Judy,

That sounds like an excellent plan! Have a great vacation.

Hi Scott, I had a similar diagnosis and surgery. I had discomfort in that area for several weeks after surgery because the coloanal anastomosis was hand sewn so I assumed there was a lot of trauma in that area. Sorry you are dealing with post-op issues. I'm interested in your treatment for T2N0M0. C...

Keep in mind that you must be employed for at least 12 months at a company before you are eligible for FMLA. Also different companies have different policies on short term disability eligibility. FMLA protects your job and short term disability protects your pay. I have found both very important for...

Hi GreenMonkey I have very similar bowel movements. Things stay in my digestive system for a few days, and then I have many hours of emptying. I have been doing pelvic floor physical therapy which has helped somewhat. The PT seems to have increased the size of the stool so that when I'm emptying the...

I had a hard time peeing after the catheter was removed. I think there was so much swelling that things were squished. I had to contort into different angles just to get a dribble. It may be very different for a man ...

A very good friend of mine is the chair of the anesthesiology department at a major university hospital. When she described everything she does during surgery, I was astounded. I participated in the ERAS (Enhanced Recovery After Surgery) protocol which was led by the anesthesiologist. While I had so...

Whenever my colon is "full," I get a pinching pain right underneath the ileostomy scar. I asked the physical therapist about it, and she says it is quite common to have adhesions from surgery that can cause weird feelings as the digestive system expands and contracts. She showed me how to ...

I am also Stage I. So far my CEA was checked at 3 month intervals for the 1st 6 months, and now I'm on 4 month intervals. Upcoming colonoscopy/CT scan in June (1 year post reversal).

My surgeon said he would recommend excision over LAR only for patients who would have difficulty tolerating and recovering from surgery such as an elderly person or someone with additional serious health concerns. I wanted to go the excision route, but ultimately decided for ULAR and the associated ...

I'm getting queasy just thinking about my upcoming prep/scope. I did ok on the golytely(gagging but no vomiting) but found the miralax/ducolax/gatorade horrific (lots of vomiting) so I think everyone is different.

Have you gotten a second opinion on the surgery? There are many surgeons who specialize in sphincter sparing surgery. My tumor was very low but the surgeon had no issue removing it without the need for a colostomy. That being said, I didn't find the temporary ileostomy that bad, but I knew it was te...

Diane,

What great news. Thanks for sharing and congrats!

I have to join in the peripheral rant. I took this afternoon off to celebrate my 1 year anniversary of being free from rectal cancer. While lounging around, my cell phone rang; and the caller introduced herself as someone from some breast cancer charity wanting a donation. I politely explained to he...

Hi Judy, I'm ~10 months out from my reversal. I no longer have a rectum so I have certainly had some challenging post-reversal issues, but things are somewhat more manageable lately. My regime: 1 heaping Tbsp Metamucil (w/sugar) at 7 AM Activia yogurt with fresh berries at 9 AM Normal lunch/dinner S...

Great news. Prayers for a good scan