Hi all
So yesterday I walked into a hospital appointment and in the room was a doctor and 2 nurses. I just knew it was bad news. So my history is minor bleeding from back passage started in October 20 and I contacted my gp who said it's piles and prescribed cream and suppositories. It was bleeding on and off and I again contacted gp and was given more pile treatment. At this point I was also going to the loo a bit more than usual but nothing too excessive.This was dealt with all over the phone due to covid.
In January a close friend died of covid up in Leicester and we were asked to go to the funeral. Given that I was a bit worried about the long drive there and back and I had a bit of diarrhoea I took at diacalm tablet just in case. The day went well and no issues.
The next morning the tablet started wearing off and there was diarrhoea and blood mixed in. It came in waves and then stopped so I just put it down to the amount of waste due to the tablet stopping things. A couple of days later on the Tuesday I was ok all day and then in the evening I had a terrible experience. I went to the loo and the blood and diarrhoea was unbelievable and I had to steady myself on the sink as I nearly passed out. I told my husband that I needed to go to the hospital and after calling 111 we went.
Hours in A and E and I ended up being kept in for observation and tests ending in a sigmoidoscopy that showed 2 polyps ..one 1.5 cm and another 4 cm. A further colonoscopy was planned and they removed the smaller one that had no signs of cancer. They said the larger one needs to be removed by a specialist and the meeting yesterday confirmed it was cancerous. My scans showed it has not spread as my organs are all clear.
Doctor said they will do a PET scan as there are a couple of glands either side which are slightly enlarged so they want to see if they are naturally like that or if it is to do with the polyp/tumour.
If they are enlarged due to the tumour then I will need to have radiotherapy to help shrink them before having an op to remove the tumour. The doctor is confident it is confined in the colon...it's actually about 10cm up from my rectum.
So that's my story. I'm not sure what to expect next. This was the first time I have ever stayed in hospital apart from having a baby years ago. I'm healthy other than this curve ball ! I'm a 53 year old woman.
Thanks for listening to my saga 
Hi Dancingdoll67 and a very warm welcome to the online community
I'm very sorry to read that you have recently been diagnosed with bowel cancer but you've come to the right place to share experiences and get support.
I can see that you've already found and joined the very friendly bowel cancer group and I'm sure you'll find it's a great place to ask questions, share experiences and get support. When you feel ready to post there just click on the link I've created which will take you straight there. You can then start a new post in the same way as you did here and join in with existing conversations by clicking on 'reply'. To save you typing your post out again just copy and paste it from here.
x
"Never regret a day in your life, good days give you happiness, bad days give you experience"
Hi Dancingdoll67 and warm welcome to the Macmillan Online Community although sorry that you had to find us and especially sorry to hear about your on going diagnosis.
A cancer diagnosis brings many questions but talking with others who are walking or have walked the same type of cancer treatment journey will help you navigate this challenging time.
The Community is organised into support groups and I see you have joined our supportive Bowel (colon and rectum) cancer group as this will be a good place to connect with patients and families navigating the same type of cancer journey.
To go to the group just click on the link above then introduce yourself by putting up a ‘New Thread’ or hit the box with the X on the top right (phones), you could just copy and paste the text from this your first post. You can also join in with existing ‘Discussions’ by clicking on 'reply'.
It’s always good to talk and the Macmillan Support Services provides lots of information, support, financial guidance or just a listening ear.
Most services are open 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week and it's free to call on 0808 808 00 00 have a look by Clicking here to see what is available and we also have our Ask an Expert section, but do allow two working days for replies from our expert team.
To find information covering diagnosis, treatments and pages covering most types of cancers can be found on our Online Information and Support Section.
((hugs))
