Newbie - early days

Hi chris w , this forum is lovely and supportive so happy to see you, though as you say, circumstances could be better!

It is an absolute rollercoaster and the early days waiting are, in my experience, the hardest. You will feel so much better post MDT with a plan.

My tumour was in ascending colon and it was surgery first for me, possibly chemo to come. Diagnosed end of December.  It takes ages to process, I haven't really either, it's just now post op I have cried occasionally, before, nothing, just numb. It is overwhelming, be kind to yourself. 

Good luck with upcoming results, hang on in there! X

Hi chris w and a warm welcome to the board. Bowel cancer is notoriously slow growing but very treatable and once you have a treatment plan in place then things will honestly feel a bit better.

I was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2016 and had 3 out if 17 lymph nodes affected (the tumour and surrounding area is removed during surgery and the lymph nodes are tested and a pathology report produced) I was told that there was suspected lymph nodes affected after my initial scans and that proved to be correct. My friend was told the same but they all tested negative after surgery. 

If you click on my name then my profile page will show my treatment to date. Ignore the couple of setbacks along the way - this is not the norm! Rectal cancer is often treated with chemo radiotherapy initially to shrink the tumour as much as possible before surgery.  If there is suspected lymph node involvement then you may have a course of chemo before the op (it was done post op in my day but recent trials have shown it to be just as effective before and the patient is usually in better shape)

Ive attached a copy to a booklet that I was given at my first meeting which might be helpful. I am still ‘no evidence of disease’ as are the 2 ladies that I went through my treatment with.

https://bowelcancerorguk.s3.amazonaws.com/Publications/Bowel_Cancer_UK_Your_Pathway_V10.1.pdf

I’m not going to lie, it can be tough at times but keep posting and we’ll help and support you through this

Take care

Karen x

ps stay away from google - it can be scary and out of date - you can ask anything you like on here and we’ll do our best to help and share experience

What lays ahead, in my view, is a dive within yourself. You'll see what you're made of and you'll be positively surprised about what you find.

I am still on this journey, perhaps one or two steps ahead.

Had a successful surgery but, to my surprise (the cancer was also a surprise, no symptoms whatsoever), I'll be facing chimeo, the booklet is like a horror film but according to people here it's not as bad as it looks from afar.

This forum for me is like a portal to world I never thought I'd find myself, but so far I've met amazing people.

All the best!

Good luck on Tuesday! I had rectal, but went straight to theatre, seems there is a change of regime now, but rest assured that your best interests will be at heart.