Surgery Next Week

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theloafer
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:15 am

Surgery Next Week

Postby theloafer » Sat Sep 15, 2018 5:57 pm

Well my last colonoscopy cut out a polyp that was cancerous from the ascending colon. Minor though, they figure it is stage 1 or 2 at the worst. The recommendation was to have a right right hemicolectomy and biopsy the tissue and lymph nodes. The CT scan did not show anything and I could opt to not have the surgery of course, but like the surgeon told me, "you have to decide the level of uncertainty you can live with". Well, let's cut it out and see. Thursday the 20th is my date.

Thank God for early screening, I lost a brother when he was 45 to colon cancer, it was at stage IV when he realized there was a problem. That was many years ago and there was no screening at that age then.

AppleTree
Posts: 267
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2016 8:16 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby AppleTree » Sun Sep 16, 2018 12:27 am

I would think you would have a huge amount of uncertainty with a family history. Best to have peace of mind, I think. Hoping you have a speedy recovery and keep us informed!
Diag Feb 5, 2016 Age 45
3 cm tumor 5 cm from verge
Radiation + Xeloda pills - 3000mg 5x week
3/14 - 4/16 - 25 sessions
Shrank just over 50% L nodes 0/13
Remove rectum with temp Ileo 6/17
Reversal 7/20 due to infection
Acute hepatitis August. Chemo cancelled
June to September 2016 - 58 days in hospital

2017
6/16, MRI shadow in lung
Pet - 6.6mm Met in Upper R lobe
7/30 VAT surgery Mass General/Boston
8/24 port
8/30 - 4/28 Folfox. 12 rounds
2018
June CT shows new lung Mets.
July/Oct PETs...CLEAR!

Utwo
Posts: 285
Joined: Mon May 23, 2016 10:14 am
Location: T.O.

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby Utwo » Sun Sep 16, 2018 8:44 am

theloafer wrote:Minor though, they figure it is stage 1 or 2 at the worst. The recommendation was to have a right right hemicolectomy ...
I was in a similar situation and sometimes I wonder whether this was a right decision to get a surgery.
Nothing is free in our world and there are pros and cons in both decisions.

Good luck!
I wish you faster recovery and nothing of interest found in your lymph nodes!
58 yo male at diagnosis: T1bN0M0, 0/15 nodes, low grade/moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma
03/2016 colonoscopy: 2 small polyps removed in left colon; CEA = 1.3
04/2016 colonoscopy: caecum sessile 3.5 cm polyp piecemeal removed with kind of clear margins
05/2016 "prophylactic" laparoscopic right hemicolectomy - bleeding, leak, infection
06/2017 CT scan, colonoscopy OK; CEA = 1.6
A lot of funny stuff discovered by CT scans in liver, kidney, lungs, arteries, gallbladder, lymph node, pancreas

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

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Mon Sep 17, 2018 10:07 am

I hope your surgery goes well!*hugs*
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! :)

teri3
Posts: 405
Joined: Fri Jan 09, 2015 11:03 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby teri3 » Tue Sep 18, 2018 10:15 pm

Good luck on your surgery!
Hugs
Teri
58 yrs old female
MSS KRAS mutation G12V
adenocarcinoma sigmoid colon dx 11-14
sigmoidectomy 11-14
Stage 3A
3 out of 20 lymph nodes involved
started FolFox 1-27-15
11 rounds FOLFOX last one 6-30-2015
7-29-2015 PET clear
5-14-2016 CT 2 nodules one in each lung
Confirmed pulmonary metastasis stage 4
FOLFIRi + Avistin started 8-16 11 rounds complete 12-16
CT 12-16 nodules shrunk chemo break wait and see :?
CT growth
VATS l lung 4 10 17
VATS r lung 4 24 17
CT 2 nodules r up and l low :(

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby NHMike » Wed Sep 19, 2018 11:39 pm

Glad you caught it early as treatment should be a lot easier.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

theloafer
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby theloafer » Fri Sep 21, 2018 2:59 pm

My surgery was yesterday and all went well. The surgeon said that everything looked very healthy and she only cut out about 6 inches of the large where the cancerous polyp was and a little of the small intestine. No stoma needed, whew! It should be about 2 weeks for the pathology to be done but I’m feeling good about it all for sure.

I read some of your stories and battles and I can apprectiate this strength and courage you display. My situation is so minor but makes me thankful for catching this thing early. Truly blest.

