From my last post Jeff was dealing with a fistula that was anticipated to heal on its own. A couple weeks after my post, he got another one on his abdomen. To my knowledge, a fistula is an abnormal connection between two things in the body that should not be connected. In Jeff's case, the second fistula was the connection of his small intestine to his rectum. Our hopes of the fistulas healing on their own were diminished last Thursday when his surgeon had to operate. At the time, they did not know where the issue was, so it was an exploratory operation. After 7.5 hours and 33 staples later, the surgery resulted in a partial removal of his rectum and an ileostomy bag. Thankfully, the ileostomy is temporary and will be reversed in a few months, but that will be another surgery he will have to endure down the road. Since this is Jeff's third time being cut in the same spot, the incision is not healing how it is supposed to and leaking in two areas. They will keep him in the hospital for at least another day to monitor it. He is being a good sport about it all and will continue to take it day-by-day.