CT Scan said, "colon consistent with cancer"

[vaughtower]

Hi... my user name is Kenneth and I just found this forum. I guess we all have something in common... that being the lower intestinal track that is not acting right.
A couple of months ago I had great discomfort in my abdomen and so I set an appointment with the doctor and fasted for 5 1/2 days because of the unusual feeling. The doctor ordered a cat scan with the report reading, "colon consistent with cancer". (I think the only way to tell if a person has colon cancer is to do a biopsy. So, I guess the statement, "colon consistent with cancer" is a part of their sales funnel) That is as far as I went with the medical profession because I do not like Allopathic doctors. But I have been taking many herbs, improving my diet, and working on therapies and I feel pretty good. I still have energy, I work and do pretty much everything that I did before the cat scan.
Sometimes the "discomfort", that I quite often feel, rises a notch and then I get anxious and wonder how much higher it could go. Fortunately, it has not remained high and my routine has not changed. I would like to hear how other in a similar situation are doing. I am pretty sure that what ever is causing the discomfort did not pop up over night. If a person does not work with their Allopathic doctors on such an issue and there is no remission, how long does it take before a person starts going "down"? How long does it take for the "discomfort" to become "painful" and possibly debilitating?
If you have had a similar experience, I would like to hear your story or read about it here on the forum. Please share with me what is going on with you.
Sincerely,
vaughtower

[weisssoccermom]

Kenneth,
I'm going to be blunt here. If some radiologist read my CT scan and it said 'consistent with colon cancer', I wouldn't just say....oh well.....and go on my merry way. I would be RUNNING to the medical doctors to see what could be done. You may not have cancer or you may. Either way, you are quite correct that a biopsy is the only way that anyone can know for sure and that would require a colonoscopy unless the tumor is extremely low down. Still, I wouldn't wait to start feeling badly. I have been a member of this board for over 10 years now and can tell you that there are many people on this board who feel relatively fine but have cancer in more than one part of their body. One thing I learned about cancer is that we never know what to expect with the nasty beast. Don't assume anything with cancer because it isn't a disease that is necessarily predictable. It doesn't follow any rules nor necessarily any set pattern. With cancer, you should always be prepared to expect the unexpected!
IMO, cancer doesn't just go into remission unless either the medical profession intervenes or GOD does. You can take all the herbs you want, eat well, exercise like a fiend and cancer (if you have it) is going to do whatever it wants to do....regardless of how much you may want to believe otherwise. One more thing, the LAST thing you want to do with cancer is let it get a GRIP on you and take hold of your body. Once it it firmly entrenched in your body....once it has had a chance to grow and spread, it is MUCH more difficult to reign it in. While the CT scan may say it is consistent with cancer, there is always a chance (albeit it smaller) that the presumed mass the radiologist saw on the scan may be benign. IF it is, you would definitely want it OUT before it has another day to keep changing- morphing and turning into cancer.
GET TO THE DOCTOR.....make an appointment with a GI.....get a scope and get the dang biopsy....that's the ONLY way you'll know for certain what you are/aren't dealing with.
You asked a question about how long it would take before you go 'downhill'.....well, here's the thing. IF there is a mass (let's assume that's what they saw as opposed, for example, something like diverticulitis), that mass will continue to grow.....it will eventually cause a blockage and then you won't just feel crappy.....you'll be VERY sick and possibly be putting your life at risk.
I doubt you will find many, if any people on this forum who would tell you that it's just ok to let this go and do nothing. Most people on this forum are either fighting to live or have had fought the fight and are in remission. That fight may include chemo or radiation but it has definitely included the first step....getting the scope done and knowing what you are dealing with. It may be cancer or it may be something else....either way....get an answer....get the scope and know for certain!

[Soccermom2boys]

