon cancer with immediate surgery needed.  To say I was disappointed was an understatement.  There was no history of colon cancer in my family, and not to mention I was about to retire in a few years and looked forward to having all my sick days cashed in and finally being able to do the traveling I have had to put on the back burner for way too long.

The surgery did go very smoothly, and I was pleasantly surprised with the pain tolerance I had.  Maybe being older and wiser had helped with that. With a few less sick days in the bank, I was able to recoup fairly quickly and continue working.  I was so thankful to have such a fantastic group of health care professionals.  The instructions and lessons that were given to me were life changing.  They were able to provide vital information such as the best pouching system to use and the best pouch deodorants or air spays that would minimize odors.  I was able to fit into most of my clothing due to where the bag rests on my body, and most importantly, I was able to eat most of the things I still loved.  All these little details made my adjustment period after waking up from surgery invaluable.    

Life seemed to get back to being somewhat normal post-surgery.  As I indicated, my diet did have to be altered some to make sure everything was eliminated quickly and smoothly.  I don’t recall ever talking so much about the restroom prior to this whole ordeal.  I haven’t ever felt like I needed to hide my situation from others.  I have always been a kind of go with the flow person, and I have always felt that if I can help someone by what I have had to go through in life, then the experience was not wasted.  

I have watched friends struggle with other medical procedures and the same procedure as me, and it always amazes me at how well health care providers and their staffs make it so easy to handle these bumps in the road, as I like to call them.  My colostomy bag is not something I would have chosen for myself or would wish upon someone, but the life saving measure that it has provided me can’t be ignored.  I’m thankful for the efficiency of those on my care team and the way they were able to put me back together in a sense and back in the game.  I have lots more innings left to play out.