The Colon Club

Hi, just had a colonoscopy, found cancerous tumor on Friday, Aug 3. Meeting with an oncologist this Thursday. I've been reading through some of the posts for a few days, and you guys provide a lot of information and support. Thank you. I'll admit, I'm freaking out quite a bit though. Hard to think about anything else, even while working. I pray and hope for the best, but somewhat expect the worse. I can feel the anxiety clawing at me. Have a beautiful wife and two teenage sons and I'm only 43. Just needed a place to vent for a minute. I'll try to keep up the posting on here. Good luck to any of you that read this and are fighting your own battles. It really brings a whole new perspective to life.

Welcome to the board. Not a real fun club to be a member of, but you are correct in that it supplies you with tuns of very useful information and encouragement.

I found that one of the hardest parts of the whole journey is when your first diagnosed. Once you get the whole picture and start treating it, you actually feel better because your "Killing it". I presume you have some scans coming up to be sure it hasn't spread beyond the rectal area? Keep us posted and know that I am a praying person and you along with the others on this board, both patients and caregivers are in my daily rosary!

Hang in there,

deb m

Hang in there, not easy at first. Get as much info as possible to understand where the tumor is, what stage is it (i.e. TxNxMx), and what options exist from a surgical and chemo/rad standpoint. Make sure you have someone with you at each dr. appt so to provide another set of ears and to take notes. Not easy road, but you can do it. Take it one day at a time and use this board as a resource and community.

Best of luck!

It is very important to have a board certified surgeon do your surgery.

It can be a bumpy road, but this group has always been here for me. It is a goid place for information, support and venting to people who truly do understand what you are going through.

Thank you for your well wishes and support. One thing I've learned from this group is to definitely seek out a board certified surgeon, so I've already decided that I'll be going with someone from the Cleveland clinic or the James in Columbus. I'm fortunate to be located pretty equally between the two. And I've made sure to start a list of questions to ask and also listing things to help with dealing with the chemo/radiation. I'm very hopeful to work as much as possible through all of this, so fingers crossed.

rtcasper wrote:Thank you for your well wishes and support. One thing I've learned from this group is to definitely seek out a board certified surgeon, so I've already decided that I'll be going with someone from the Cleveland clinic or the James in Columbus. I'm fortunate to be located pretty equally between the two. And I've made sure to start a list of questions to ask and also listing things to help with dealing with the chemo/radiation. I'm very hopeful to work as much as possible through all of this, so fingers crossed.

Getting a second opinion I think is also good. If they reds are same or similar it's reassuring. If not, it allows you to hone your questions for more refined plan.
Good luck tomorrow. Use this board for support, answers and to plan the steps on the road through our travels.

Those first few days are so hard...I had so much anxiety and couldn't ever imagine feeling normal again. But it does get easier as soon as you have a plan in place (and a care team that you trust). It is definitely worth seeking additional opinions if you have any doubts or concerns. Hang in there!

Just an update. Visited with my oncologist yesterday, she seems capable. Basically, we just set up blood work, to get my CEA levels, sent in the orders for an MRI and CT scan. Hopefully will get a call and get those done in the next week. She is in with Cleveland clinic, so I made sure to voice that I want a board certified surgeon from there. She referred me to them, so I am also waiting to hear from them, in order to set up a consult. After test results come back, then we'll proceed with the plan of action, based on her consulting with the radiation onc and the surgeon. I've calmed down quite a bit since the initial shock and am ready to get started destroying this thing. It seems to take forever for the gears of medical treatment to get rolling sometimes,so I'm trying not to be too impatient. I'll update when I get new info, and thanks again to everyone here, lifesavers in multiple ways.

Hi rtcasper,
I am about half way through the process of sorting out rectal cancer. Fortunately mine was caught pretty early.
You will be ok. from your signature I see you are like me a Christian who knows the 'boss of all things' who is pretty good, and that really helps.
The good is that you realize what is important in life and what is not.
You are in my prayers.
Steve

Once you have a treatment plan things will be better. It seems like you play defense until than and than you get your chance to play offense. My wife was 38 when diagnosed. She had a 7cm mass about 7cm up in her rectum. Your a bit higher which is a very good thing. Along with the MRI and CT consider a PET scan, also get the genetics test done. My wife was a stage four. she is about seven weeks post opt from her reversal surgery. We are currently NED and pray to stay that way.

Welcome to the board and sorry for your diagnosis!*hugs* I hope you won't have to wait long for more testing and results. It always feels better to have a treatment plan in place.

Welcome. I am fairly new too (diagnosis in March) and I'm in my 40's with young teen kids too. The people on this forum know their stuff. It's a steep learning curve and can be overwhelming at times (I often have to take a break from researching) but once you finalize your treatment, you will feel better (in a way). You are fortunate to be close to Cleveland Clinic. Good luck to you!

Sorry for the diagnosis, and welcome to the forum. I was diagnosed one year ago, 45 year old and two kids (7 and 10). One step at time and thinking about how I want my kids to remember me if these were to be my last months, one year has passed and I am cancer free, at least at macroscopic level. Good luck with the scans!

Claudia

'm freaking out quite a bit though. Hard to think about anything else, even while working. I pray and hope for the best, but somewhat expect the worse. I can feel the anxiety clawing at me.

I know exactly what you are feeling. Although I do not have cancer, I am a caregiver of my mother who was DX with 6cm Stage 3 Rectal Cancer. She just had her final surgery which was the reversal ileostomy. I can say this page has given me so many tips, suggestions, tears for support, advice, etc. I don't have time to go to in person support groups cause I have no time. You will see that you will go through up's and down' during your journey. You will be super strong and confident and some days you will be down and sad. It's all a roller coaster. I feel that I am the one who saved my mom's life. She was having such pain in her rectum thinking it was hemmy's. The dr. kept having her get CT Scans, MRI, blood tests, and one stupid thing he didn't make her get was a colonoscopy so I suggested it. BAM, cancer was found! I didn't tell my mom it was cancer until I let my dad know first. I was in tears when the GI dr. pulled me aside while she was still sedated and let me know the bad news. I will never forget that day for the rest of my life. To hear that your loving mother or anyone in your family that has cancer and to be the first person finding out before that actual person finds out is just devastating. I used to work at the cancer center in an amazing hospital in the radiation oncology department and learned about many different types of cancer. Just know, that this is a great support group and we will be here for you. Lastly, I searched high and low for a board-certified colorectal surgeon on the west coast for my mother. I found the best of the best chief surgeon who was able to save her rectum by hand sewing one for her so she wouldn't have a pouch for the rest of her life.
She is still recovering and it will be a long journey. I recommend you look at reviews, talk to people, read Yelp reviews, etc. You want the best. Good luck and sorry for the diagnosis, but early TX is best!

Thanks everyone, for your replies. Just an update. Had my MRI and CT. It would appear as though there is no spread, except to perhaps 1 node. It would also appear as though the tumor is a little father up than initially suggested by my colonoscopy. So, it may become classified as sigmoid. I will meet Dr. Matthew Kalady of the Cleveland Clinic on Monday, my surgeon, and he will make the call on how he would prefer treatment to take place, whether chemo/rad then surgery etc. Or surgery then follow up chemo. I will update occasionally as I go along, just to give any new diagnosed persons a general timeline of how things play out, in my case anyway.

I still keep you all in my thoughts and prayers every night!