Confirmation of anal cancer

Hi how are you? Its so scary receicing a diagnosis of this sort especially as there are so many unanswered questions. The mri and ct will show if its likely spread but a pet scan is usually requested once a cancer is diagnosed as it goes much deeper and rules out a spread.

Its all very daunting at first and theres so much to take in but you have come to the right place for guudance as this grouo is full of lovely people who have gone through what you are going through.

I have not had a colodtony, and i have a stage 2 but i suppose it depends on the type of cancer and other factors but i have just finished the 5.5 wewks of chemo radiation which im recovering from with the worst symptom being very fatigued.

I have a friend who has just had a colostomy procedure unrelated to cancer and is recovering well.

Please ask as many questioms and swwk support here as this group and its members hzve so much experience that someone will have the knowlwdge or expereince to guide you xxxxxx

Hello Robin E25 

A warm welcome to our little corner here on the forum, although I am sure you would rather not be here.  I am so sorry to hear of your diagnosis and we can all empathise with your feelings right now; the first few weeks are so frightening when life is a rollercoaster of appointments and scans and appointments; there is a lot going on behind the scenes, MDT meetings (multi-disciplinary team) are held to formulate the best treatment plan for you.  And once that is in place, then treatment can start and although it is tough, it is doable and you start to feel a lot better mentally.

Some of us have been through it and others are at the same point you are; we have a wealth of tips and coping strategies so please let us know when chemo/radiotherapy begins.  And if we can help support in any way at all, we will.

Big hug

Irene xx

Hi Robin E25 

Welcome to the club no one wants to join. I echo everything Irene75359 has said so i won't repeat. I am nearly a year post and while the treatment wasnt a walk in the park it wasnt as bad as i expected. Sending hugs. Xx

Hello Robin E25

It can be so overwhelming when you are first diagnosed, but it does get easier once treatment starts.

I am nearly 3 months post treatment and like yourself I had a stoma fitted pre treatment.

We are all here to help and support, so ask anything.

Ally xx

Thank you, Ian, I hope you start to ferl your energy levels returning soon. Takd csre

Thank you, Irene, for your support

Fingers crossed it's the samd for me. All the best 

Thank you so much Ally, I'm sure there will be lots of questions particularly tips for getting used to the stoma. All the best

Please ask anything.

I was helped by lovely Irene before my chemoradiation and it made me so confident with my stoma.

If you are experiencing difficulties with the toilet, it's a life saver. Also during treatment it makes going to the toilet so much easier.

If I could make an early suggestion, invest in a stoma support belt. Got mine from Amazon, very inexpensive but it really protects you from hernias. Have a chat with your surgeon first of course, as I am not medically trained.

Take care.

Ally xx

Hello Robin E25,

I’m really sorry about that you are going through this. It sounds like you have lots of appointments coming up, with the biopsy, scans and colostomy, and it’s completely understandable that you are frightened. 

As the others have said, this is a really good place for advice and support as everyone here has experience of the shock of diagnosis and many of have gone through treatment.  It’s almost a year since I finished treatment and there is no evidence of cancer. I do remember the sleepless nights and fears in the early days so well and really feel for you. 

I didn’t have a colostomy but know from this forum that it made things easier for some while going through treatment. The treatment has a really good success rate and while challenging, it’s doable. Like Ian, I expected it to be worse than it was. 

I hope that you get through all your tests quickly and get a treatment plan in place soon. Starting definitely feels better than waiting and worrying.

Everything crossed for you.

Sending hugs xx