Thanks for your replies.
It is not I but rather my husband who has been diagnosed with colon cancer (although the disability form the dr. filled out said "rectal cancer"?). I guess it's colorectal. He had a resection last week and 10" of colon and the upper end of the rectum were removed. He does not have an ostomy.
He had symptoms which led to a colonoscopy; the colonoscopy discovered benign polyps, which were removed, also a mass which obstructed his colon by 80%. It was this mass which precipitated the surgery.
Blood vessels and lymph nodes were also removed to be tested. It has been just over a week and we have no pathology reports yet, due to "technical difficulties at the lab", according to the surgeon's nurse. She couldn't be more specific, and when I asked that the doctor call the lab to find out more, she said the other nurse had called about several other test results and was told the same thing.
DH is still holding out hope that the mass is not cancer. The gastroenterologist who did the colonoscopy told him he was certain it was cancer. The surgeon said (prior to the surgery) that there's always a chance it's not, but when we asked about the test results while DH was in hospital, he said we wouldn't know at what stage DH is in his illness until the reports come back. That, to me, implies it *is* cancer, if he's talking about "stages". Then there is that disability form the surgeon filled out, stating "rectal cancer" as the dx...
So far, DH has seen our PCP, the gastroenterologist and a general surgeon who came very highly recommended. The surgeon said there would be follow-up with an oncologist, and I asked if that process could start while DH was in the hospital. Unfortunately, although I spent most of each day with my husband while he was hospitalized, I was never once there when the doctor visited. No referral has been made to an oncologist so far.
I'm just really not sure where to go from here. I am not aware of any cancer centers nearby (south central Pennsylvania). Much hinges, I guess, on the pathology results.
Prior to surgery, the surgeon spoke of post-surgery chemo as practically inevitable. Speaking with me immediately following surgery, he said DH may not need chemo. At 46, I think DH is young enough that aggressive treatment, including chemo, should be seriously considered. He is otherwise healthy and physically strong.
There have been no x-rays or PET or CT scans done, nor a CEA test - only the colonoscopy and a CBC prior to surgery. I wonder about that... wouldn't those tests tell much about what is going on "in there"?
Re: insurance -- we have an HMO plan which requires referrals to specialists, so I guess, as I think about it, we'll have to go through our PCP...
Any other replies, suggestions or comments are welcome. Thanks for "listening".
pearlgirl