Rectal tumor

Hi Bluebell51 and welcome to the board. This is the hardest time - it’s waiting for scan appointments, results, meetings etc. but once you have a treatment plan in place then things will feel a little better - honestly. Bowel cancer is notoriously slow growing and there is a lot of effective treatment available. I was diagnosed in 2016 with a 40mm tumour which was 9 cm in from my anus. I had chemoradiotherapy which shrank the tumour by 75% (and stopped the bleeding too) then surgery which successfully removed the tumour and then follow up chemo as I had a couple of lymph nodes affected. My last scan was may 2020 which showed I was still cancer free.

My first advice would be to stay away from google - it is out of date, misleading and downright scary in places. Once you have a plan in place then focus on each stage in turn then move on to the next. There are lots of people on here and different stages of treatment and we’ll all be happy to support you through this.

I can send you a link to a booklet which describes some of the treatment that you may have if you like? I wanted to know as much up front as I could whereas my husband preferred to come to the meetings with me and find out in a need to know basis so it’s entirely up to you.

Please feel free to post with any questions you have - there is nothing too daft or embarrassing on here!

Take care

Karen x

Hi Bluebell51 I was diagnosed with a malignant stricture after my colonoscopy on 1st April! My bowel habits had changed and I was having pains and going to the toilet between 5-11times a day!! I was expecting them to officially diagnose IBS so this totally came out of the blue! On 26th April I had an anterior resection... meaning they took away part of the bowel and reconnected!  I am a 55 Yr old single woman who works 50 hours a week to keep my head above the water! I have 2 grown up children but I know how scary this all is!! I am now waiting to see the Oncologist as I need to have a course of chemo which I was hoping I wouldn't have to have!! I hold onto the fact that Bowel caner is one of the most treatable cancer!! It's all scary but I hold onto the plan that has been made and hope to get to the other side!! Hope this helps you a bit!!

Pauline x

Thank you so much for your swift reply Karen. So encouraging to hear something of your journey with rectal cancer. 

One question I have if you don't mind is how did you get to the point of diagnosis and what were your symptoms? 

I had been to and froing at the doctors with upper right abdominal pain (which I have been told is not related to the rectum tumour,  so obviously worried that my cancer has spread). I did have an ultrasound scan as doctor thought I had gallstones but all was OK. Then around 2 or 3 months ago I noticed a blood clot when I wiped. I did a stool sample that came back positive and was then referred for an urgent colonoscopy.  In about the past 4 -5 weeks my poo has changed so much. Pencil thin, needing to go multiple times, always streaked with blood. I am wondering if your symptoms happened quickly too. Xxx 

Thank you Pauline. Lovely to hear that bowel cancer is very treatable. X

Hi Bluebell51. Thinking back now I’d probably been having symptons for a couple of years before going to the doctors (!). I’d taken redundancy from my job and told myself that the urgent dash to the bathroom in the morning was due to a change in diet ie. cuppa tea in bed rather than hot lemon and water with a fruit salad before leaving for work. When I noticed some blood I told myself it was probably haemorrhoids. I went to the doctors eventually because we were going in holiday which usually involves looser bowels and I didn’t want it to get out of control. She referred me for a coloniscopy and they told me there and then that it was almost certainly cancer.

This is just my take but I think the thin stools and blood is caused by the stools squeezing past the tumour as, when mine had shrunk after the Chemoradiography, the bleeding stopped and my stools became larger. 

Hopefully your scans will come through quickly as this is the best way of checking for any spread. Spread tends to be to lungs and/liver but there are still treatment options if this were to be the case. Would these organs have been checked during the ultrasound?

Its a tough time waiting so fingers crossed you hear something soon

Take care

Karen x

Hi Bluebell 51, Karen's advice below is spot on, don't use Google! I had all the same thoughts as you. IT is scary but also very fixable. My cancer was discovered from the over 60's poo screening system. I had no symptons at all, so was really shocked when I had the colonoscopy and saw the cancer. I've now had my op and am having 6 months of Chemo. Try not to worry, follow instructions and my best advice is to tell all your friends and family and talk about it with them. It has really helped me being able to talk. Debbie xx

Thanks Debbie. I have been googling loads but my fear gets worse so I am only coming here now. 

Thanks Karen. My lungs would not have been checked but my liver was. My liver had some lighter spots on it but the doctor said they were benign and totally harmless. Of course, now, in my fear I am telling myself perhaps they got it wrong or maybe the pain is because I have cancer in my right lung. I am trying hard to not over think. I have 12 days to wait.

Hi Bluebell51l had to have an MRI after something showed up in my liver. They are called hemangiomas and are harmless. The nurse told me lots of people have them from birth and never know they’ve got them unless they have this sort of scan x

Thank you Karen. I now remember that was what mine was called.