Life doesn't always take us on the journey we've predicted. Sometimes you'll find yourself needing to dig-deep and draw on your inner resilience to get through.

Filling in the gaps

One minute you're living life to the fullest, doing all of those activities that you love, enjoy, and often take for granted. You're fit, active and feel like you're blessed. Then one day you wake up feeling a little off. You don't really think much about it. Every one has those days where you don't feel 100%.

A couple of days later, you get a pain in your side. The pain gets worse. Now you're beginning to wonder if that off day was your body trying to tell you something. You decide to see how the pain goes. If it goes away, you've probably just pulled a muscle or something.

The pain lessens, and seems to disappear. So you don't think much more about it.

Two weeks later you're out in the garden swinging on the end of a pick-axe. There's a nasty tree-stump that needs to be removed and you've got the right tool for the job. Mid-swing that pain comes back. Only this time it's twice as bad. You groan, drop the pick-axe and grab your side.

"That's it," you say to yourself. "Time to see the doc."

By hiding from the unknown, you cannot connect the dots. While it's easier not to know what's happening with you, often pain is a cry for help from your body. Ignoring it can possibly have far deeper consequences than taking a deep breath, sucking up your fears, and being courageous and finding out more.

Let's look at an example. 

Five years back Don was digging in his backyard. He held that pick-axe in his hand and felt that pain in his side. He told his wife, who was weeding around the swimming pool at the time. She wandered over to Don and looked where he was holding his side. Don's expression showed his level of concern, and his wife knew that he was a little scared. So, she suggested that she make an appointment for him to see his doctor.

Don agreed. His wife wandered indoors and rang Don's general practitioner (GP).

A couple of weeks later, Don sat in his doctor's office. After a medical examination, his doctor said, "I think you have a hernia Don. I'm going to refer you to a specialist."

Feeling a relieved and a little nervous. Don thanked his doctor and went home to tell his wife what his doctor had shared with him.

Visiting The Specialist

Some time later, Don and his wife sat in the specialist's office. After a quick exam, the specialist confirmed what Don's GP had suspected. Don had an  inguinal hernia and he needed surgery to repair it, otherwise it could possibly become bigger and more painful.

Further discussions with his specialist led to Don and his wife agreeing with his specialist that it was best his surgery be carried out as soon as possible. This approach would let Don get on with his life pain-free. The specialist agreed and said that his receptionist would be in touch with the operation details.

A couple of weeks later, Don received notification in the mail of his surgery. He would have the hernia procedure at a small, local country hospital, and he would be in and out on the same day. Don liked the idea of staying local. He wasn't fond of those hospitals in the 'big smoke'. Too much hustle and bustle for him, and it was a nightmare to get to and from those places, not to mention he would be surrounded by sick people.

The Surgery

Don's wife dropped him off bright and early one Tuesday morning. She gave him a kiss and said she'd see him later in the day. As she walked out of Don's hospital room she felt nervous, instinctively she knew that this wouldn't be the end of Don's surgery. She had a feeling of dread that she just couldn't shake, but she dare not say anything to Don. She would wait and see what his specialist had to say.

Later in the day, the hospital called Don's wife. The nurse said, "Your husband is out of surgery and doing well. Once his doctor sees him, he is able to go home."

Don's wife hung up, and felt relieved. Maybe she had been worrying needlessly.

When Don's wife arrived at the hospital, his doctor had already seen him. He had been given the okay to go home. Don's wife smiled, he looked good and he was happy that his hospital trip was done. He mentioned briefly something about maybe needing to come back for a follow-up. The pair went home.

The Follow Up Appointment

Six weeks later, Don and his wife sat in the specialist's office. It was time to check how Don had healed.

Don's doctor gave him the thumbs up during his examination, and asked him to go and sit down. The specialist washed his hands and went and sat with Don and his wife.

"So, your hernia operation was a great success," said the specialist. However, we need to have a discussion about that substance that we found, and sent off for a biopsy." Don's wife's eye's widened, and Don turned a little pale.

"What substance?" Asked Don's wife. The specialist elaborated. "Well during Don's surgery we found this particle, it looked something like the inside of a jelly bean. We'd never seen it before, so we sent it off for a biopsy. It came back clear. But we don't know what it is," said the specialist. "A few other doctor's and I got together and discussed it. But, we've all came up blank."

Don's wife looked at the specialist confused. "So what now?" She asked.

"I'd like to send Don off for an MRI scan," he said. "Just to make sure that it's nothing."

Don and his wife looked at each other concerned. Then both of them stared at the specialist, and waited for him to elaborate.

The specialist handed Don a medical imaging request, and asked that he have the scan done as soon as possible. Don took the form and thanked the specialist. Then him and his wife left the clinic.

Reflecting on life's possibilities

Don and his wife had been surprised by the specialist's comments. But both were fairly relaxed people. Nothing much surprised them anymore. They talked about the possibilities of what the 'particle' could be, and life went on as normal.

Don's wife made the appointment for his MRI shortly after they'd seen the specialist. On the day of the test, the scanning took an hour or two, and Don and his wife returned home for a cup-of-tea. Don was to visit his GP the following Monday to get his results. 

Monday came, and Don and his wife were anxious. While they wanted to know what was happening with Don, both also felt apprehensive. "What if it's something bad?" Don asked his wife. His wife smiled at him and said, "It'll be okay honey. We've been through a lot together. We'll get through this too."

Don smiled, she always made him feel better no matter what.

Together the couple headed to their car chatting. They jumped in the vehicle and headed to Don's doctor's office.

When they reached the doctors,  the receptionist said that Don's usual doctor was sick, and a locum was his replacement for the day. She asked Don and his wife if this was okay. Don and his wife looked at each other and both said, "Sure, we're only getting test results."

The couple sat nervously in the locum's office waiting. When the doctor entered and asked them how he could help them, they said that Don had an MRI test and they were there for the results. "Okay," said the young locum, "Just give me a second to review those and then we can discuss them."

Don's wife watched the locum's face as he read the results. His facial expression changed, his feet shifted back and forth and he seemed to sit more upright in his chair. Then he turned back to the couple, "You have pseudomyxoma peritonei Don, I will need to refer you to a specialist."

Don and his wife didn't know what the doctor was talking about, and when they asked him to elaborate he seemed reluctant to share any information. "It's best you talk to a specialist," he said. While he spoke, Don's wife Googled 'pseudomyxoma peritonei', and she gasped. Both Don and the locum looked at her. "Oh my?" she said. The locum's eyes widened, "you'll have to see a specialist," he said.

Don and his wife started to ask the locum questions. But he wasn't listening. All he kept saying was, "you'll have to ask the specialist." He hurriedly gave Don a referral, pushing it into his hands. Then he picked up his office phone and asked his receptionist at the front desk to forward the fax he'd sent through to the hospital on behalf of Don. Lastly, he looked at Don, awkwardly smiled and said, "all the best, I hope everything goes well. Your specialist will look after you," before ushering Don and his wife out the door.

Learning More

The couple held hands as they left the locum's office. Don's wife said she'd find out more before the day was out. So, when they got home both Don and his wife jumped on the internet and started doing research.

A pseudomyxoma peritonei (more to come)...

Looking towards your future

Don's vision of riding his beloved motorbikes and rallying again pushed him through his pain, and struggle to regain his health and physical fitness. Don found his 'why', which motivated him to find what worked best for his body both in terms of what to eat and how to regain his core and muscle strength. How will you discover your why? 

Let's look towards your future...