The Colon Club

Hi All!

I was just recently diagnosed with colon cancer this past October after my very first colonoscopy. Eight days ago I had part of my colon removed and to my delight....have been informed that all the cancer was taken ♥️. Even though I recognize this incredible blessing, my emotions are all over the place. There are so many "What if's swirling around in my head.

Anyway, I am just to happy to have found a support group like this one. Colon cancer is far too big to deal with alone.

Very best,
Liz ♥️

Liz: Welcome to the forum. If you’ve got “what ifs” around CRC (colorectal cancer), this is a great resource. There are even some nice people, too! It sounds like your story has started off well, considering. As you can see from my signature below, my cancer was very different from yours, so I’m not sure whether I will have too many answers for you (rectal and colon cancer are classed as one disease, but the symptoms, prospects, and treatments are often quite dissimilar). That said, I will help if I can. And others here know much more than I do about your particular situation from their personal experience and focus. There are lots of great posters, and you will nearly always get helpful information and perspective if you have questions.

I will venture this much: First, if you want to get the most out of the forum, add a signature. You can look at others’ to know what to include, and if you mess around with the interface you’ll figure out how to do it. Second, from what little I know about colon cancer, you will want to know and understand the pathology and staging of your tumor (you should have a report of that from your team); the number and pathological status of any lymph nodes removed in your surgery; and the results of any scans (usually CT, MRI, or PET/CT) that were done to rule out distant metastasis.

Other than that, I’d say if you have questions, please ask! And good luck!

Liz -

Welcome to our forum!

If you are interested in obtaining informational support here, I think it would be a good idea to collect copies of all of your medical reports done so far. These reports contain the information that defines your diagnosis and staging, and they will form the basis for your treatment planning.

At this point in time, these are the main documents that you will need:

1. Colonoscopy Report
   
   • Colonoscopy report, Part 1: Colonoscopist's summary of findings
     .
     
   • Colonoscopy report, Part 2: Pathologist's biopsy report based on analysis of tumor tissue
2. Lab reports - Results of baseline blood tests done after colonoscopy and before surgery.
   
   • CEA - Carcinoembryonic antigen test
     
     
   • CMP - Comprehensive metabolic panel
     
     
   • CBC - Complete blood count
3. Pre-surgery scan reports
   
   • CT scan - Chest/Abdomen/Pelvis (CAP), with contrast
4. Post-surgery reports
   • Post-surgery pathology report
     .
   • Post-surgery lab report (CEA blood test, specifically)
     .
   • Surgery report - Description of surgery procedure

Congratulations on being NED! I was stage 2a in 2014 and was also cured by surgery. I am still cancer free but always worry it will come back. It's natural to worry.

Congratulations!