This past Friday I met with with the surgeon who's performing my ileostomy.  The surgery has been scheduled for Tuesday May 6th, so for a little while after that I will not be posting.  I will be at the Mayo Hospital four to five days and may not feel up to posting for a little while.  I do promise to post when I can just so you can track my progress.

So here's what the surgeon told me, I will be having a temporary bag because as they are to the ileostomy they are also forming a J-pouch using my small intestine.  I go in just before the surgery so he can look to see if he can use the staple method or the hand sewing method.  Either way I will have a bag for about four months and then after the area has healed then they will close up my stoma and I will be able to use the bathroom as normal.

He has told me that I can get infections easier in that area but are easily treated with an oral antibiotic.  I will also be going in to have an Upper GI scope done once a year just to make sure that there are no polyps in my stomach or small intestine.  I don't remember if I told you that it's now known where the genetic mutation happened and my kids will be going in for genetic testing after my surgeries and I'm healed.  Their blood will be drawn and since it's known where to look, they'll go right the that chromosome to see and if they DON'T have that mutation then I don't have to worry about them having FAP or it turning into colon cancer.  If one or both, they have a 50/50 chance, has the mutation then they will need to have the same surgery by their early 20's.  If "O" has the mutation then she will need to go in for a CT scan to check her liver and if there are any little tumors then the surgeon will go in and cut off the infected area and the liver will grow back.

Monday I will be going back in to meet with my GI doctor and I'm sure it's just to go over any questions I have and then I wait until May 6 for my surgery.  I thought that I had a pretty good support system but I have found out that it's not as good as I once had thought.  Oh well, at least I have friends and such out here that are able to help and want to help.  In the last few weeks I have made some of the greatest friends I have ever known and I thank God everyday for them.  I can actually say that and really mean that I thank Him for that.

A few weeks ago "The Hubby" and I have become members of a really good church and look forward to going every week.  It will be harder for me to go in a few weeks but leading up to it I will be there.  The Pastor is great and really relates to us and it feels like he's talking to me.  When you find a church or something like that where you feel that he knows what you need to hear or the areas you need to work on and is able to give you helpful advice through the sermon, you have found a great place to be.  Because of "The Pastor" I really want to learn more and I have found that I try to read The Bible as I go to bed.

I know that a lot of people I know have not so good feelings about this and at this point in my life, I no longer care because all I need is my supporters and Him and I will be doing just fine.  I have found myself trying to be a better person and I'm trying really hard to not use curse words and talking ill of people.  It's hard to break habits that you've had for many years but they were bad habits to begin with and those are the worst ones to break.

All I know is that I have closure to many things I have been dealing with for many years and after the service today I have found other ways to get my closure and still be able to live life a little less angry.