Just found out

[Monroe66]

We just found out that my wife a tumor and it is 5 mm round and blocking her intestines. We are going Monday to get a cat scan. We are so scarred , my wife is only 45 and we have three small kids. The GI said it is 95% postive that it is cancer. We will get test back next week. We will be aggressive , like I said we are scared , and advise??

[cmewrrie]

I'm so sorry you are facing this but you will find a wealth of support here!

As one who was in your spot on 4/24 when my husbands tumor was found I can vividly recall the whirlwind of emotions you are both going through right now

Others have said it and it is true that the first few weeks are the hardest as you go through the confirmation and staging process but once a treatment plan is in place the stress and worries tend to be more manageable.

We are pretty new to all this too but you have come to the best place for answers and support. Great group here.

[DarknessEmbraced]

Welcome to the group. Sorry for the reason you're here. This site is a wonderful source of knowledge and support! Good luck with the ct scan.*hugs*

[dontwanttobehere]

So sorry for you to be here as well. I am also somewhat of a newbie and thankful I found this sight full of information and support. You can see in my signature some of my details. But we also have 2 young kiddos who joined our family through adoption. They both have significant special needs and I can't imagine not being here to care for them. As many will say, this is extremely overwhelming as you already are learning. I had my scope and woke up to the Dr. who said he was 99.5% certain I had cancer. He sent me for a CT scan right away. He had me scheduled with a surgeon by that afternoon. Two days later pathology results took away that 0.5% chance that we were clinging to. The next week was an emotional roller coaster vacillating between a wide arrange of emotions. It helped that my husband met me where I was. If I talked he listened and provided support. He didn't minimize it but it also wasn't the basis of every conversation. He was caring and nurturing without being condescending. He let me make the calls about who to tell and when. That all helped tremendously. It helped after meeting with the surgeon when we got a game plan. We opted for a second opinion. I also had genetic testing and another CT scan of my upper chest (lungs) which helped pass the time. I tried to put off surgery until late May but the surgeon said with my colon nearly blocked that was not a plan he supported so I had surgery 5/12. It was soooo helpful that my SIL made a meal calendar and for two weeks friends brought dinner every night. I also got advice that someone should be in the hospital with me at all times. I didn't thing that was necessary but it turned out to be a great idea. The staff was great but I literally couldn't even lift my head of the pillow for the first day it hurt so badly. Having family there (my husband or 20 year old dtr) made the world of difference. I had surgery Tuesday am and went home Thursday pm. Follow up with surgeon was 8 days later. His focus was to recover from surgery before worrying about what came next and I think that was great advice. I was in enough discomfort that I didn't feel the need to rush to get my pathology results. My advice is take it one step at a time. Do enough research you can have intelligent questions to ask but not so much you worry about the infinite list of "what ifs". It helped so much that the few friends I did tell didn't force me to talk about it (except one crazy neighbor who tried) but instead I have received many cards, emails and texts just letting me know people are thinking about me and praying. I think my husband might have impacted some peoples thoughts that is was okay to talk about it by getting to them before they got to me -if that makes sense. I know for my husband, he has a small group of guys that he can reach out to and that know so he can talk about it. It has to be very hard for a spouse for some of the same reasons but for other reasons as well. Thankfully my DH works from home but he has had to pick up a LOT of the slack. Hoping for clean scans on Monday!!!!

[cathy123]

So sorry that you are dealing with this. The beginning is really hard because you are waiting and waiting and it is hard not to assume the worst. 5mm is fairly small, so hopefully you caught it early. For now, you can think about whether and where you want to get a second opinion. Also, make sure you have a good colorectal surgeon. Besides that treatment will depend on the stage and whether it is in the colon or rectum. Everyone also told me not to believe the statistics because they are behind the times and there are lots of advances as far as surgery techniques and chemotherapy. Also, if the CT scan shows "something" don't automatically assume the worst until the drs tell you - we all have cysts and other stuff in us that we never know about til we go through the scans.

Come back and ask any questions. I am 44 and also have young kids - it is so scary to think about not being around for them, but I am not expecting that to be the case.

[rwightman]

Try and stay positive and strong. After the initial shock, you can make more rational decisions and figure out how to tackle this beast.

