i got rushed into hospital with a suspected perforated bowel!
Whilst having surgery they found a mass which we now know was bowel cancer, 12 lymph nodes removed and two was cancerous! It’s all been removed and my margins are clear. They found a lesion on my liver2-3cm only one. They have booked me in for a mri and pet scan they are worried as they think it could have spread to my liver. Either way I will be having Chemo! They have told me it’s treatable but I’m so scared. I suffer from mental health anxiety and depression and it’s not great at the moment! I feel like my minds racing with all these thoughts and not sure how to get rid of them!
thanks for listening and reading x
Hi Blubelle0210
I am sorry to hear that you had to be rushed into hospital and have had a diagnosis of cancer. I know that it is a scary time. My own cancer was endometrial but we have been through similar to you within our family. This was a long time ago and things in terms of treatment have come a long way since then.
Hopefully you have now had your mri and pet scan and there is now some clarity about what is going on. If there has been some spread to your liver then it is better to know about it at an earlier stage.
I know that to be told that you need chemo is scary- I went through chemo myself in 2022 and although it was tough at times, I did find it was doable. My family member also went through chemo for her bowel/liver cancer.
Naturally with chemo you can find yourself worrying about side effects and what it will be like but for me although there were side effects, on the whole they were manageable with medication. The thing with chemo is that is is a whole body treatment so if there has been some spread to your liver then the chemo will help treat it. It is positive that the surgery you had on your bowel has also shown clear margins.
It is natural that your mental health is being affected at a difficult time like this and I would encourage you to get support from your GP and/or your mental health team- if you have one. We also have the Macmillan Support Line available from 8am-8pm daily if you feel like talking things through would help. They can also have a look in your area to see what support is available to you. Please also do share with your hospital team, how you are feeling and how your mental health is.
It is natural to have lots of questions and for you to feel like your mind is racing when having a diagnosis and treatment for cancer- especially when it is has happened unexpectedly and it is normal to feel overwhelmed. I hope that you have family and friends around you who can also offer support.
For me once the shock of diagnosis had passed and I had my treatment plan and it began- I did feel that things felt a bit more under control. With the chemo- the first one was the worst as you do not know quite what to expect or how you will be affected- but once that was done- treatment did go more quickly than expected.
I wish you well for your treatment and if there is anything you need, then you know where we are.
Jane
