Hi there, I was recently diagnosed in February of this year, a week after my 29th bday. My mom passed of this dreadful disease 8 years ago, her father, and two siblings also passed from it. I have genetic colon cancer, there are two types, mine is HNPCC, hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer.
I would suggest that you check into a few books, one is the cancer survival guide, and the other is a book by Dr. Mark Pochapin(sp) I think, it's everything your doctor won't tell you about colorectal cancer. He is the doc that treated Katie Couric's husband, there is a website for the Jay Monohan Center of Gastrointestinal health I think if you google it. Also, this site of course has a lot of info-thanks MOLLY!
It's good that they found it in an early stage. Mine was Stage IIA, meaning it had not spread beyond the colon wall, but it did extend to the 4th layer of the colon wall, it was not in any of the lymph nodes or nearby organs that they could tell. Because my cancer was from genetics, I had a total colectomy, where they removed the entire colon, but I don't have a colostomy bag because my surgeon was awesome
.
I emplore you and your husband to start keeping a chart, with a copy of all of his medical records, everytime a blood test is ordered, or anything, request a copy, it is your right, even if it has yet to be reviewed by a doc, it is still your right to have a copy-HIPPA allows us this. Also, it is good to have a copy for yourself in general. I would strongly suggest a colon rectal surgeon too, patients that have a surgeon that specializes in this area have a surgical options that they might not have with a general surgeon, for example, had I not traveled two hours to DC to have my surgery, I would have had to have a colostomy bag.
You can find a surgeon through
www.fascrs.org in your area, that's the board of colon rectal surgeon's website.
Also-like the other poster stated, everyone thinks or used to, that this is an old-man's disease, and even a man's disease, I've had people shocked when I told them what kind of cancer I had, they always assume it's breast. What irks me the most is the fact that screenings aren't suggested until age 50+, when 165000 people are diagnosed with this disease each year, and 7 % of them are under the age of 50, but somehow it seems they don't think 16500 lives are worth the extra screen. Project March is trying to change that-it's a march each March in DC, March is colorectal cancer awareness month.
Okay, I'm going to end my novel and stop going off on a rant, I hope this info helps you.
Good luck with your husband, keep us posted, and let him know he isn't alone in this fight, and neither are you, this is a great board.
Take care,