A Minor Setback

Unfortunately, the news from my surgeon is that the surgery to reverse my ileostomy and open my colon has been postponed until March (it was scheduled for Dec 16). Apparently, the 16 weeks of chemotherapy that I just finished three weeks ago has prevented sufficient healing of the resection area. According to my surgeon, this is not unusual, and now that chemo is over, healing should soon proceed normally in about three weeks after all the chemo drugs are finally flushed out of my system. It's a disappointment of course, but the alternative was to risk shutting down my colon again with another ileostomy in the event of a failure at the surgical site.

So, instead of an early recovery and back to business as usual this spring, I will probably be very limited in what nursery work I can do for another four or five months. Hopefully, after I begin to heal up, I will be able to get some work done, but of course I have to be careful not jeopardize my progress. I will try to get the specimen plants on the site by spring, but I can't make any promises. I should be able to continue shipping orders until March, and then there will of course be a two to four hiatus while I am recovering. It may pay this year to get your orders in early. I will start the catalog review this week and hopefully the 2010 catalog will be up before the first of the year. We will be short of some items next year since there was no time to propagate this year. But it does look like that some pine grafts will be available without having to wait. These will be in the new catalog.

I know it's been a long time between posts, but this round of chemotherapy was something of an ordeal, and little if anything got done except for shipping orders, and even that was a challenge at times. Now, three weeks after my last infusion, I am beginning to feel human again even with the perpetual 'sore buns' due to lack of healing. All I can say is thank god for good drugs, they kept me relatively comfortable, if not productive. Life continues to be a challenge, but we will muddle through it somehow.

Comments

[jerry norbury]

I wish you all the best.

[Tom Kruegl]

You are one tough cookie, Brent. Don't push yourself too hard.

Tom

[Dave Glazewski]

Sorry to hear about your setback Brent. Here's hoping this is the last speed bump to a speedy recovery.
All the best
Dave

[Bob Nottelmann]

Sorry to hear about your setback. I know it must be tough. All the best to you and family.

Bob

[Daniel Dolan]

You are a great Bonsaiman!

Your stress is understandable....you have been hard pruned, wired, transplanted, air layered and grafted all in one session.

Soon you will be back on your bench enjoying the sun.

Best wishes.

Dan Dolan/Chicago

[Tom Kruegl]

Happy New Year, Brent. I hope 2010 is a good one for you!

Tom

[BonsaiBloggeries]

Hello,
I would like to speak with you, please email me at admin [at] bonsaibloggeries.com

[criss]

Happy new year Brent! I wish you fast healing good health and everything to be better than ever for 2010 and so. Best wishes, Criss

[Nina Shishkoff]

Hi Brent! I thought of you as I scheduled my first colonoscopy last year, I thought of you when they found a huge growth, and I thought of you during surgery. I'm doing fine now and I'm still thinking of you! Hope you start healing soon.

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Happy new year Brent! Je vous souhaite une bonne cicatrisation rapide de la santé et que tout soit mieux que jamais pour l'année 2010 et ainsi de. Meilleurs voeux, Criss

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