Diagnosis of colon cancer

Hi Milliganand a warm welcome to the board. I’m sorry to hear that your family is not being very supportive - hopefully they will rally round and be in touch in the not too distant future - in the meantime I’m glad that you’ve found us here. It’s natural to be anxious but I hope reading about other people’s experience on here will help you through this. Please stay away from google - it can be inaccurate and scary - you can ask anything you like on here. 

I’ve attached a link to a booklet about the operation which may give you a bit of a heads up 

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

Take care

Karen x

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/get-involved/campaigns/telephone-buddies
Welcome and well done for seeking support . I have linked in information from Macmillan on telephone buddies just in case you want to chat in person . Our helpline staff are also available 0808 808 0000. 
Take care ,

Court 

Thanks Karen,

I've got a lot of Information from the Macmillan bowel cancer nurses and feel well informed. I don't expect much support from the family (if any) so am going to use alternatives which can be more useful sometimes. I am lucky to live near a Macmillan support centre in Brighton so will be checking that it next week! Going to walk the couple of miles as part of my "get fit for the op" program! 

Hi Milligan.

Well done for finding this group. There are a few on here who have had a right hemicolectomy. You can see my journey in my description.  (Extended right H)  L16 also had one recently 
It’s  a shame you are not getting good support from your family …. How old are you/they ? 
I found the op wasn’t too bad just really days 2 and 3 took a bit of grit. My bowels settled back down within 3 days of starting to open again   But I did have a laparoscopic procedure so maybe that helped speed of recovery 

waiting for an op date sucks and is probably the time you need most support !! sooner the better so you can get on with life and find out what you are actually dealing with   I hope you get a date VERY soon  have you seen the specialist yet ? 

xx

Hi milligan 

like you i had an open appendix operation on May of this year, never felt well or recovered and pushed for tests GP kept advising me it’s just recovery i feared and was right when i was diagnosed following colonoscopy, had my op 3 weeks ago today, my op again was open  ( due to previous sepsis after appendix) they now think the cancer in caecum caused the appendix rupture!

anyway pain control better than appendix op  i spent 5 days in hospital was self caring after but movement slow, 3 weeks done my bowels still move about one hour after i eat  and  still eating bland, will you have any care on leaving hospital ? 

the worst thing is waiting on results, i got mine a week after leaving hospital and need further chemo i have been referred but still waiting .

sorry to hear of lack of support, i see my family regular and it’s not spoken about really which suits me as i like to try and keep normal,

This group is a godsend and i am very greatful,

when have they told you you may get your op?

Linda

Hi Parky. Thanks for the message of support. I'm 57 my brother is a year younger and he is my family really but he cannot cope with illness. In his mind I am having an operation then I will be better. He did call when I got results but when I contacted him a week later he said his partner had covid and he was "unavailable" for at least ten days. This is very much his way and I know he will be worrying and brooding. He never talks about his feelings. I haven't seen a consultant yet (apart from getting results, but he isn't  doing the op). I am not in a hurry to get a date as last year's appendectomy was a bad experience and my bowel got damaged then. I live alone and am isolated so I am trying to shake myself out of that and integrate myself I to the support community. It's the op I'm worried about more than the cancer. On the positive side my niece is supportive as is my neighbour and I have a mental health support worker. Oh also I am having open surgery.

I hope you are doing well and thanks again for your message. X

Hi Linda. Thanks for message. Your past experience re appendix is exactly the same as mine. I was told the date for op would be within 8 weeks but not likely until new year. The cancer has been graded as between one and two and it is unlikely I will need chemo but the support nurse said it would be there in "the back pocket" ( I thought she was going to say back passage for a minute!). I'm going to give up on the family support thing and take up the support offered as I am lucky to live near the Macmillan drop in centre that has a whole heap of stuff going on. My neighbour has also offered practical help shopping etc.

Thanks again for your message I found it reassuring and I do know that they will look after me in hospital so the fear really is a bit irrational. Wishing you well. X

what was also different te both ops as this time for hemicolectomy  i was given an epidural before general anaesthetic to aid recovery immediately following, i also had better pain control in way of PCA with open appendix only had IV paracetamol and really found it rough, day 2 was worst in both ops, 

good luck and please keep me posted