How did you find out about CRC?

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
sjring
Posts: 181
Joined: Mon Jun 30, 2014 3:16 pm
Location: Philadelphia, PA

Re: How did you find out about CRC?

Postby sjring » Tue Mar 31, 2015 8:27 am

I was having some very minor abdominal pain for about 7 or 8 weeks. Nothing major, the kind we macho men ignore, but would sometimes get pain spikes shortly after eating. However after it persisted, I thought there might have been an issue with the gastric bypass I had had 6 or 7 years before, so I went in to see my primary care who ordered a CT same day. Long story short, got referred for a colonoscopy which found a mass blocking 80% of the ascending colon, however only one of the multiple biopsies tested positive for cancer. A staging CT showed only one liver met and I was referred to a surgeon. Went for a second opinion to another surgeon who didn't like the staging CT and sent me for an MRI which lit up my liver like a christmas tree. Been on some form of chemo ever since.
50 YO Husband & father of 2 teenagers.
DX 9/9/13 Stage 4 cc (at age 48)
16 Rounds FOLFOX + Avastin (Oct-13 to May-14)
Maintenance chemo - Avastin & 5-FU infusions (Jun-14 to Jul-15)
Jul-15: Mets to lymph nodes, resuming FOLFOX
Sep-15: MRI showed stability, back to maintenance chemo.

Nik Colon

Re: How did you find out about CRC?

Postby Nik Colon » Tue Mar 31, 2015 1:20 pm

I have had cramping, diarrhea etc since my teens so always assumed girl issues, depression and later anxiety, then fatigue, born with apnea so figured that may be some cause of fatigue. Problems just got worse and worse over the years but never consider any kind of cancer. Test after test. Nothing. wasn't until complications after diverticulitis that I said I need to see a GI (I really wish I had alot earlier). Anyway she suggested colonoscopy and there u go.

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3815
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: How did you find out about CRC?

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Tue Mar 31, 2015 1:34 pm

I didn't know anything about it until after I was diagnosed. Then I read everything I could and joined Colon Talk!
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)

Nik Colon

Re: How did you find out about CRC?

Postby Nik Colon » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:03 pm

I hear ya DE, I had no knowledge about it before. It's so sad. That is why it's so important to get the word out. Everyone should be aware of this.
Last edited by Nik Colon on Wed Apr 01, 2015 7:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
chixter
Posts: 121
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2014 5:31 pm

Re: How did you find out about CRC?

Postby chixter » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:24 pm

A question that haunts me. How long did she have this? Outside of a 2x/yr head or chest cold, Katie was never sick. Worked 12 hr shifts in a medical office, great appetite, always full of energy. If her tumor began on the inside rather than the outside of her ascending colon, it may have presented symptoms. She was asymptomatic until the night she experienced intense r. side abdominal pain. We assumed possible appendix. She was chatting it up with the CT scan tech, a girl she knew. She said during the procedure this girl suddenly stopped talking, and Katie read the look on her face. Every lymph node south of her lungs and 53% of her liver lit up on that scan......Dr. Varghese @ MSK explained to me that tumors in the abdomen on the external side of organs are particularly bad as the void spaces in the abdomen allow for unrestricted growth without symptoms until they become huge, and often by then metastases has taken place.
ImageFather/Caregiver to beautiful 25 y/o daughter with mCRC Stg 4

Nik Colon

Re: How did you find out about CRC?

Postby Nik Colon » Tue Mar 31, 2015 5:59 pm

That's the sad thing, no one knows for sure. Wish there was a clear way to tell. All they can do is guess which usually they won't say. I did have my one of the pet guys say he thought 5-8 years at least, but they can't put that in writing. One time looking at formulas I came up with 4-12 years. But who knows, I think it could have been going on longer than that for me.

User avatar
nitebreez
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 3:37 pm
Location: West Central Florida
Contact:

Re: How did you find out about CRC?

Postby nitebreez » Wed Apr 01, 2015 4:45 pm

Delinda2 wrote:Nitebreez, the chickens are swinging. Sorry it's been so hard for you. I am constantly amazed at the number of people who have been misdiagnosed, or spent months having tests, etc before discovering cancer. Astonished at how sneaky this rotten disease is for many.


Ohhh,..thank you so much for the swinging chickens. Still gotta wait for results from my scan. Worst thing is that my dear brother has his surgery on April 8th. Yeah,...he has CRC as well. Can't believe it. And it's just so very humbling to read everyone else's story here, as well. I hate this cancer thing. I'm going to get up early tomorrow morning,....get myself together,....and go on my very lovely 5 to 6 mile hike. We have a pretty nice little "nature trail" that this little town has made for people walking and riding bikes to take. So lovely that it looks like a park in one of those "high-fallutin" big cities" LOL!!! It takes me about 2 miles to even get there from my apartment,....then it's a two mile nature hike. Then I hike about 2 more miles to the store, and back to my little pad. Ivigorating.

Then on Friday, I get to go with my two beautiful grandkids to the local "Water Park" for awhile. So I do thank you for those "swinging chickens". Can't let this cancer get the upper hand. I aien't ready yet for that. :)
T4a-Nx-M0 cc (perforated colon) Septic shock
2/19/13 emergency surgery/colostomy
4/13/13 colostomy reversed (reconnected!)
1/22/14 folfox completed
3/3/14 CT Scan NED
4/15/16 CEAs still low

User avatar
nitebreez
Posts: 79
Joined: Sun Mar 24, 2013 3:37 pm
Location: West Central Florida
Contact:

Re: How did you find out about CRC?

Postby nitebreez » Wed Apr 01, 2015 4:50 pm

chixter wrote:A question that haunts me. How long did she have this? Outside of a 2x/yr head or chest cold, Katie was never sick. Worked 12 hr shifts in a medical office, great appetite, always full of energy. If her tumor began on the inside rather than the outside of her ascending colon, it may have presented symptoms. She was asymptomatic until the night she experienced intense r. side abdominal pain. We assumed possible appendix. She was chatting it up with the CT scan tech, a girl she knew. She said during the procedure this girl suddenly stopped talking, and Katie read the look on her face. Every lymph node south of her lungs and 53% of her liver lit up on that scan......Dr. Varghese @ MSK explained to me that tumors in the abdomen on the external side of organs are particularly bad as the void spaces in the abdomen allow for unrestricted growth without symptoms until they become huge, and often by then metastases has taken place.


Yes,...I followed your story about your daughter. I was just heartbroken. My daughter is my only child,..so I cannot in my wildest imagination know what you went through. I mean,...my mind won't even begin to think about anything happening to my daughter, let alone what you went though. People will tell you things like "Oh, I know what you must be going through"....but I admit that I can't imagine your loss. So very sorry. She was so beautiful.
T4a-Nx-M0 cc (perforated colon) Septic shock
2/19/13 emergency surgery/colostomy
4/13/13 colostomy reversed (reconnected!)
1/22/14 folfox completed
3/3/14 CT Scan NED
4/15/16 CEAs still low


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Google [Bot] and 24 guests