Surgery # 6...and hopefully last!

Trying to get back into the "regular schedule" after Christmas break is such a bummer! It was so great to have the kids and Nate around the house. I'm always a little sentimental when school starts back up and Nate goes back to work. I even get a little sad to take down my Christmas tree. Alas, we must move on with the New Year!

Nate had his pre-op appointment with his surgeon last Thursday, and everything is set for him to have his sixth, and hopefully last, surgery this Wednesday, January 9th. This date falls exactly seven months from his last surgery in Massachusetts. It will take place at Intermountain Medical Center (IMC) in Salt Lake City. The main objective is to reverse his ileostomy and get him all hooked back together. The surgeon will also try to get a look at the areas we saw on the last CT scan that looked suspicious. We are praying that she'll be able to access the areas with ease, and either remove them, or at least get biopsies. Nate also has an abscess that is left over from his previous surgeries that will need to be drained and removed if possible. The procedure will take 3 to 6 hours depending on what they find. We are praying with all our might that they won't find anymore disease (tumors, mucin), and that the scarring and adhesions from the HIPEC will be minimal. The HIPEC is basically a chemical burn all over the abdominal cavity, so you can imagine how much scarring can occur. They say it is different with every patient, but they always expect that they'll have to spend a large amount of time carving through the scar tissue and adhesions to get where they need to be. We like our surgeon, and trust that she'll do all she can to bring Nate through with a good outcome.

Preparing for another surgery really stinks! I can only imagine how excited Nate is. It's sad to think that he's done this five times already. Have I heard him complain? Nope. He admits he's apprehensive about the recovery, but he is full of faith that everything will be ok. I don't know how he does it. I guess all these years being married to me have made him a very patient man. Or, maybe I hoard all the "crazy" around here. Either way, he's an amazing example to me.

We're grateful for our good families. Nate's mom will be with me in the waiting room again, and my mom and dad are coming down to stay with our kids. If any of you have a minute and would like to drop by the hospital for a visit, please do! It's a welcome change to be close to home where Nate can have a few visitors to help move the time along. We estimate that he'll be in the hospital for 7 or 8 days. He will be in building #5 at IMC.

Thanks again to our family who joined us as we fasted for Nate this past Sunday. We're so grateful for the many prayers given on Nate's behalf. We know we've received great blessings because of your faith. I'll update the blog as soon as I can on Wednesday. Here's to a successful surgery, and a quick recovery. Love to all!