[ANDRETEXAS]

I agree with what the others have said. The first part of this journey is the most frightening......i.e. (the unknown). The first few weeks was a shock. I did visit Mr. Google just to get some perspective, but found this group right after that and stopped my research on google. Most of the statistics are outdated and don't apply to your wife's specific diagnosis. As I got my final diagnosis from my colorectal surgeon and visited with my oncology team, things became much easier. I knew what I had to do, and that makes it easier to have a goal. You must try not to worry, as that is wasted energy. Make your plan, stay positive, take one day and a time, and visit us when you have any questions or need advise. There are many knowledgable and caring people here to help. Best of luck. Andre

[jhocno197]

So sorry you are having to go through this. My husband is the one with the cancer in our family, but we also hace young kids. It is hard. I wish you & your family well & hope it's something surgery will take care of.

[chemo sabe]

GI Docs know what they are looking at. Do not hang onto that 5%. 5mm is very small - what led to getting the diagnostic?? I really want to comment on the "aggressive" part of your statement. Unless it is Stage 4 or one of the mutant varieties, colon/rectal cancer (CRC) treatments are totally cookbook. To start, your treatment is exactly the same as anyone else - the doctors should drop that "aggressive" word.

If the cancer is low (rectal cancer) it is treated with radiation and chemo prior to surgery. Otherwise, we go straight to surgery. After that and depending on the stage, you get adjuvant chemo. The front line chemo regimens are XELOX and FOLFOX. The number of treatments is dictated by the staging. Your Onc will adjust the amounts of poison based on your reaction and side effects.

Try to stay off Doctor Google, The data is old is waaaay to general. You are an individual - not a statistic. I have my fingers crossed for you and hope you remain on the curative path.

[rp1954]

The time before surgery or standard treatment is somewhat like the first "golden hour" after a serious car accident or battlefield wounds. Where sometimes prompt advanced care has outstanding results, well above the expected. You don't know yet, what stage. We hope for the best, and prepare for the rest. But there are extra things you can do to seriously improve the results.

I would look very hard at perioperative actions (weeks before/after surgery) and treatments involving cimetidine, celebrex, PSK and vitamin D3, for starters. More possibilities are discussed in Life Extension protocols, preparations and articles. They are not "standard" options likely to be familiar to your doctors, but they have been the real deal for some of the boards' members.

The blood biomarkers that have helped us personally have been CEA, CA19-9, ESR before and after surgery, along with AFP, hsCRP, 25-hydroxy vitamin D. Thankfully we never saw elevated CA125 and CA72-4 levels, we did test them asap. For a few bucks cash, we try go first class results wise, not just the ASCO or NCCN economy fare, and it has paid off.

The more you can inform people, the more they probably can help you.

[Dmvfoster]

I know everyone here would want to lynch me for this post, but I will share this anyway.
Since diagnosed with cancer, I have seen "real" heros in my chemo lab. Some that passed or the ones that I have seen at St Judes and cried all the way home.
Angelina Jolie, and Mario Cuomo's chef girlfriend heros? Right, so is Bin laden if they are!
The real people on this earth dealing with cancer can't go to the islands (turks/caicos) to discuss the reconstructive surgery afterwards, or remove the breasts before contracting cancer while buying the best new ones money can buy. They are sick as hell on a pump and fighting to live!
Please give to St Judes and burn People magazine.
When I found out that I had cancer at 64 years of age, my first thought was how lucky I am, and the hell those kids are going through! I'd give my life today for any of them!

Good luck and my best to you!

[VodKanockers]

Sorry to hear about your wife's test results. I totally get the being scared, I am just a few months ahead of her, having been diagnosed with rc back in Feb. I go in for my surgery on Thursday, and I'm getting pretty nervous about it. But for me, thinking about what could come after that is what worries me more, but everyone here is right to advise that it's best to take things one step at a time.

In case this helps - I know everyone's experience will be different, but I went through 6 weeks of chemo (4000mg/day of Xeloda) and IMRT radiation shortly after my diagnosis, completing in late April. I was probably very lucky, only some mild fatigue for a couple of days about 2/3 of the way through, and maybe a slightly reduced appetite. But nothing that I couldn't deal with and thankful it wasn't worse. If she has to go through a similar protocol, I hope her experience is similar to mine.

[michelle c]

Hello,

Sorry to hear about your wife's diagnoses - I had just turned 44 when I found out that I had colon cancer and we also have three kids. I was petrified. It's hard not to be scared. I totally understand. 5mm is quite small, mine was about 5cm - is that what you meant?

My advice is to stay away from Dr Google - it only heightened my anxiety. You will find lots of support and information here. Try not to think the worst and take one day at a time. I had surgery and then six months of chemo - six years later I'm still here. Best wishes to you both. Hang in there and please keep us posted. We are here for you both ❤️