We mostly have been using this blog to update friends and family as Meghan recovers from her recent proctocolectomy. It is also our hope, that perhaps it will help future folks who face a recent diagnosis of FAP (Familial adenomatous polyposis). As a family, we spent hours on the internet researching the disease, so we hope this is another info source for others.
The reason I write this, is that we are almost four weeks out of surgery and Meg is finally making significant strides in her recovery. It probably would have happened a week ago, but Meg had a minor setback with Hand, Foot and Mouth disease. The pain in her mouth and throat were enough to limit her eating and drinking for a week.
Meghan is gaining strength much faster, has a complete appetite, has been cleared to eat anything as long as she is comfortable, and even drive. She isn't galloping across parking lots by any means, but her pain is low enough that she can manage it with OTC Iburprofen and Tylenol.
As a family, we were all starting to wonder when this turning point was going to come. I am sure Meg was wondering, because we had been promising it at three weeks based on our research. At this point, she has lost about 15 pounds, but has really not eaten much of anything for about 5 weeks if you count the prep she was completing before surgery, so that isn't too bad.
Her life isn't back to normal, but she has made significant strides in the past two days. It was an extremely tough time up until this point, with both her physical and mental health teetering every day. She handled it like a champ. I am sure she was wondering if she would always be weak and in pain forever. I am sure if any of us were subjected to that type of major surgery, we would be in the same boat.
Now at the 4 week mark, she has met with both UPMC and Johns Hopkins to discuss future treatment plans. Both trips were overwhelming experiences and neither probably helped in her recovery. Given everything she has been up against, we are proud how she handled it. I should add though, that if you do enough research, you'd find that although it seemed her recovery was grueling, it actually wasn't the worst compared to some of the struggles others have had.
On a side note, for non-FAP folks, we have heard that Matt may be on his way home. Meg, Dad, Mike, and the docs at Johns Hopkins have been working closely with the Red Cross to coordinate some way to get Matt back by early August. It looks like that work is paying off. Needless to say, Meg is stoked. Since there is about a 12 hour time difference between Afghanistan and the US, both Meg and Matt were spending too much time awake at 3am in the morning considering the battles both had to fight during the daylight hours. I'll be happy when I can see those two lovebirds hugging.
-Kalen
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