Postby Punky44 » Mon Dec 10, 2018 2:46 am
I suffer from health anxiety and my mom’s diagnosis of rectal cancer made me terrified I might have it as well bc I also experienced intermittent rectal bleeding episodes. Absolutely nothing would calm my fears but a colonoscopy. So I had one. I was lucky in that I didn’t have to fight too hard to get one despite my age (34.) I went straight to the GI doc my mom had and made an appt. it was the best thing I did because the clear findings eased my mind and I am now on a 5 year schedule due to family history so I feel good about being proactive against this awful disease.
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!
Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.