Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

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Elove642
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:42 pm

Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Elove642 » Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:51 pm

Hi there!
This board seems like a wonderful place and I am happy to have found it.
My husband(age 42) has been having problems for the last three months. Blood in stool, mucus, sudden urge to go but hardly anything there, and what he thought was hemorrhoids. His doctor scheduled him for a colonoscopy which he had today.
They found a mass about 3/4” inside that the doctor said took up about half of the colon, straight across. I hope that makes sense. He said he is sending it for biopsy, but that with 30+ years of doing this, he’s fairly sure it is cancer.
He recommended a scan ASAP and to see a board certified surgeon that he refers to often. Of course, we couldn’t get the scan today because the stupid insurance requires pre-authorization.
He acted like surgery would be all that is necessary if it hadn’t spread, but reading here, it seems that radiation first is an ideal treatment.

I don’t really have any questions...well, that’s not true, i have tons of thoughts and worries. I just wanted to introduce myself and maybe get some feedback about what we may be dealing with and what we should look out and be prepared for. Everyone here seems very nice and helpful and that makes me feel good!
Wife to DH age 42
Cholonoscopy 11/12 for rectal bleeding, found mass in rectum
Path report 11/20 says signet ring cell adenocarcinoma
MRI staged as T3d
CEA 0.5
start oxaliplatin/5FU chemo 12/18

Gravelyguy
Posts: 382
Joined: Thu Jul 05, 2018 6:03 pm

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Gravelyguy » Mon Nov 12, 2018 9:00 pm

So sorry you guys have to go through this. As you have probably already read they will do blood work and several scans to see if it has spread to anywhere else in your husbands body. It can feel like you are barely moving forward at the beginning but it is much better to know everything before coming up with a plan.

The tumor is very low so it would be wise to get several opinions preferably at least one from a major hospital. I would say almost for sure radiation will be in the future. I had short course proton beam radiation and it was a breeze.

Good luck and keep us in the loop.

Dave
6/17 dx mRC t3n1m1 very low rectal tumor 2 liver Mets 1.3 cm and .9 cm

6/17 begin 4 rounds Folfox w/Vectibix
9/17 short course radiation
10/17 rectal and liver resection LAR with coloanal anastomosis (no rectum left)
11/17-3/18 8 rounds Folfox
6/18 still NED!! Takedown
8/28/18 still NED! CEA .8 new low for me
10/18/18 colonoscopy clear
12/12/18 CEA .9 still NED!
6/11/19 CEA 1.0
12/19/19 CEA 1.0 still NED!
6/17/20 CEA 1.1 still NED!
12/15/20 CEA 1.1still NED!
12/16/21 CEA 1.2 still NED!

Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Punky44 » Mon Nov 12, 2018 9:34 pm

Sorry you have to be here but this place has been wonderful to me. I am six weeks new here and my mom’s story has a similar start—a mass was found very low that was determined to be rectal cancer rather than colon cancer. Despite the GI saying she would need surgery immediately, that will actually be the last phase of our treatment, after some upfront chemo and radiation.

What you can expect in the next few days is your bloodwork that will measure his CEA level, which can be a helpful baseline marker for some (but only if it is out of range to begin with.) There will be a CT and then if it is rectal cancer, likely a MRI or EUS to “stage” the spread since surgery will not be the first step.

Please feel free to ask any questions you can think of! This group has been amazing to me. As others have said, it will seem like time is standing still while you are getting staged and getting a plan formulated (my mom was diagnosed on 10/1 and treatment started 11/5), but we both feel less in a fog and more ready to fight now.

You’ll be in my prayers!
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.

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Lee » Mon Nov 12, 2018 9:39 pm

Hi and welcome.

See a "board certified colon rectal surgeon" especially if it is rectal cancer. I was told by my GI doc I had colon cancer. It was the surgeon who told me it was actually rectal cancer. If your DH does indeed have rectal cancer, radiations is the normal protocol prior to surgery.

As a general rule, Onc make chemo type decision, the surgeon makes the surgical type decision.

Please avoid Dr. Google, you can find the worst case situation there, hang out here. In time you will find a wealth of information and support here. Far better than Dr. Google.

Again, sorry for the reason you are here.