Kenneth,
I'm going to be blunt here. If some radiologist read my CT scan and it said 'consistent with colon cancer', I wouldn't just say....oh well.....and go on my merry way. I would be RUNNING to the medical doctors to see what could be done. You may not have cancer or you may. Either way, you are quite correct that a biopsy is the only way that anyone can know for sure and that would require a colonoscopy unless the tumor is extremely low down. Still, I wouldn't wait to start feeling badly. I have been a member of this board for over 10 years now and can tell you that there are many people on this board who feel relatively fine but have cancer in more than one part of their body. One thing I learned about cancer is that we never know what to expect with the nasty beast. Don't assume anything with cancer because it isn't a disease that is necessarily predictable. It doesn't follow any rules nor necessarily any set pattern. With cancer, you should always be prepared to expect the unexpected!
IMO, cancer doesn't just go into remission unless either the medical profession intervenes or GOD does. You can take all the herbs you want, eat well, exercise like a fiend and cancer (if you have it) is going to do whatever it wants to do....regardless of how much you may want to believe otherwise. One more thing, the LAST thing you want to do with cancer is let it get a GRIP on you and take hold of your body. Once it it firmly entrenched in your body....once it has had a chance to grow and spread, it is MUCH more difficult to reign it in. While the CT scan may say it is consistent with cancer, there is always a chance (albeit it smaller) that the presumed mass the radiologist saw on the scan may be benign. IF it is, you would definitely want it OUT before it has another day to keep changing- morphing and turning into cancer.
GET TO THE DOCTOR.....make an appointment with a GI.....get a scope and get the dang biopsy....that's the ONLY way you'll know for certain what you are/aren't dealing with.
You asked a question about how long it would take before you go 'downhill'.....well, here's the thing. IF there is a mass (let's assume that's what they saw as opposed, for example, something like diverticulitis), that mass will continue to grow.....it will eventually cause a blockage and then you won't just feel crappy.....you'll be VERY sick and possibly be putting your life at risk.
I doubt you will find many, if any people on this forum who would tell you that it's just ok to let this go and do nothing. Most people on this forum are either fighting to live or have had fought the fight and are in remission. That fight may include chemo or radiation but it has definitely included the first step....getting the scope done and knowing what you are dealing with. It may be cancer or it may be something else....either way....get an answer....get the scope and know for certain!

What she said!

Seriously, do not fool yourself in to thinking this will just magically disappear because you changed your diet, etc. Get a colonoscopy ASAP and see what you are dealing with.

[BIG ROB 69]

Hi Ken, this is what I got within 6 months of dx: two extraordinarily painful blockages, and I would not have survived without surgery. Since then, bile ducts restricted, causing jaundice. An abscess at the entrance of my hole, that when the doctor lanced it, it was the closest to torture that I have been in my life, and no amount of herbs and spices would have fixed those problems. Good luck in your decision, and may He bless you.

[stu]

Hi ,
Welcome to the forum .
I am trying to get a handle on your story . Despite your reservation with Doctors you did feel comfortable enough to use that mechanism to assist with diagnosis? Maybe cautious with any form of treatment? I am married to a doctor but despite that feel if you are making an informed choice then it's up to you . However having worked in health care myself I have noticed people are inclined to reverse that decision when the full extent of the pain kicks in . The question you might want to weigh up is if you did reverse your decision would it be of benefit to tackle the tumour when it may still be curative or maybe wait till it's an emergency unplanned operation and your in distress , as bowel tumours obviously cause sever issues due to their location . It's entirely up to you and if you are of an age and stage to let it be then so be it . I would entirely respect your decision my concern would entirely surround you being fully informed .
Kind regards,
Stu

[LeonW]

Kenneth,

I am pretty sure that what ever is causing the discomfort did not pop up over night.

Don't bet on it. Cancer mostly grows slowly, without any signs. I didn't have any issues when my cancer was discovered. Fortunately mentioned a little blood in stool when seeing my PCP, who sent me off to for colonoscopy immediately. Not being the least worried, I postponed that visit - no time / better things to do - and the issues had stopped anyhow.

Results came as an absolute surprise; even for the scope specialist was reluctant to do one as he expected clean result but went ahead as I was 'entitled' to have one (age). Well, to his (and my) surprise they found a mass as big as a tennis-ball that must have been sitting and growing there for 10 years! And I never felt a thing.

. . . If a person does not work with their Allopathic doctors on such an issue and there is no remission, how long does it take before a person starts going "down"? How long does it take for the "discomfort" to become "painful" and possibly debilitating?

I don't know. The few that I've heard of, haven't been around long enough that they stick to mind. For me, I think that you'll have little chance without 'allopathic' help. If you feel comfortable with herbs, special diet or changed life style, go ahead - by all means. But not to replace established proven treatments. And do keep your main-line doctors informed of anything you (intend to) do outside their recommendations.

You said that this all started 'a couple of months' ago. How long have you been waiting now??

Best wishes,
Leon
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I'm going to be blunt here [etc . . . .] either way....get an answer....get the scope and know for certain!

Your comments are always worthwhile, but this (your complete answer) is really tops. Great summary of what's this board is all about.
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[NHMike]

