Hi all, just wanted to write this in case anyone is facing APR surgery or has recently gone through it and now recovering.
I had APR surgery for anal cancer on 27th July 2023. It’s now 2nd Jan and I have just ticked off my first day back at work. I was hoping to go back in November originally (I don’t know why but that seemed the best idea when I first went off!) but my body had other ideas and my wound on my bum dehisced and took nearly six months to heal in the end. I won’t lie - it has been literally a pain in the arse to get this far. However it CAN be done. Having the surgery is stressful for you, difficult for your family and may seem like the last resort but I promise it is doable. Having a stoma takes some getting used to but it’s doable. There might be complications like I have had but it’s doable and hopefully you can come out the other side and be OK.
I’m nervous about an upcoming scan but I am proud of myself for getting through a major major surgery and coming out the other side.
Happy New Year to you all and please get in touch with me if you ever have any queries about this surgery, I found threads like this very useful after my diagnosis.
Kirsty x
