Jes Swisher

As of Thursday October 8th… I’M HOME! Still uncomfortable but glad to be home. I had to leave my “pain hotel” Tuesday evening which was a step- down unit for care of patients in surgical ICU and be put in what I called “General population rooms”. Once moved I barely saw my nurses and if I needed help it took what seemed like forever for them to come. I was so used to a near immediate response. They are just so so so sadly understaffed there. Surgery was a success by showing all clear on margins taken tissue from my tumors. It doesn’t mean I’m cancer free yet. Just means I’m tumor free. I still need further testing to ensure all of the cancer is gone microscopically, which means potentially more chemo treatments but hopefully less of a dose than what I received for the first round. Now to heal further. I have a cut the goes from about the very bottom of my sternum to my waist time closed with internal stitches and externally with staples. I have to wear a drain bag to collect excess bile that leaks from my incisions where my gallbladder and liver are. They are small and do heal on their own. The bag will stay with me from anywhere to 2-8 weeks or, until it’s dry essentially. If the endoscopic procedure to place a stent in my bile duct was a success, there would have been no drain to take home with me. With that all being said, I am doing well. Joe. washed and put a fresh new bedding set on the bed and feels amazing that someone sent me from my wishlist on Amazon. My wedge pillow which I was also sent is amazing, sleeping flat isn’t the easiest so this keeps me at an angle like I was in my hospital bed. ✨Joe has been absolutely amazing of course. I saw him every day but one because of my endoscopic appointment proximity to a scan and visiting hours ending after recovering from general anesthesia. ✨Momma was here in the beginning and will be back soon to stay for a few weeks. ✨Thank you to my handful of visitors I had come by. Please don’t feel bad if you couldn’t make it. Visitors actually took a lot out of me energy wise. But your messages, memes and comments are beyond amazing. Thanks for keeping me distracted through this ordeal. Even if I didn’t get to watch every video or respond or react to everything. I still have a long road ahead of me. #fuckcancer #cancersucks #coloncancer #MetastaticCancer #strongereveryday #cancerjourney #CancerSurgery

Surgery is complete! Sept 30th 40% of my liver that was all tumor was evicted along with 8-10” of my colon and my gallbladder. I rolled into surgery at 8:30am and it lasted til 4:15pm. I have my own room at RI Hospital at the step down ICU. Last night my pain button was taken and I graduated to pills. I’ve been on a liquid only diet since Sept 29th. Once I pass gas, I can then graduate to real food. I’ve had meals of broth, jello, juice and Italian ice. Overall the surgeons are very pleased with my surgery and recovery at this point. I am colostomy free but do have a drain placed. My incision is a hefty one! They said it was gonna be and they didn’t lie. I have staples from the bottom of my sternum to one upper hip area or so. The journey is still not done. Healing will take many months and once pathology comes back I will then hear if chemo will be in my future or if it will be very close monitoring or something different. Right now, I’ll focus on recovery! Thank you all for your continued support, prayers and silly memes.

Last month, my team put me on break from chemo and told me to get on my bike and GO! So we did. They fit in a last minute MRI to ensure my liver tumor shrunk with enough space to safely get it off my Inferior Vena Cava and it did. My surgeon called me on a Saturday himself and said get outta here! We traveled the country for 30 days to clear our heads, and get some fresh air. It was amazing. If you know us, you know how much these bike trips mean to us. 8122 miles in 30 days. We went as far West as Idaho and down to the Four Corners Monument We came back in time for dr's appointments and today was the first. I met back with the Liver surgeon and he have us the run down on his side of the surgery as well as a little that the other surgeon will do where he actually preforms both himself, but highly suggested my colon surgeon to work along side him. So I will be going in for surgery September 30th at Rhode Island Hospital for both a colon resection and a liver resection. Approximately 40-50% of my liver will be surgically removed but only 10-15% will be healthy liver tissue. My stay in the hospital will be anywhere from 5-10days depending on pain management and also minor compilations that could arise. Crossing our fingers for none, but it's always a possibility. I see my colon surgeon 9/21 to get his plan and sign paperwork, pre-op testing is 9/22. A date day with Grandma on the 23rd, then just making sure the shop is set while I will be really out of it for a good couple of weeks to a month... I won't be back to work in that time, but back to "earth" to be able to order supplies when needed. Rob is doing amazing and keeping busy at the shop while I am out and I can't help but thank him, as well as all of our clients for keeping him busy and the shop open. You are keeping my dream of my own little shop alive. <3