I have one tumour left. I'm getting worried that even if they choose to do surgery - how long will I have to wait for that surgery to happen? 

It all started in April 2023 when I was in Jamaica on vacation. I noticed an abscess and started feeling very unwell. I came home early and went to Emergency at the Sturgeon Hospital the next day. After ultrasounds, they finally gave me a CT scan that showed it was an abscess, not a hernia. Doctors rushed me to surgery; the surgeons drained the abscess and packed the wound. I spent the night at the hospital and the next day they released me, into the care of “Home Care” from Stony Plain.

From that point on things were bad. I went home thinking I had an abscess, and it would heal. Three days later, the culture from the abscess came back with a drug-resistant strain, so my surgeon prescribed strong antibiotics. Meanwhile, home care is coming daily to pack and change the dressing on my wound. It was big as the abscess was over 9 cm long.

Three weeks later following surgery, my surgeon was not happy with the speed of healing, so she put me on a Wound Vacuum. Even then the wound was still not healing and developing new discharge.

The surgeon starts talking about surgery in June, but she will not do it until she does a colonoscopy. During the colonoscopy, they discovered I had a tumour, and it was large enough that the scope could not get past it. I was then scheduled for surgery on July 18. At this point, I cannot eat and have no control over my bladder. I have been on antibiotics since April. My surgeon informed me I had a fistula, with the wound from the abscess now leaking material from my colon. The original wound is still open and getting worse. 

At the appointment with the surgeon, she told me surgery was now scheduled for the end of September. She told me the wait was long, because no surgical rooms were available, and even Alberta Health Services were cancelling cancer patient surgeries. I was upset at this news, luckily my surgeon was able to move me up to September 7th.

During my surgery, they removed a portion of my colon and unhooked the 2 fistulas I had developed. I was infected and the cancer had spread. I was referred to Cross Cancer Institute but did not get in until December 2023. Then, they informed me that I was at Stage 4 with 2-5 years to live.

Navigating the current system to receive diagnoses and care was a battle. I had to go to the Emergency room for changes in painkillers. The only drugs the surgeon would talk to me about were antibiotics and I had limited access to my GP due to his overloaded schedule.

The good news is that I have now had 14 chemo treatments and it's working! However, I have one tumour left. I'm getting worried that even if they choose to do surgery - how long will I have to wait for that surgery to happen?