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

Beckster
Posts: 438
Joined: Thu Jan 12, 2017 3:01 pm
Location: New Jersey

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Beckster » Tue Nov 13, 2018 9:45 am

Ditto...Ditto to what Lee said!
57/F
DX:(CC) 10/19/16
11/4/16- Lap right hemi(cecum)
CEA- Pre Op (1.9), Pre Chemo (2.5)
Type: Adenocarcinoma
Tumor size:3.5 cm x 2.5 x 0.7 cm
Grade: G3
TNM: T3N0M0/IIA
LN: 0/24
LVI present
Surgical margins: clear
MSS
12/27/2016 - Capeox, anaphylactic
1/2/17 to 6/9/17- Xeloda
6/17,12/17,6/18,12/18,6/19,12/19,12/20,12/21 CT Scan NED :D
CEA- 6/17- 3.6, 9/17- 2.8 12/17-2.8, 3/18-3.1, 6/18-3.0, 9/18 2.8, 12/18 2.5 3/19 3.1 6/19 3.1 9/19 2.6 12/19 2.8 6/20 3.0 12/20 2.7 6/21 2.9,[color=#000000]12/21 2.7[/color]
Clear Colonoscopy 10/17, 11/19,11/21 :D

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Tue Nov 13, 2018 10:35 am

Welcome and sorry you and your husband are going through this!*hugs* I hope you won't have to wait long for scan results!*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! :)

Elove642
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:42 pm

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Elove642 » Tue Nov 13, 2018 10:50 am

Thank you all for the welcome. Still waiting to get a scan scheduled, that is going to be my biggest issue, i am a control freak and I want this done Yesterday!

It seems that having the mass lower is not really a good thing, am I correct in that? Colon cancer seems a bit easier to treat than rectal? Maybe I’ve read too mich and am getting confused, please correct me if I’m wrong.

I am panicking a bit about finances, his job is very strenuous so he won’t be able to work once treatment starts. He does have disability insurance so that’s good even though it’s capped at $500 a week. we’ve just about reached our out of pocket max even though our insurance just started over in October. The reason being is I am pregnant. So with all the tests involved with that, the $2000 max out of pocket for family didn’t take long!
I am 43 and we tried for a long time to have a baby, we finally did it and I’m trying to remain as calm as possible, but it’s hard.
We also had a good nest egg saved but we close on a house next week and we put almost all of it down. Things all seem to happen at once, don’t they?
We will get through this, I just want to get it started.
Wife to DH age 42
Cholonoscopy 11/12 for rectal bleeding, found mass in rectum
Path report 11/20 says signet ring cell adenocarcinoma
MRI staged as T3d
CEA 0.5
start oxaliplatin/5FU chemo 12/18

Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Punky44 » Tue Nov 13, 2018 12:44 pm

Hugs to you—this is stressful in and of itself and then to have so much going on with buying a home and being pregnant is a lot. You are handling this really well.

If it is rectal cancer, I’m not sure I would say it’s “worse” but it is more complex to treat. It involves more steps and has a few variations of approaches. You will want to make sure you get a board certified surgeon to do the surgery. They will work as a team with the radiation onc and the regular onc to come up with a treatment plan.
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.

crikklekay
Posts: 142
Joined: Thu Feb 15, 2018 9:47 am
Location: Richmond, VA

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby crikklekay » Tue Nov 13, 2018 2:58 pm

Does your husband work for a company of at least 70 employees? If so he will qualify for FMLA, which is unpaid but it will protect him from being laid off due to the time he'll need away from work and continue your health benefits if it's through his company. Our story is similar to yours, though we didn't catch it until the tumor had caused a complete intestinal blockage, and I was terrified of John losing his health insurance right when we needed it most. I didn't know FMLA even existed until a friend of mine told me to fill out the paperwork immediately and send it into HR to protect John. It doesn't help with your finances, but I wanted to let you know about it just in case you were unaware like me.

Congrats on being pregnant, and on the house! We're all sending good vibes your way for both you and your husband.
Caring for DH John
Stage IIIC, Lymph nodes: 6/22
Chemo: FOLFOX (6)
12/17 ER and emergency surgery
02/18 Hospital w/MSSA infected port, PICC line inserted, chest CT scan showed septic emboli & blood clots
03/18 Hospital w/CDIFF
08/18 CT Scan Clear, NEMD
2018/2019/2021 Colonoscopy Clear
2019/2020/2021/2022 CT Scan Clear
2021 PET scan & MRI show one spot on liver
08/21 Liver surgery to remove spot, confirmed mCRC. Now Stage IV
09/21 Start Folfiri + Avastin
03/22 CEA Rise, continuing chemo

Elove642
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:42 pm

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Elove642 » Tue Nov 13, 2018 5:58 pm

