Following our visit to the surgeon on Monday, a few things about the impending procedure are now clearer and more certain.

The surgery will take place in the Darwin Private Hospital, where Sue will also reside post-operatively.
It will not be ‘keyhole’ surgery. Given the nature and scope of the operation, and the desire “to have a good look around”, Sue will be ‘opened up’ (technically called a laparotomy, I believe). That is likely the end of her career as a mature-aged bikini model.

[As an aside: My computer spell-checker does not recognize laparotomy and wanted to replace it with lobotomy - a rather more confronting procedure!]

Previously I said that the operation was to be a transverse hemicolectomy. It is now clear that it will, in fact, be an extended right hemicolectomy. This means that all of the ascending colon, all of the transverse colon and the top part of the descending colon will be removed. The ‘outlet’ from the small intestine will be re-attached to the remnant colon/bowel. Apparently this has a much greater likelihood of positive outcome than trying to join up bits of the colon. We are told that Sue should be able to function quite well and 'normally' with the remaining one-quarter of her colon. Now that is what I call built-in redundancy!!

Thanks for all your communications, support and prayer. I am sure that is a part of why we are both still feeling quite ’relaxed’ about what the coming days and weeks will bring.

PS: Sue intends to turn her mobile off, at least for the duration of the surgery, so don’t expect her to answer calls or respond to any text messages tomorrow afternoon!!!!