Congrats on the 1 year Janet. I celebrated my one year last week. Other than your ruptured colon, my situation is almost identical to yours although I did have the neck dissection as a precautionary measure. My life also is almost completely normal and I can't tell you how much it means to be able to taste again. Of all the side affects, losing my taste was the one I feared the least. Never knew how much I would miss my taste buds.