New Member (Rectal Cancer)

Hey Stan thanks for the lengthy reply, apologies for the slow response.

Glad you’re coping well with the side effects. I went for an ECG the other day for my tight chest but all cane back normal - they are sending me for a heart CT just to double check the insides. The tests never end do they but at least you know you are in good hands. 

I haven’t had any bleeding but am going to the toilet loads - just before bed I went 3 times and once in the night (although I did meet some friends in a pub and drank my first beer since starting and a couple of soda & limes) so probably self inflicted ha 

Well we are 3 weeks in 2 to go :) Have  a lovely bank holiday

Rich

Hello Rich,

The treatment does take its toll but you have to manage things with a healthy diet and light exercise. It is not advisable having alcohol or any supplements during the treatment. I still need to go for my radiotherapy session on Monday. Fatique will get worse over the coming days. Frequency of bowl movement will increase with constipation and diarrhoea so need to control with diet change. Good luck

Thanks Stan, you too :)

Hi Lawyer1,

I am 67 years old and today I was told that I have rectal cancer. Yesterday I had colonoscopy, the doctor told me when i woke up that i needed urgent surgery, he then made an appointment for me today to see a surgeon, that surgeon happened to be a cancer surgeon. He confirmed to me that i had a 95% probability that i had rectal cancer, it will be officially confirmed after the biopsy has been completed.

He has arranged for various blood tests, a scan and a MRI all to be done by next week. He will then meet with me on the 4th November and decide based upon the evidence what route he thinks I should take, ie immediate surgery or chemo/Radio therapy for 5 to 6 weeks and then surgery.

Both my wife and I are in shock, so i want to thank you for posing your situation as it has given me the courage to start a conversation.

By the way I live in France, so it is a little more difficult to communicate in french.

Hello goslow1,

I am sorry to hear of your illness which is a shock for everyone when they are diagnosed. It is understandable that you and your wife are in shock and worried. Me and my wife were the same in June 2019 when i was diagnosed with rectal cancer. I cpuld not sleep with the worry as i did not understand the illness or the cause.

I have done a lot of research and now understand the situation better. I learnt a lot from other members on bowl cancer UK who were supportive in the initialfirst few weeks when i was in shock like you. 

You need to be positive to fight the illness. Once you know the plan for your treatment you will feel more relaxed mentally. I can try and answer your questions to help you understand the illness if that helps. Look after yourself medicine has gone along way and it is treatable with a high survival rate. 

You living in Francd but you orginate from thd UK? 

Regards

Stan

Hi Stan,

Thank you for replying to me. I am actually from Ireland but living in the south of France. With the problems of Brexit going on we know a lot of worried British people that have received notices from the UK telling them that medical cover will be ended after 6 months in a no deal Brexit.

Not a great nights sleep last night, kept on waking and searching the internet for sites on rectal cancer. However in the clear light of day it is best to get information from those that are and have gone through the process.

My first thoughts are on survival, I am really confused on what I read online and what the doctor told me yesterday. He told me that rectal cancer was what he called a good cancer, in that it is curable. I am however confused with the so called 5 year survival statistics, which show a 65% rate. I think it means that I have a 65% chance of getting to 5 years and then normal life for a person my age kicks in. ?

The doctor described two possible outcomes for my appointment on the 4th November, surgery immediately of Chemo/ Radio Therapy then followed by surgery. From my searches on the internet it would appear that if the chemo route is selected then the cancer is more advanced. ?

He also mentioned having a bag to collect waste outside my body, how does that work. ?

I am sorry if the above causes you any difficulty in responding.

George

Good morning George,

You need to think positive as stress does not help the situation. If you read my profile you will know more of my situation.  I am 57 family man with children, lawyer by profession. You will know more after you get all your scan results. The consultant will grade your tumor and the location. Normally they recommend radiotherapy and chemotherapy fir 5 weeks to shrink the tumor which is eay for the surgeon to do surgrey.

