Coping With Gastrectomy

I went into a hospital on a monday morning and they found that I was bleeding internally. There began the story! Tubes were inserted through my nose and based on the amount of blood I was losing a tranfusion had begun. Long,long story shorter? The next day they decided to physically check my abdomen and the doctor was amazed at how disproportionate my belly was? He asked me if it had been like this and I replied? Well yes sir, you should have checked it yesterday? He then immediately ordered a CT scan on my abdomen and they were amazed at what they found? A rather LARGE mass had covered up my internal region. They in shock had requested to perform surgery right away!

Next morning I had to wait in extreme discomfort until a operating room was available and the doctor even came in that morning to talk with me. He said he had been in the business for 30 years and has never seen anything like what they saw in my CT scan?? So from that, all he could say is they have no idea what they are going after, and will not, until they open me up! Later that evening a room became available and the surgery was about to be performed. I was about at the end of the line with it all and was feeling like this was my call to heaven? My father had been throwing holy water on me prior too and calling in the priest to pray for me. My sisters were holding my hands and asking me if I was scared? My wife and children were looking right through me as if in shock! I had to let it go to my higher power at that time and I was ready!

At 47 years old I assume my time was up and yet I was not ready to give in! There was a strange sense of faith and power which was overwhelming that day! Something deep inside had said this was just a passing in the story of my life! The first hospital opened me up and looked at what was a rather large mass covering my internal abdomen and they cut it in half to see how they would be able to extract this large tumor. At which point the decision was made that they would not be able to perform this surgery based on the complexity involved. They were afraid they were going to cut a main artery or something other which they did not have the staff and technology to support this procedure. They decided to close me up and put me in a coma to have me transported to another hospital.

The next day at the other hospital they decided they needed to make a decision soon since I had been under anesthetic for so long and a fever was starting to develop. They decided they could remove this tumor in full but I had to sacrifice my stomach with it? Those were the words of which I awoke to 2 days after the initial surgery. It was found to be a 17 pound GIST tumor which wrapped itself around my stomach and they had no choice but to remove it all! This was 7 months ago and although I am several pounds lighter than when I went in the hospital with, I am fortunate to be alive and doing rather well! I find that my situation is all not uncommon but from it all I suppose there was a reason for it all? It just wasn’t my time to go yet?