Kenneth,
I'm going to be blunt here. If some radiologist read my CT scan and it said 'consistent with colon cancer', I wouldn't just say....oh well.....and go on my merry way. I would be RUNNING to the medical doctors to see what could be done. You may not have cancer or you may. Either way, you are quite correct that a biopsy is the only way that anyone can know for sure and that would require a colonoscopy unless the tumor is extremely low down. Still, I wouldn't wait to start feeling badly. I have been a member of this board for over 10 years now and can tell you that there are many people on this board who feel relatively fine but have cancer in more than one part of their body. One thing I learned about cancer is that we never know what to expect with the nasty beast. Don't assume anything with cancer because it isn't a disease that is necessarily predictable. It doesn't follow any rules nor necessarily any set pattern. With cancer, you should always be prepared to expect the unexpected!
IMO, cancer doesn't just go into remission unless either the medical profession intervenes or GOD does. You can take all the herbs you want, eat well, exercise like a fiend and cancer (if you have it) is going to do whatever it wants to do....regardless of how much you may want to believe otherwise. One more thing, the LAST thing you want to do with cancer is let it get a GRIP on you and take hold of your body. Once it it firmly entrenched in your body....once it has had a chance to grow and spread, it is MUCH more difficult to reign it in. While the CT scan may say it is consistent with cancer, there is always a chance (albeit it smaller) that the presumed mass the radiologist saw on the scan may be benign. IF it is, you would definitely want it OUT before it has another day to keep changing- morphing and turning into cancer.
GET TO THE DOCTOR.....make an appointment with a GI.....get a scope and get the dang biopsy....that's the ONLY way you'll know for certain what you are/aren't dealing with.
You asked a question about how long it would take before you go 'downhill'.....well, here's the thing. IF there is a mass (let's assume that's what they saw as opposed, for example, something like diverticulitis), that mass will continue to grow.....it will eventually cause a blockage and then you won't just feel crappy.....you'll be VERY sick and possibly be putting your life at risk.
I doubt you will find many, if any people on this forum who would tell you that it's just ok to let this go and do nothing. Most people on this forum are either fighting to live or have had fought the fight and are in remission. That fight may include chemo or radiation but it has definitely included the first step....getting the scope done and knowing what you are dealing with. It may be cancer or it may be something else....either way....get an answer....get the scope and know for certain!

+1

[Volfan]

Ditto to what everyone else has said.

The thing I really take exception with is the statement "part of their sales funnel ".
That statement to me comes across like I'm dealing with a shady door to door salesman with my treatment.
From the time I see the Doc to when I sit down in the chemo chair to when I leave I feel like they are doing all they can to help me.
I couldn't ask for more caring doctors, nurses and volunteers during this process.
I could be wrong and if I am I apologize but that statement seemed very disrespectful towards the medical community as a whole.

[veckon]

Ditto to what everyone else has said.

The thing I really take exception with is the statement "part of their sales funnel ".
That statement to me comes across like I'm dealing with a shady door to door salesman with my treatment.
From the time I see the Doc to when I sit down in the chemo chair to when I leave I feel like they are doing all they can to help me.
I couldn't ask for more caring doctors, nurses and volunteers during this process.
I could be wrong and if I am I apologize but that statement seemed very disrespectful towards the medical community as a whole.

Amen. Every single nurse, doctor, surgeon, etc. I have dealt with at Sloan Kettering has been amazing. Just thinking about how many people have dedicated themselves to the science, research, and treatment of this horrid disease makes me feel emotional and beyond grateful for their unceasing work. Cancer treatment can truly suck, but it is evidence based. Also, the best cancer centers are all non-profits too.

To the OP, like others I implore you to look past your assumptions and try to get cured. If you wait too long because you don’t trust doctors you may be condemning yourself to death.

[weisssoccermom]

Yes, I have to agree with everyone's take on the 'sales funnel' comment. Seriously, Kenneth, do you believe that the doctors have this agenda where they tell someone, 'oh you have cancer' in order to get them to come into their offices/practices, etc. just to make money? If you do, then honestly, I feel sorry for you. Sure, doctors sometimes (ok, often) charge high prices but I don't know of a doctor who says, 'hey you have cancer' just to get you into their office. They don't mess around with a diagnosis like that. Furthermore, the radiologist read those films and it was his/her PROFESSIONAL impression (they read a ton of these....they know what they are talking about) that your scan looked like something consistent with cancer. That's the end of his/her (radiologist's) involvement unless, of course, you seek further treatment and perhaps have another scan at the same facility where they might read it again. That particular doctor has little to NO interaction with you.....likely, even during the scan, you never met him/her. (A radiologist is not the same as a radiation oncologist). WHY would a doctor who only knows your name on the scan....WHY would he/she say something like 'consistent with colon cancer?" Do you honestly believe that this is all a 'racket' or something? Do you believe that the GP/oncologist or any other doctor would operate, Rx chemo, possibly order radiation treatments, etc. all because this is some sort of a way to get you to undergo some treatments that you don't really need? No one is trying to 'lure' you in to their office to charge you exorbitant prices....these doctors have a HEAVY case load and they are there to try and SAVE people's lives. They work hard to work with YOU, the patient, to hopefully eradicate the cancer beast or at least tame it so that the patient can live a relatively normal life.
There were times, Kenneth, when I was frustrated with my doctors, but frustration was there because I wanted something different to be done other than the 'standard of care'. NEVER, even with the doctors that I sought a consultation from, did I ever feel (even with the biggest jerk of them all) that they were trying to 'reel' me in, perform some unnecessary surgery on me and fill me with chemo all because it was some 'scam'. When you hear those words, 'you have cancer' you're scared....let's be honest, you're scared this might be the end....that you could die....and you WANT the doctors to be there to HELP you....and they are. There are doctors with horrible bedside manners, there are doctors who have no idea what the empathy card is but, in the end, bad personality or not, these doctors are all doing what they trained to do....help save your life.
Kenneth, you seem scared (and that's understandable) but pretending that something isn't wrong isn't going to make this go away. You can make up all sorts of excuses...from the doctors to still feeling fine....but you're only playing Russian Roulette with your life. If that's what you want to do....hey, its your life....but just know this. You very well may be waiting too long.....and then there is nothing left that the doctors can do. Just think about it. SOMETHING sent you to see the doc and that something is still there and all the herbs, wishing and hoping isn't going to POOF make it disappear. Get a scope, get the biopsy done and get an answer. Then and only then can you reasonably move forward...when you have ALL THE FACTS. Even if it is cancer and you decide not to do anything....then that is YOUR choice....but you will be making that decision knowing once and for all everything that you need to know.

