I've been diagnosed with stage four rectal cancer with spread to distant lymph nodes. They're concerned I could have a total bowel blockage soon due to the size of the tumour so want to do an ileostomy first before I have any treatment for the cancer. I'm concerned about delaying any cancer treatment for a couple of months while I recover. Is it possible to put a stent in the bowel instead to keep it open?
Hi Jules1000,
We hope you are finding the support on our online forum helpful.
My name is Keith and I’m one of the Cancer Information Nurse Specialist’s
This sounds like a really worrying time for you right now.
On this platform as we are a charitable organisation, we don’t have access to your medical information. Your multidisciplinary team will have the greatest understanding of your current situation. We are sure that they would have looked at the risks and benefits involved in your case and would prioritise the most important treatment to be done first.
Looking at this information may be helpful regarding your diagnosis. Treatment plans are decided on many factors including the stage and grade of your cancer It may be worth while to discuss your concerns further with your treatment team to understand their reason behind doing the ileostomy first .
It’s part of treatment teams role to explain the rational for treatment decision and to explain any other possible options you may have. This must be done in such a way that you fully understand your options so you can make what we call an informed treatment choice. You should be involved with the support of your treatment team to make the best possible treatment decision that are right for you.
Bowel obstructions is when your bowel can be become partially or totally blocked which is a very serious situation that must be managed quickly. In some situation stents may be a possible solution but possibly with the size as you have mentioned and the position of your tumour this may not be an option. Yet again your team should be able to answer their rational for this and dealing with the obstruction would be the priority about risk versus benefit.
It’s natural to be concerned but it’s important to let your treatment team know how this is affecting you both physically as well as emotionally. This is so they can give you the best possible support.
On this platform it can be difficult to have a two-way conversation and to fully understand what you are going through.
If you’d like further explanation or have any other questions, please feel free to recontact us. Or if you it may help to discuss things with someone outside the loop please feel free to give us a call or contact us via our web chat platform.
take care
Keith, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.
Ref KM/TT