My first consultant graded it as stage 2 and straight surgery then i transfered to a better hospital and they graded it stage 3 first surgrey was booked and cancelled at the last minute. I was sent for chemoradiotherpy which finished on 09 September. The process can be difficult due to side effects. However there is 20% chance the body will response good and the cancer cells will disappear and they put you on wait and watch for 2 years. Some people survive the 2 years and are clear others have recurrence.

The bag which is the stoma it can be temporary or permanent. The bag will do the job of your bowels and ut attached to your stomach. I am blessed my surgery was cancelled as at the time i did not know the complications attached. After all the research i have decided not to have surgery and go for natural remedies which you can find on youtube there many foods such as garlic, broccoli sprout  turmeric, ginger and many more that can help. 

I can send you some info if you are on whatsapp or we can have a chat if that helps. I am going away for 4 weeks next week. Things are early for you once you get your results you have a better understanding. 

My suggestion is join this group http://community.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/

There are members on there which have been through this and are very supportive. However you need to understand the illness for you to make any decision. Good luck

Stan

Hi George and a warm welcome to the board from me although I’m sorry to hear that you’ve had to find yourself here. As you may have noticed we’re all at different stages of  treatment so we understand exactly how you’re feeling.

The waiting for scan results and meetings is one of the worst parts and you will feel a bit better once you have a treatment plan in place. In the meantime please do not google - the information is out of date and downright scary in places. I know it’s tempting to look at survival rates but they are usually out of date and you are not a statistic. Please stay on here and the bowel Cancer uk site and we’ll be happy to help you through this.

Having chemoradiotherapy before your op is not a sign of the cancer being more advanced. This is usually suggested if the surgeon feels that it might be useful as it can shrink the tumour and give the surgeon a better chance of getting clear margins (ie. removing the tumour and a cancer free area around it). My tumour was 4cm and the radiotherapy and chemo shrank it by 75%. The chemo incidentally is low doseage and given in tablet form and it helps the radiotherapy to work.

Having a bag to collect the waste is called a stoma and may be temporary to allow the bowel to heal or may be permanent depending on where the tumour is. It basically means that instead of passing stools through your bottom they will pass into a bag which is fastened to your tummy and which you would then empty. This bypasses the area that has been operated on and gives it a rest and time to heal - the stoma may be reversed at a later date but your surgeon will be the best person to discuss this with. It does faze a lot of people initially but you can quickly get used to it and carry on with life knowing that it’s helped get rid of the tumour.

Ive attached a link to a booklet below which tells you a little bit about what to expect. Please try not to think too far ahead - it’s easier to break your treatment into stages than be worrying about things that you may or may not need.

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/YourPathway_BowelCancerUK.pdf

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/YourOperation_BowelCancerUK.pdf

As your doctor says, Bowel cancer is very treatable nowadays and, if you click on people’s names, then their profile page may show their story to date.

Take care and keep posting - ask anything you like - there is no question too daft or embarrassing on here!

Karen x

Hi George

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis - what you are describing sounds similar to what I went through. Here’s a few points from my perspective:

1. Don’t Google. Ever. There is so much conflicting advice half of which will work you up, then you’ll find out it’s not relevant

2. the 5 year stats used to make me anxious. Why 5 years? I believe that’s how long they record statistically - and the first 2-3 years is the period then reoccurance is most likely to occur. Try not to get too worked up about this. The important thing is that is it’s caught early your prospects are better than a later diagnosis 

3. Your point about chemo isn’t correct. Mine was caught very early however they use chemo radiotherapy to shrink it because it is in an awkward place to operate. They hope to shrink it first and I may need less invasive surgery. 

I can’t comment on the colostomy bags (Stoma) - but I know sometimes they are temporary (I.e 3 months then reversed), other times they are permanent. I may well need one but am not worrying about that until the time comes.  From what I understand they aren’t too much hassle - you can swim and lead a normal life - but obviously they aren’t ideal. If it saves my life and prevents spread then that something I’ll face into at 40.

my only advice is to take one day at a time and try to be positive. The 2 weeks from initial diagnosis to getting the scan results were the hardest time for me - once they confirmed what it was and the plan I was in a much better place. 

good luck with it all 

Rich

Thank you Rich,

you are correct I need to patience and await the results.

George