It's now been a full week since my surgery & i thought I would take a minute to let everyone know how things are going.

I am recovering quite nicely. I think the hospital staff is impressed that I'm bouncing back so quickly. But I'm not one to dwell on what has happened. Life is better when you're laughing & there's lots of things to laugh about.

Last Friday ( the 29th ) when I had my surgery, I recall having a barium enema, being told it would take about hour. They were done after 15 minutes. I was back in my room when the doctor came in & said emergency surgery! I will admit, I was a bit scared. I was wheeled into the operating room at 11 am. I kinda remember looking at the clock around 730 pm. Max & Tonka came to see me & made me laugh. The next few days are mashed up in my mind. I received flowers & a bee plush from Neko. Which is so adorable. A friend stopped by on Sunday to see how I was doing. All the while, what I WANT to do is lay in bed & sleep. But instead, I'm up moving around. Shuffling down the hall & doing everything the doctor & nurses are telling me to do.

Monday (the 1st), my daughter Bubbles arrives. I knew she was making the 12 - 14 hour drive from Missouri but she was not alone. She brought one of bestest buds, Shell, with her. It was wonderful to see them both. When the doctor came in on Tuesday, he explained everything to Bubbles. He took out about 18 inches of my intestines. He also took out a lot of blockage & a colon cancer tumor. He said he would have liked to have been able to run a few more tests while I was open, but he wanted to make sure the main issue was taken care of. I had so much much swelling & blockage in my large intestines, that he said I was literally 24 hours from death. If I had waited any longer, my intestines would have ruptured & i would have been a goner. Oh the lectures I got from Bubbles after the doctor told her that.... I suppose I deserved them. Because of the severity of my insides, he had to re-route some of my plumbing. So I now have to learn all about colostomy bags. It's a bit gross & definitely not something I would wish on anyone. But it's only temporary. Probably 2 months but not longer than 6 months. After a couple of months, the doctor will re-evaluate my insides, run more tests to make sure there are no hidden colon cancer guys trying to sabotage me & put me back together. The only thing after that will be the nasty scars & the crazy stories I have about all this. Apparently I had some interesting dreams while on pain meds. Anyway, each day I have been getting stronger. And am back on solid foods. Bubbles & Shell headed back to Missouri this morning. But left knowing I was ok (or as ok as I can be considering everything).

The staples from my surgery will be taken out sometime next week. And I can't work for about 6 weeks. I'm believing that everything will work out. And I'm already being showered with love, prayers & well wishes.

Oh, and to answer the question you want to ask that I haven't really said much about yet....No. At this time I do not have to have any chemotherapy or radiation. But things will be watched closely & if it's needed, it will be done.

I think I've rambled on long enough about everything & nothing. Now that I'm functioning better, I will try to answer any questions or thoughts you might have.

Oh....one more thought, the hospital staff are absolutely amazing, wonderful, caring, loving, and even better then all that! I wish I could find the right adjective to express the praise they deserve. I feel like I have made friends here.

And speaking of friends, I got a special visit from Mini-Max last night. I was so happy to see him. He brought me a wonderful, bright flower display! And a plush ducky holding another plush ducky. Mini-Max & i walked down the hall & he stopped to hug all the nurses to thank them for the great care. I think there might be pictures & possibly video of that.

Ok, this time I'm really done talking. I love you guys so much. I'm getting better & hope to see everyone soon.