My experiences with recent pain Colon Cancer (March, 2024) The day after my first major surgery, which involved a colectomy and colostomy to remove a section of my colon, I walked 4,400 steps around the hospital with my IV on wheels. As I walked around, I noticed that most other patients were lying in their beds watching TV. The nurses were surprised that I was refusing the prescribed medications, yet my pain reports consistently indicated low levels. Here I was, walking around the day after major surgery where they had removed about 4 inches of my colon. I had 32 staples, hundreds of stitches, a stoma, and a tube running up my nose and down my throat to remove stomach acid that was collecting. On the second day, I managed to walk over 8,000 steps. Meditating was challenging due to the chaos and noise of the hospital, and the tube in my nose didn’t help. My anchor during this time was touch; I would run my fingers up and down each other as I focused on the sensations. Focusing on my breathing was not an option. The nurses were constantly entertained because I was smiling, laughing, and never in a bad or depressed mood. I was always up and walking around. The surgeon and doctors I spoke with often recommend that patients get out of bed and walk around, but they had never seen anyone actually do it to the extent that I did. Four months later, I had to return for another surgery to reverse my stoma. Since they needed to repair my colon, I had a section of my small intestine sticking out of my abdomen for those four months, allowing me to pass waste. This opening was approximately 2 inches in diameter, which helped my colon heal. During the reversal surgery, the stoma was placed back inside my body, and the area was sealed up. Once again, I did not take any pain medications after this surgery, relying solely on meditation and optimism, trusting that my body would take care of itself, which it did. Over 18000 steps were taken the day after this surgery while I was still in the hospital recovering ;-) Two Large Incisional Hernias (May 2025) About eight months after my initial surgery for cancer, I developed two large incisional hernias (about the size of golf balls) directly behind the original incision. This required me to schedule another surgery. This time, the doctors cut along the original incision scar, removed some soft tissue and scar tissue, and repaired the two hernias using a large mesh screen. The procedure resulted in 32 more staples and hundreds of stitches, along with a blood drain. Remarkably, I did not take any pain medications after the surgery and managed to walk about 8,000 steps the day after. One large Fatty Hernia’ (April 2026) Eleven months later, I underwent surgery to repair a third hernia that had developed in the area where my stoma was present for four months. The surgical team removed the fatty tissue and the scar tissue that had formed from having a stoma, and they repaired the hernia by inserting a mesh screen. This resulted in a five-inch incision, thirteen staples, an unknown number of internal stitches, and a blood drain. Once again, for pain management, I relied solely on my body's natural ability to heal itself, supported by meditation. I have found meditation to be incredibly powerful. How did I manage the pain It wasn’t easy. Everyone kept telling me that if I was in pain, “just take a painkiller.” Yes, that would have been simpler, and I wouldn’t have had to endure the pain, but I wanted to rely on my body’s ability to heal itself, and to build resilience to lesser pain, rather than depend on outside intervention. I still had prescribed pain medication quickly accessible if needed, but I intended to use it only as a last resort, which never happened. I trust myself and my guides wholeheartedly. Many people doubted my surgeries until I showed them the resulting scars—“character marks,” as I call them. People couldn’t believe how I could be smiling and happy the day after major surgery, or how I managed the pain through meditation. One person told me I was the happiest cancer survivor he had ever met. Yes, I had to show him the scars to prove it. Meditation greatly helped with my pain, but it also allowed me to avoid worry and stress. It helped calm my chaotic mind and let me focus on what truly mattered at that time: my health. I understood that the pain was just a small part of me, not the entirety of my being. I realized that managing the effects of that pain would create a calmer self and allow my immune system to do what it was designed to do: heal my body. When a sudden surge of pain would occur, I would recognize and accept that experience. I would tell myself things like, “Wow, how interesting,” or “Wow, that felt different,” and with curiosity, I would ask myself, “Why did that feel different?” Then, I would explore that experience. I found that this exploration helped me handle the pain with great resilience. This resilience allows me to manage milder pain—such as aches, sore spots, and headaches—more quickly and efficiently. I don’t recommend relying solely on meditation for acute pain management, as pain medications can numb your pain quickly, allowing you to relax more effectively. However, I do recommend using mindfulness meditation alongside your prescribed pain medications to help manage some of the side effects that acute and chronic pain can create, such as stress, anxiety, and sleeplessness.