Now just to recover and hopefully that’s all. (I’m a whiss for pain but the drugs are good)

User avatar
Maggie Nell
Posts: 1150
Joined: Wed May 27, 2015 1:57 am
Location: Central Highlands, Victoria, Oz

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby Maggie Nell » Sat Sep 22, 2018 8:38 am

Dear Wuss-4-Pain,

Aren't the painkillers great? Always post when you're high because the 'vets' can tell and it's fun to read! :mrgreen:
Undergoing a right hemicolectomy and losing six inches of your large intestine is not minor; this is YOUR body, it
can't regrow that bit - that's major! We're not geckos!! 8)

Don't forget to play the I-just-had-major-abdominal-surgery card to get out of everything housework, lifting and
tipping the pizza delivery boy. :wink:

May the pathology results confirm the colonoscopy expectation of a stage I-II neoplasm.

Maggie Nell
from 'straya
DX April 2015, @ 54
35mm poorly diff. tumour, incidental finding following emergency R. hemicolectomy
for ileo-colic intussusception.
Lymph nodes: 0/22
T3 N0 MX
Stage II CRC, no adjuvant chemo required.

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ANDRETEXAS
Posts: 661
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 11:01 am
Location: Austin, Texas (University of Tennessee alumnus)

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby ANDRETEXAS » Sat Sep 22, 2018 1:22 pm

As long as there's surgery involved, nothing is minor. I am glad everything has been successful so far. Keep a positive attitude and stay vigilant. All the best. Andre
2/10/14 - Colon resect
2/13 - DX- Stage IIIb
6 of 18 lymph nodes cancerous
3/7 - Port placed
3/11 - FOLFOX (12 rds w/full oxi)
8/14 - Chemo finish
8/25 - CT- Inc
9/5 - clean PET
12/10- clean CT

3/2/15 - Clean colonoscopy & port removed
3/4 - clean CT
9/21- clean CT

3/23/16 - clean CT

2/22/17- clean CT

3/21/18 - clean CT
4/1 - clean colonoscopy

3/11/19 - clean CT
9/23 - Five-year release - Annual visits now !

4/13/23 - clean colonoscopy

ONE DAY AT A TIME !

theloafer
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby theloafer » Mon Sep 24, 2018 8:09 pm

Discharged today, nice to be home for sure.

theloafer
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby theloafer » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:55 am

One week post surgery, healing nicely I think. I am trying today to be off of the Tramadol and use Tylenol only for a day, so far so good.

User avatar
ANDRETEXAS
Posts: 661
Joined: Fri Feb 14, 2014 11:01 am
Location: Austin, Texas (University of Tennessee alumnus)

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby ANDRETEXAS » Sat Sep 29, 2018 1:09 pm

Glad you're at home.....getting better...and hopefully getting to rest or sleep anytime you want or need to.
2/10/14 - Colon resect
2/13 - DX- Stage IIIb
6 of 18 lymph nodes cancerous
3/7 - Port placed
3/11 - FOLFOX (12 rds w/full oxi)
8/14 - Chemo finish
8/25 - CT- Inc
9/5 - clean PET
12/10- clean CT

3/2/15 - Clean colonoscopy & port removed
3/4 - clean CT
9/21- clean CT

3/23/16 - clean CT

2/22/17- clean CT

3/21/18 - clean CT
4/1 - clean colonoscopy

3/11/19 - clean CT
9/23 - Five-year release - Annual visits now !

4/13/23 - clean colonoscopy

ONE DAY AT A TIME !

theloafer
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby theloafer » Wed Oct 10, 2018 3:26 pm

Well my surgeon called and said the pathology was clean and no signs of cancer. This is such good news. So my surgery was nothing but an inconvienience to give me the assurance that the only cancer was within that one polyp. It feels so good to be sure.

:D

theloafer
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Aug 02, 2018 8:15 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby theloafer » Wed Feb 20, 2019 8:42 am

Here we are 5 months after my surgery. The only monitoring they want to do is CEA tests every 3 months and another scope close to the 1 year mark of my surgery. The first two CEA tests came back 1.4 and 1.2, I don't really know what that means but my doctor says we don't get too excited until we see 5 or more in the CEA. So I'm thankful for that, and everything has healed nicely and the insides work better than before, if that is possible.

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: Surgery Next Week

Postby NHMike » Wed Feb 20, 2019 9:29 am

theloafer wrote:Here we are 5 months after my surgery. The only monitoring they want to do is CEA tests every 3 months and another scope close to the 1 year mark of my surgery. The first two CEA tests came back 1.4 and 1.2, I don't really know what that means but my doctor says we don't get too excited until we see 5 or more in the CEA. So I'm thankful for that, and everything has healed nicely and the insides work better than before, if that is possible.


Your test results should provide numbers for the normal range - and the numbers and normal range very from lab to lab. It looks like they don't have you doing scans because your staging was likely low. I'm on the CEA every three months and it looks like annual scans. The protocol used to be scans every six months but I guess that they're not needed as often these days.

Hopefully you'll never see 5 or more.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT


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