Sara will be admitted to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma tomorrow (Tuesday), and the surgery for the colostomy is scheduled to start at noon. If the doctor is able to, the lesions on Sara’s liver will also be biopsied. We don’t know how long she will stay in the hospital, but I’m assuming that it will be for several days at least.

Basically the colostomy is necessary because there is a risk that the colon could burst, and among other things, this would delay the start of chemo/radiation, which is obviously not desirable. Even though colostomies get a bad rap, this is hopefully not permanent, and will allow Sara to finally eat after a week of not being able to, due to pain and nausea (related to the blockage). I don’t know why her original doctor did not address these issues, but I guess it isn’t my place to speculate, and we are looking forward and onward from now on. So please think good vibes tomorrow around noon Seattle time, I’m sure it will help my sister to know that many people are thinking about her.

P.s. I had a pre-colonoscopy appointment today and as soon as the doctor heard why I was there, I had genetic testing done right then and there in the office. It is easy (saliva test) so if you have a family history of colon or other digestive system cancers, or close relatives diagnosed with colon cancer at a young age, there are some known mutations which can increase the risk for developing colon cancer. It will probably take a few weeks to receive the results, but it could be useful information for Sara, myself, our brother, and all of our children.

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