I'd definitely want to wait until after I'd passed the gastrografin leak test. That's what, 4-6 wks after surgery? It's kind of hard to discuss this with my doctor since he has no knowledge of it. I'll keep doin' the research. If things are going they way the Oncologists claim then I won't have chem...

I have a TME in my near future and I'm pretty paranoid about LARS. I know it'll be what it'll be and I'll just have to deal w/ whatever is to come. However, I want know what I can do pre/post-op to help prevent, or at least lessen, any future issues. I was reading up on LARS on "Up to Date"...

I did do watch and wait. At my one year scope we (I saw we because I stay awake for the flex sig) saw that something wasn't right. There was more fleshiness.. nodularity in medical terms... next to the scar that hadn't been there before. Biopsy came back as cancer. So, time to go back to the origina...

Interesting paper. I was especially interested in the research into the length of the remaining rectal stump and the method of reconnection. Basically the more rectum the better with a minimum of 4cm for best results. Also some sort of reservoir, be it J-Pouch, or Side-End, is significantly better i...

Oh, I'm well aware of the lack of a proper controlled study on this W&W thing. I posted this mainly to get the word out that the chance of regrowth might be a bit higher than the 20-ish percent that the non-scientific studies have shown. I do not regret my decision to pursue W&W. From all I'...

A year ago I decided to go w/ W&W after I'd had a CCR. Went in last week for my 1yr scans and scope. Scans came back clear. Unfortunately there was a bit of cancer regrowth at the edge of the scar. So looks like a TME is in my not too distant future. Knowing what I did at time that I made the W&...

Here's a rather reassuring article from the May of this year posted in Lancet: http://thelancet.com/journals/langas/article/PIIS2468-1253(17)30074-2/fulltext "Most patients treated by watch-and-wait avoid radical surgery and of those who have regrowth almost all have salvage therapy. Although w...

Being somewhat new to "journey" that is cancer I'd like some advice on this one: My latest CT scans found a 2mm lung nodule that had never been seen on previous scans. The radiology report says "No convincing evidence of metastatic disease"... I do so love the medical weaseling h...

I'd love to hear from other patients' experiences with the W&W strategy. I was one of the lucky ones to have a cCR and am interested in learning more about this option. So far I've had all of my treatment, from DX until now, done at Johns Hopkins Hospital. When I met w/ my surgeon to plan the su...

Thanks all for the advice and support. The whole process wasn't as bad as I expected. The Xeloda was a a bit of a non-event w/ some minor gut discomfort and really dry feet after the last week wrapped up. The radiation... well... my bladder got quite a sunburn and a full bladder became an amazingly ...

My oncologist is Dr Nilofer Azad and I really can't say enough good things about her; whip smart, compassionate, precise, and straight-forward. She specializes in colorectal and works out of Hopkins, but she also works out of Sibley in DC so if you do try to see her and can't get in at JH, try Sibl...

Is your surgeon dr Gearhart? I'm 44 and about two years out from my surgery. If you need anything, feel free to hit me up. No, I'm setup w/ Dr Bashar Safar. He seems pretty decent and works with the Robot. Did some back channel research and got word from nurses that work(ed) directly w/ him that he...

Has anybody mentioned endorectal brachytherapy to you? They've been doing trials at Hopkins and given what you've written in your sig, you might qualify. I underwent this treatment there myself. 4 treatments and no chemo. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/radiation_oncology/treatments/brachytherapy.ht...

Has anyone had a bad reaction to the CT Contrast? If so did you also have reactions to the various chemo drugs? I had my 2nd CT w/ contrast yesterday to get things lined up for the upcoming chemo-rad. I didn't have any problems w/ my first CT, three weeks ago, and everything seemed drama free this t...

One other item I thought might be worth a mention as a possible positive of the treatment - many of my symptoms that led me to a dx were greatly diminished during the course of chemorad treatment. In the weeks/months leading up to dx, I had way increased BM frequency, tenesmus, pencil-thin stools, ...