Hi everyone.
last week I had a bowel resection for sigmoid cancer, which went well, and I got home from hospital yesterday afternoon. We are now waiting for the lab results to come back on the tumour and lymph nodes to see if I need chemo.
I have all kinds of weird identity feelings about this. I’d just about got used to being ‘I’ve got cancer’ and ‘I’m a cancer patient’ . But who am i now?
Do I still ‘have cancer’ now that it has hopefully been removed? Am I a ‘cancer survivor’ if I don’t need chemo, or do I still ‘have cancer’ until I’ve been clear for five years?
Does any of this over thinking ring any bells with anyone else at all 
Good morning,
I am Jamie one of the online champions. I seen your post has not been answered yet. Hopefully with my reply it will get others to come along and support you too.
I had kidney cancer and had surgery to remove it. I now on immunotherapy with the hope to prevent it returning in the future.
Reading your post, is how I feel myself at times. I class myself has in remission due to still being on treatment, but some family and friends class it I am now cancer free. Which does get confusing when I explain I am still having treatment, so in my mind, I still have the risk and not all clear just yet.
So I understand where you are coming from with your thoughts around the identity and where we fit in. I personally say remission whilst on the 5 year pathway of scans, treatment and tests. It is personal choice on what you identity as, so you could say surgery went well and at present you are waiting to know the results, but you will know more once you see your clinical team again.
You have done the biggest part and that is having the surgery, and at home recovering so you are survivor from that and I hope you take comfort in how far you have come. I hope this helps, but you can always give our helpline a ring to, who are always on the end of the phone to talk and listen.
I wish you all the best with your recovery. We are all here to support you.
Best wishes,
Jamie
Helpline number 0808 808 00 00
7 Days a week. 8am to 8pm
Hi Twix1
It’s an interesting post you’ve made, and I’ve seen this type of confusion mentioned before in the community, so you’re not alone!
I think it’s entirely an individual decision how you describe yourself, and how you feel about it. For me, after I had chemo and radiotherapy, my doctors told me I was NED (no evidence of disease) but didn’t use the words “cancer free”, so I didn’t either. If anyone asked, I said I was recovering from cancer treatment.
My cancer recurred, so it was true I wasn’t cancer free-the cells had just been too small to appear on a scan. I then had surgery, and again my result was NED but still not described as cancer free. I just said I’d been through a big surgery for my cancer, and was recovering from that. I had poor odds for survival, so I guess I should consider myself a survivor as I’m still here!
After I passed the 5 year mark without a recurrence, my doctor used the word “cured”. Personally I don’t really like labels for anything, so I choose not to use specific labels to describe myself, because I don’t feel myself defined by my cancer. My cancer could recur, so I’m wary of putting a definitive name on my situation now, and don’t feel I need to. If someone asks, I say that I’ve been through cancer twice, had treatment and surgery, but am currently doing well. I don’t tend to announce my private business to people and don’t give any details, so it’s what I’m comfortable with. People can make their own assumptions and it doesn’t bother me what they might think.
I hope you’re recovering well from your surgery and that you get good results from pathology.
Sarah xx
