Recently diagnosed

Hi Scared55

The finding out bits the scariest part. Once you know what the medics are going to do it gets so much easier 

Heres a great place to talk

I found my way through by thinking to self I can’t do anything to remove whatever I have that’s the medics job but I can get as fit as possible for the treatmentEating was difficult for me as I was close to blocking but I ate high protein and drank meal supplements. Core exercises and walking helped 

Take care, if you click on my name you can read my bio

Others will be along soon 

• Thank you for reply, I will think of your words and try and apply them to my husband 

Hi Artise 

Thank you for your kind words I will try and apply them with my husband 

Hi Scared 

we all fear the worst until we know the facts ! 
I was Dx at 58 with a 5cm tumour. Turned out to be 4.5 which actually made a huge difference to Prognosis ! 

as artsie says scariest time is amassing info and getting the staging. 
it will get easier and hopefully yes future plans will still come to fruition

xx . 

Hi Parky,

Your reply is helping enourmsly.

Thank you xx

I had a colonoscopy last May and was told I had a 6cm tumor, he said at the time he was pretty sure it was cancer and was sent away for a CT scan a few days later to see if it had spread and then I think aout a 10 day wait before the next appointment to formulate a plan. That watiing was so so hard, I was overcome with worst case scenarios and thoughts of leaving my family  meant i was in tears most of those 10 days. I was shaking even when I went in to finally hear the news. Then I sat down and he said there were no signs of spread, that we would operate and he could give me another 50 years.  There is no way to get over the terror you are feeling watiing but I hope you can be reassured that it has not necessarily spread, I thought mine being so large would have spread....but it hadn't. I ended up having a 5 hours surgery to remove it and 6 months of follow up chemo which i did not have to have but chose to and as far as i know I am now cancer free. Good luck and try to be patient, until you know otherwise it is just a tumor that will be dealt with...that is all you have for sure...if it is more than that there is still a lot of hope. I also had the attitude in those 10 days that it is better to know than not know and that with any luck whatever it is I have we are catching it early enought to be treated.  

Hi Phantomguzzler,

Thank you  thank you so much. Your kind story helps enormously. Xx

Scared55

In May 2021 I was sent for a colonoscopy after other tests revealed nothing to cause my frequently upset digestive system. Lo and behold a 13cm rectal lesion was discovered, which was something of a shock. My wife was terrified and I didn't know what to expect and we were due to move house two weeks later to take on a refurbishment project 100 miles from where we had lived for 45 years. We carried on with the move and immersed ourselves in the work to the house.

The oncologist was the key to the treatment programme and he recommended five weeks of daily chemoradiotherapy to shrink the tumour. No radiotherapy at weekends but kept taking the chemo tablets. He also suggested that I might have a loop ileostomy prior to the treatment to reduce the side effect of unpredictable diarrhoea. I said to him that I had that problem anyway and he replied to the effect "you ain't seen nothing yet"! I took his advice and the loop ileostomy was performed within a fortnight and shortly after the treatment programme began. This was a painless process. I suffered no side effects and carried on as normal, trying to get the house ready without knowing if I would be spending the next Christmas in it.

The treatment programme had its effect and surgery was arranged at a fast pace. This was conducted using so-called 'keyhole' surgery and took over six hours. I spent nine days in hospital afterwards and the recovery was painless (I think I must have been as high as a kite during that period). It took about twelve weeks to fully recover and I did everything the professionals told me to do. I was given the all-clear a year ago and feel in good health, having restored body weight and muscle loss. I have two stomas - the second one is passive - and the ileostomy works so well I decided not to have it reversed.

The house is finished and we had a good Christmas.

Don't despair, just follow the advice from the experts and place your trust in them. I cannot praise everyone I encountered within the NHS highly enough. First class indeed.

Some say "think positive" but my friends say it was being fully immersed in the house which got me through mentally. I didn't have time to mope! I hope that others will agree that the process makes you look at life differently and I only look forwards, not backwards now.

Best wishes to you and your husband.

Dulac

Thank you for sharing your story, it is lovely to hear a positive outcome.

Hopefully things won't be as bad as we fear.

This waiting to even her of the next appointments is infernal and now a doctors strike.

But thank you. X

Hi, I am so sorry to hear your husbands diagnosis. My husband got diagnosed in October with a 5cm rectal tumour. The waiting is the hardest part for you both. We waited two weeks it was so hard, but I’m sure your news will be good. 

keep strong and keep busy as much as you can

Good luck with all the treatment and keep positive.

best wishes 

sandra