Golden Oldies

Hello Jen.T,

I was 70 when diagnosed and had surgery at 71. All good as a consequence. If you click on my name you will see a summary of just one patient's experiences. Don't try to predict the future and what it might or might not bring, just take each day as it comes.

Dulac

Thanks so much for your response. I’m feeling a bit lost. Your story is so encouraging and gives me hope for the next chapter, whatever it might be. May I ask what stage you were when you were diagnosed?

T4 N1 M0 V0 R0, whatever that means!

 Dulac 

https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/bowel-cancer/staging-and-grading-of-bowel-cancer

I think the V means no vascular invasion and the R means no residual tumour left behind?

Hi Jen,

I'm 73 and got sent what I expect would be my final FIT test kit in May. I've been returning them regularly every two years since I turned 60 and they had always been clear. I've since heard that you can still get them once you hit 75 but you would need to ask. I'm unclear why there is an upper limit, it's not as if we suddenly become immune.

For the previous few months I had been seeing some blood when I pooed but a nurse at my GPs had done a digital examination and diagnosed internal piles and we had been trying to treat that, but it had been getting gradually worse not better.

My FIT test was positive and, like yourself,  I was immediately asked to come in for a colonoscopy.

When I had the colonoscopy - the worse part of which I though was the awful low residue diet they ask you to follow immediately before  - they did find a tumour in my sigmoid colon (I was sufficiently un-sedated to be able to see it myself on the monitor). Of course, as you will have gathered by lurking, unlike me most of those with a positive test result turn out not to have a bowel cancer and you won't find them here on the Forum. Hopefully that will be what happens in your case.

Anyway Following the colonoscopy I was then asked to come in for an MRI and a CT Scan and they also got me to do a CPAT fitness test to see if I would be safe to have an operation. Once they had the results of all the tests they had a Multi-disciplinary Team (MDT) meeting to discuss them and then asked my family and myself to come and and discuss what to do next. They recommended key hole surgery to remove the cancer and the surrounding tissues and that is what I had, shortly after. Being towards the end of the gut they did warn me that they might need to do a (probably temporary) stoma to allow the rejoined gut to recover.  In the event I didn't need a stoma, the lymph nodes they also removed and biopsied were clear of cancer and the CT scan hadn't found any secondary cancers so I wont need chemotherapy to mop anything up.

I'm now 9 weeks post-op and, I think, pretty much recovered: I went for a walking holiday in Austria two weeks ago and yesterday I swam 40 lengths at the local pool, mowed the grass and did a Scottish Country Dance class in the evening.

Of course it's early days yet and I will continue to be monitored but for now I can just get on with life again.

Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my post. Like Dulac, your words are reassuring. Since I got the results on Wednesday, I’m becoming a bit calmer. I’ll just have to deal with whatever happens. I haven’t got much choice really.

I’m trying to be more positive and proactive. I do aerobics a few times a week and I’m going to try and lose a few pounds. If I do need an operation, I want to be as fit as possible. What is entailed in the fitness test you did? 

Once again, thanks for answering my post.

Jen

Hi Jen,

The CPET test is a test of your heart and lung capacity. Its arranged by the anaesthetists.They got me to breathe out hard a few times through a mouthpiece, then I sat on an exercise bike (again wearing the mouthpiece), they fitted me with a rats nest of electrodes and I was asked to pedal away at a fixed rpm (I think about 60).  After a few minutes they started to increase the the resistance while I was asked to maintain the same pace. I was asked to keep going as long as I could. I did about 12 minutes total, but I'm considered very fit. The doctor then caculated the risk from going under anaesthesia for the surgery. At some point of relative unfitness they may suggest surgery is not the best option. Of course at our age that can be more of problem - I'm still fit 'for my age' but not as much as when I was younger.

Good to see you are working on your fitness and weight - I would encourage you to be as fit as you can be before your (potential at this stage) operation or other suggested treatment (such as chemo). It makes recovery so much easier and quicker.

Thank you Kareno62,

To be honest, I never took any notice of stages. All I knew was that there was a significant problem developing inside and a team of professionals were doing their best to eliminate the threat to my health. They succeeded,  bless them.

Dulac