With Deep Gratitude for Toast and Stents

Posted byRebecca Evans | Poet | Essayist | Artist | WarriorPosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , ,

Yesterday I pulled my stent out. The surgeon instructed this post-op, though I barely remember her guidance. Blood. Warm bath. Meds. Pain.

The day before, I bled-peed all day. This too, expected. Still, when you witness your body pouring blood through an orifice that should not bleed.

Yesterday I prepped stent-pulling with a strong dose of Tylenol. I don’t ingest pain meds. More accurately, my body doesn’t cope with prescriptions. She—my body—cramps, vomits, shudders. Post-op pain management looks like an endurance test with heating pads, ice packs, and Tylenol. I also believe that pain is a symptom and masking a symptom often brings more complex challenges.

The day before, I joined friends at The Sandbar for live music. The band played 80’s tunes and a third of the crowd dressed the part—Cyndi Lauper-ish, neon jogging suits, hair poofed to sky. I knew the lyrics. I danced in a non-bouncing gentle way and realized that this was my first outing, my first witnessing of clouds outside my backyard. My body warmed with movement. I still peed blood.

(continue reading on my substack blog, Write2Heal)

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Published by Rebecca Evans | Poet | Essayist | Artist | Warrior

Rebecca Evans writes the difficult, the heart-full, the guidebooks for survivors. She’s a memoirist, essayist, artist, and poet, infusing her love of empowerment with craft. She teaches high school teens in the Juvie system through journaling, empowerment and visual art. Rebecca is also a military veteran, an avid gardener, and shares space with four Newfoundlands and her sons. She specializes in craft and explorative workshops for those who seek to dive deeper. She co-hosts Radio Boise’s Writer to Writer show on Stray Theater. She's earned two MFAs, one in creative nonfiction, the other in poetry, University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe. Her poems and essays have appeared in Narratively, The Rumpus, Hypertext Magazine, War, Literature & the Arts, The Limberlost Review, and more. Her books include When There are Nine (an anthology tributed to the life and achievements of Ruth Bader Ginsburg), Tangled in Blood (a memoir-in-verse)(2026 Literary Titan Award), Safe Handling (a collection-length poem), and AfterBurn (a flash essay collection, Moon Tide Press).

One thought on “With Deep Gratitude for Toast and Stents”

  1. Dear Rebecca, I had no idea you were going through such a body struggle. Sending you reiki love. Your words are stunning. Love Tina Larsen (from Corporeal)

    On Tue, Sep 8, 2026 at 10:50 AM Rebecca Evans

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