Just joined, rectal cancer and lung nodules

Hi Ewill79

I understand how you are feeling.  I was diagnosed with an 11 cm rectal tumour in January last year.  I had a low anterior resection of the rectum in June that year, followed by a reversal of the ileostomy in January this year.  A recent CT scan has shown two lung nodules and now I'm afraid I may have stage 4 rectal cancer.  They are going to give me another scan in December to see if they've grown.  I just wanted to let you know I feel scared and a bit lost too, and you saying you are thinking about giving away some of your possessions resonated with me, as I've recently been doing that.  I'm very sorry to hear about the diagnosis you've been given, but don't give up hope.  You have a journey to navigate now, and you can do this. Reading some of the posts on this forum has been inspiring for me, and I've also been greatly helped by the phone calls I've made to the Macmillan Helpline.  You mentioned that everything seems to be out of your control, which is understandable, but you also said that maybe you can affect things you do have control over, and I totally agree with that, it is so true.  I'm wishing the best for you.  

Elaine 

Thank you for taking the time to reply Elaine. I really appreciate it. 

Hi there 

I was diagnosed with sigmoid cancer on the 5 of July this year.  I am 50 years old, Staffordshire NHS.I know what you are feeling now as my first 2 weeks while I was waiting for my first appointment I did pretty much the same I sorted out thing, made a will ect I was scared, lost and thought I am dying now , even I find piece with myself.  I thought I am ready to fight as I lost my husband only 9 month ago through cancer, and I thought i am not ready to anything for myself as I am still grieving 

I had my first appearance with surgeon, MRI scan, they found solitary module in my lung but on second appointment they told me they are not concerned at all about module in lung 

I will have my Robotic surgery tomorrow to remove my cancer and sigmoid colon  

please wait till all scans will be done and you will have your appointment with consultant and you will see the light for hope as people mentioned here Everyone is different, and you could beat all survival buries as we are all reading statistics based in general( by the way my late husband beat survival statistics as his oncologist told me he was his pride as my husband has got very rare type of cancer and not lot of treatment was available) 

Waiting is horrendous but when you know you treatment plan it will be easy  

natallia 

Hi the Ewill79

If you click on my name you can read my bio. I had a LAR with temporary Ileostomy, a reversal. Call back on my yearly scan. Lung cancer then lobectomy this year. Two primaries not connected so please wait until you have your treatment plan. 
I was straight to theatre as close to blocking.

Some have treatment before or after. I was not staged at all before the op they wanted to get in and get it binned 

Please take time to process one day at a time. The early days are the hardest. Flight or fight or like me I stood and froze 

I listened to meditation/mindfulness apps on my phone as I needed some head space. All I thought about was cancer. 
Try and eat what you enjoy and exercise is great especially pelvic floor 

Sending you a hug 

Hi Ewill79 

What a difficult stage to be at where you are still waiting to find out if the lung nodules are something or nothing .

Lung nodules can be very slow growing if it is indeed a tumour . We have a few people on the forum just now navigating a spread to the lungs .

My mum is one of them . Have a look at Marianne26 as she is further down the road and doing very well with successful treatments .

My own mum had a single lung tumour removed in 2016 and was home two days later . She had other nodules but not all of them cancer . 
Currently she has a spread of another single lung tumour with some Lymph nodes and using a targeted treatment only . She is on holiday and has a good quality of life. She has been a stage 4 patient since 2009 and I can assure you things have improved in the last five years . Stats are always a rear view mirror as they cover the last five years . In that timeframe bowel cancer patients in a stage 4 setting can now access immunotherapy if their cell type is compatible and my own mum can use Cetuximab which was a covid measure . This all impacts outcomes . They are also upgrading the protocol of chemo due to the research so please enjoy your surroundings until you see how you respond to treatment . 
I do think it’s sensible to have your paperwork in order . It’s something I have done myself and content with that aspect .

Take care ,

Court 

Thank you for sharing your storey Natallia. I'm so sorry to hear what you've been through. Hearing how quickly your surgery has come through seems very positive. Good luck tomorrow. William. 

Thank you. 
good luck to you as well. Finger crossed you wouldn’t wait long for your treatment to start 

Thank you Ann. It is good to know that what I'm feeling is not uncommon, even if that doesn't reduce it. I'll look into finding if there is some breathing exercises that will help calm my mind. William. 

Thank you Court for the information on how things have changed, even recently. I feel like I'm lost in treacle, everything is dark and viscous. I hope I can get some answers soon and this mood lifts a bit. 

My mum has had three recurrences from the first stage 4 diagnosis and nothing was as bad as the first for all of us . 
You might not believe this is even possible but somehow we learnt to treat it as a chronic condition . Once we noticed she responded to treatment it brought hope for more and slowly but surely she chipped away at the disease . Shrinking down the original spread and preventing further spread . Reducing the tumour burden and bringing stability .

Bowel cancer is actually fortunate as it has a lot of treatment options .

I quickly switched from googling stage 4 stats to stage 4 survival stories . Not to go into a false stage of denial but to see how people were living a good life despite a difficult diagnosis and how we could support mum in that pathway .

Once you find your feet it was important to stay connected to life , friends and family . Planning normal events but with different timescales . Finding doable projects . 
There is also a lot of research coming through about staying active during treatment within your limits . That’s changed for mum who we wrapped up in cotton wool initially and practically sterilised with anti bacterial products. To getting out and engaging in life . 

But it takes time and we found our GP a benefit in dealing with the mental health aspects . So much so it’s only after he tells her she is doing great that she feels relieved . Macmillan has recognised this aspect and teamed up to offer six feel counselling sessions through Bupa . 0808 808 0000 if you are interested .

I will also link in a booklet which is good at explaining the different treatment pathways open to you depending on size , location and cell type . You will see people on the boards using chemo into year seven and doing well .

My mum has people ahead of her and she is in year 14 and an older lady now .

Take care ,

Court