Hi Lou,

I had a similar experience as yours. I was stage 2a with a T3 tumor. I had chemoradiation before my LAR and oral chemo for four months before my ileostomy reversal at 6 months after LAR. So I don't have personal experience of the Picc line, but can be reassuring about the ileostomy reversal. While life with an ileostomy is definitely manageable, it is wonderful to be beyond that. There is a rough period following the reversal, but within 3 weeks, I was living with no restrictions, good overall control and able to live a pretty normal life. Now I have been back to work for several months and am living an almost completely normal life. I am not quite as once a day regular as before my cancer, but it's really no big deal and way better than life with the ostomy. There are so many stories of difficult reversals, but many more successful ones and I thought it would be helpful to hear one.

Rich