Hi
I was diagnosed with bowel cancer 1 week before Christmas 2020 after only experiencing problems with going to the toilet for about 4 weeks but going straight to the doctors who get everything going quickly.
It was a massive shock im 47 and thought it would never happen to me!
I had a ct scan the tuesday before Christmas and had to have a emergency appointment with the hospital on New years eve which resulted in me being kept in. The ct was clear which was a relief but the tumour was blocking my bowel. I was operation on 2nd January 2021 and was very lucky that they got it all out by keyhole and were able to rejoin my bowel without a stoma and i left hospital 2 days later.
Ive healed well just the 1 incision in my bellybutton that im still seeing the doctors for twice a week.
Ive had my results and it was very promising, it was a grade 2 tumour going into a T4 but not coming out the bowel wall, they also took out 39 lymph nodes which were all cancer free. I feel very lucky when i know there will be alot of people on here who are worse than me. Ive discussed chemo and will be starting chemo tablets in a couple of weeks time for 6 months. Im worried about the side effects as dont want to lose my hair!! (Im a trained hairdresser) but know that im doing the right thing to stop this coming back again.
Thank you for reading and stay strong on your journey you can do it xx
Hi and a warm welcome to the Macmillan Online Community but sorry that you needed to find us and I am especially sorry to hear about your diagnosis and ongoing treatments.
A cancer diagnosis brings many questions, lots of confusion and stress but talking with other people who are on the same type of journey will help you navigate this rollercoaster.
The Community is organised into dedicated support groups and I see you have joined our supportive Bowel (colon and rectum) cancer group, this will be a good place to connect with others navigating the (support of a family member on the) same type of cancer journey.
To go to the group just click on the link above then choose 'click to join' or 'join' (depending on the device you're using) on the page that opens. Then you can 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.
((hugs))