[Basil]

It's really this simple. If the mass that the doctors have labeled "consistent with cancer" is, in fact, cancer, and you refuse the help of "allopathic" doctors, you will almost certainly die. If it is cancer and you seek appropriate medical treatment, there is a very good chance you will live. Choice is yours but make it soon - odds of a complete recovery lessen every day.

[Maggie Nell]

Hi... my user name is Kenneth [...] That is as far as I went with the medical profession because I do not like Allopathic doctors. But I have been taking many herbs, improving my diet, and working on therapies and I feel pretty good. I still have energy, I work and do pretty much everything that I did before the cat scan.
vaughtower

But your username in this forum is vaughtower!

Everyone has met a doctor or two along the way who has been a bad advertisement for the whole profession and it is easy to judge
the whole arena by one bad apple. You don't say how old you are, what country you live in, or what past experiences have formed this
dislike you have. Seems to me that you might have some other health issue that's been a rough trot for you over the decades and this
'consistent with cancer' deal is the last straw.

Within the halls of this forum you will find many many threads about alternative treatments and how scores of past and present members
managed their condition with an integrated approaches.

The base-line here is that everyone had their active malignant neoplasm surgically removed (when that was possible) and made their
plans with the benefit of hard facts and guidance from medical professionals who value the life force. If it is your preference to
not have faith in the mainstream then that is your right.

Do have a think on how you may end up dying in support of a prejudice and when you are debilitated and dying, if you will
enter a hospice to receive the care and pain relief provided by allopathic medicine.

An extract from http://everythingchangesbook.com/ by Kairol Rosenthal

I

used to resent the medical world for only believing symptoms that have been documented and observed in large numbers of patients. Over time I have shed my resentment; science aids my body, and most doctors are my allies. Study and discovery based on empirical evidence is their game, from which I benefit daily. Still, it is scary wall to hit where doctors are stumped by symptoms. Many docs could do a better job of communicating to patients about these dead ends. But anger about being an outlier and animosity towards doctors do not help the situation.

[betsydoglover]

You have been given great advice. Have the colonoscopy and the resultant biopsy. If it confirms cancer, then you will definitely need a surgical removal. After that you can decide upon whether or not you want to do chemotherapy.

There are many different paths to a possible cure, but (I've been at this for 12+ years), I've never heard of anyone alive who did not have the primary tumor removed. What you really don't want is metastatic disease, and not to be scary, but every day you wait is one more day likely to having metastatic disease. Please take care of yourself.

[Maelleous]

I can tell you, that Feb of last year I had symptoms. (Blood in my stool) but I thought, and everyone else, that it was just hemmoroids. I am younger (35) and was very healthy. I decided to ignore it... I ran a 16k in April. I won a holiday run just before that. I was in the best shape of my life. I was eating super healthy, etc etc.

I finally decided in August after the symptoms got worse and worse to get the colonoscopy. I came SOOOOO close to cancelling right before because I didn't see blood for several days and convinced myself that my ultra healthy diet got rid of it. I am so glad I wasn't a fool. Mine was stage 3C and was just reaching its evil tendrils out to the rest of my body, had I waited a bit longer... it would have gotten to my lungs/liver and I would be significantly lowering my odds.

If you go, it is caught early, you may not even have to go through the horror that is chemo. GO NOW and get it checked. I am a firm believer of diet/exercise, etc. But all the healthy food in the world has a LOT better chance of helping you if you go and get the damn thing cut out first. It is scary to go, scary to face it, but not facing it very will likely take away all your options.

The earlier the better, go now.

[Maelleous]

Also if you suspect they are trying to "lure" you with a fake diagnosis. Go get a second opinion, and do not tell them the results of the first.