His employer is fairly small, i don’t think 70 employees. But, they are like a family and I hope this won’t be a problem, but you never know. He is the top guy in his department and they know what they have in him. In reading the short term disability paperwork, it says it pays premiums, i hope that means all of them and not just the disability insurance part?
They still haven’t set up the scan, but i did push today to at least get the referral to the surgeon so i could get him an appointment as i know he stays booked. They allowed me to do that and it is the 28th, which seems a life time away. At least by then the scan will be done.
So much to worry about!
Wife to DH age 42
Cholonoscopy 11/12 for rectal bleeding, found mass in rectum
Path report 11/20 says signet ring cell adenocarcinoma
MRI staged as T3d
CEA 0.5
start oxaliplatin/5FU chemo 12/18

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

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby AppleTree » Wed Nov 14, 2018 6:50 pm

Are you having 2nd thoughts about the house? If one of the conditions is bank financing...IF that date has not passed, you could tell the bank that you may not be able to make the payments. If you are within the time limits, you should be able to get your money back.This varies by state. It also varies by your contract. So, do your research if you think this might be something you are interested in. On the other hand, with the correct protections in place, a move might be good. The very beginning was the most stressful for me. Once I had a plan, I felt better. It starts slowly, I know. But the tumor did not grow overnight either. Try to relax. Hard as that is. Hugs.
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!

Elove642
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:42 pm

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Elove642 » Thu Nov 15, 2018 5:35 am

We are not wanting to back out of the house. We already live in it, so we don’t have the hassle of moving. We have had an owner financing agreement the last year because I’m self employed and it was difficult to get a good rate on a mortgage with my debt to income ratio. We’ve spent the last year paying off debt and saving to make it happen, so it’s happening! We will make it work, I have faith!
We go for the CT scan this morning at 830, and I pushed to get his surgeon referral even without the scan or PATH done yet, so we got it for the 26th. One interesting thing...the PATH report isn’t back. They said it should have been so that may mean they sent it out for another opinion, which i think is good.
Wife to DH age 42
Cholonoscopy 11/12 for rectal bleeding, found mass in rectum
Path report 11/20 says signet ring cell adenocarcinoma
MRI staged as T3d
CEA 0.5
start oxaliplatin/5FU chemo 12/18

Jannine
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:46 am
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Jannine » Thu Nov 15, 2018 1:46 pm

I'm a little confused by your description; was the mass 3/4" wide? Or 3/4" distance from the anus, or 3/4" distance from the rectum, within the colon?

If it is colon cancer and not rectal cancer, your husband may be able to work much of the time he is in chemo (if chemo is needed). I had to take a few weeks off after surgery of course, but I've only needed to take 3 days off work for each FOLFOX chemo dose (every other week, with some of the bad days falling on the weekend). Everyone is different, of course, but FOLFOX chemo for colon cancer isn't as damaging to the body as some of the other chemo treatments out there, fortunately.

I had colon cancer that was very close to the rectum; they actually had to remove a small amount of my rectum in order to get clean margins in surgery. Fortunately they were able to stitch me back together just fine.

Here's hoping that you get good news from the tests, and that he recovers quickly. It helped me a lot, coming here and seeing how many people had gone through what I was going through, and come out the other side in good shape. You can do this!

Keep us posted on what you find out.
DX: sigmoid colon cancer 5/2018. 48 F
laparoscopic sigmoid resection (24 cm removed); no stoma.
7.5cm adenocarcinoma -- mod. diff.
1 noncontiguous tumor deposit removed; 0/31 lymph nodes
T3 pN1c M0
5/18 before surgery, CEA 11.2
6/18 began FOLFOX
7/18: CEA 1.9; added neulasta post infusion
9/18: CEA 2.8
10/18: 25% chemo reduction
11/18: CEA 1.8
7/19 CT scan clear

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

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby AppleTree » Thu Nov 15, 2018 7:34 pm

One day at a time. And breathe! Sounds like you already have things sorted with the house, which is good. I would hate to move mid-treatment!
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!

Elove642
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:42 pm

Re: Found mass at husbands first colonoscopy today

Postby Elove642 » Fri Nov 16, 2018 5:18 am

The 3/4” was my guesstimate based on the general
Surgeons description of how far from the anus it was. He showed me by his thumb length. My husband says it was more like an inch. I don’t know the “cutoff” between rectal and colon cancer, or is there one? To me, i thought it sounded pretty close to the anus, but i see a lot of measurements in centimeters, so i thought that maybe a centimeter or two could make a big difference.
Wife to DH age 42
Cholonoscopy 11/12 for rectal bleeding, found mass in rectum
Path report 11/20 says signet ring cell adenocarcinoma
MRI staged as T3d
CEA 0.5
start oxaliplatin/5FU chemo 12/18


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