BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
Yesterday, yet another Colon Cancer victim passed away. With this being Colon Cancer Awareness month and many have asked me to tell my story, I decided what better time then now to do it. Kisa, this is for you and the many others who gave a good fight but lost the battle against this disease.
My background picture today is of a friend who started The Colon Club Forum I belong to. Molly is an 8 year Stage II Colon Cancer Survivor. She was diagnosed at age 23!! Colon Cancer is NOT an older person disease anymore at all! More and more young people are being diagnosed, most as Stage IV because the doctors tell them they are “too young to have the disease.” “You don’t even need to start being screened until you are 50.” If I had been screened years ago when I first started noticing blood; I wouldn’t have had to go through any of this journey I am about to tell you. THIS is why I am telling you my story.
My journey started in December of 2004 after I had just turned 50. I had been seeing blood in my stools off and on for several years, but my doctor said it was just my hemorrhoids. This day in December 2004 was different though. The blood was more “tar-like”, dark burgundy in color and I just felt like something wasn’t right. I called my doctor and he wanted to see me right away.
I got to his office and he checked me over and said he wanted to do a Colonoscopy just to be on the safe side. He was almost 100% sure that I had internal hemorrhoids. They couldn’t get me in for the Colonoscopy until late January. That gave me more than a month to worry!!
The day of my Colonoscopy I was as ready as one could be to go have this done. Never having had surgery before or even an IV before, I was just a bit scared and nervous!! That morning, I received a phone call from the Surgeon’s office saying he had an emergency so they had to push my procedure off and they would call me when I was to drive down to the appointment. We live about 1 ½ hours away from my doctor so they didn’t want me driving all that way and have to sit and wait. Now keep in mind that I had been living on a clear liquid diet for 48 hours and couldn’t have ANYTHING to eat or drink after midnight. They FINALLY called for me to come down around 1:30 that afternoon.
We arrived at the hospital and things started happening so fast! Nurses going down check lists asking me questions, taking blood pressure, temperature and then the IV. This was my very first IV and was happening to someone who HATES needles!!! There were two nurses there to give me the IV which I thought rather strange. Boy was I right!! One of the nurses was in training and I was her FIRST IV patient!!! Oh JOY!!! Well, as you probably guessed, she missed and the other nurse had to end up doing the IV. I had a monster bruise on that arm that ran from my wrist to my elbow!!! My surgeon came in then and talked to me a little and then prayed with me, and then off I went for the first surgical procedure I had ever had!!
This will be a continuing story over the next several days. I hope you come back and join me for my continuing journey. Until then “BE SEEN, BE SCREENED!!!
My background picture today is of a friend who started The Colon Club Forum I belong to. Molly is an 8 year Stage II Colon Cancer Survivor. She was diagnosed at age 23!! Colon Cancer is NOT an older person disease anymore at all! More and more young people are being diagnosed, most as Stage IV because the doctors tell them they are “too young to have the disease.” “You don’t even need to start being screened until you are 50.” If I had been screened years ago when I first started noticing blood; I wouldn’t have had to go through any of this journey I am about to tell you. THIS is why I am telling you my story.
My journey started in December of 2004 after I had just turned 50. I had been seeing blood in my stools off and on for several years, but my doctor said it was just my hemorrhoids. This day in December 2004 was different though. The blood was more “tar-like”, dark burgundy in color and I just felt like something wasn’t right. I called my doctor and he wanted to see me right away.
I got to his office and he checked me over and said he wanted to do a Colonoscopy just to be on the safe side. He was almost 100% sure that I had internal hemorrhoids. They couldn’t get me in for the Colonoscopy until late January. That gave me more than a month to worry!!
The day of my Colonoscopy I was as ready as one could be to go have this done. Never having had surgery before or even an IV before, I was just a bit scared and nervous!! That morning, I received a phone call from the Surgeon’s office saying he had an emergency so they had to push my procedure off and they would call me when I was to drive down to the appointment. We live about 1 ½ hours away from my doctor so they didn’t want me driving all that way and have to sit and wait. Now keep in mind that I had been living on a clear liquid diet for 48 hours and couldn’t have ANYTHING to eat or drink after midnight. They FINALLY called for me to come down around 1:30 that afternoon.
We arrived at the hospital and things started happening so fast! Nurses going down check lists asking me questions, taking blood pressure, temperature and then the IV. This was my very first IV and was happening to someone who HATES needles!!! There were two nurses there to give me the IV which I thought rather strange. Boy was I right!! One of the nurses was in training and I was her FIRST IV patient!!! Oh JOY!!! Well, as you probably guessed, she missed and the other nurse had to end up doing the IV. I had a monster bruise on that arm that ran from my wrist to my elbow!!! My surgeon came in then and talked to me a little and then prayed with me, and then off I went for the first surgical procedure I had ever had!!
This will be a continuing story over the next several days. I hope you come back and join me for my continuing journey. Until then “BE SEEN, BE SCREENED!!!
PART II OF BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
The Colonoscopy was done and I was back in the recovery room. I didn’t remember a thing and I felt like I had the best sleep ever! I had some pop and a slice of toast then got dressed. Terry and my mom were there and we just waited for the surgeon to come back and tell us the results. We waited forever but he finally came. He took us in a little room next to the recovery area. He took a deep breath and said “The procedure went well, but we found a tumor and it is Cancer.” While he talked he reached over to show me the pictures which I didn’t want to see. He just said he needed to show me but I didn’t look. Terry looked and shook his head like he could see what he was talking about. Mom sat across from us and started to cry. I just looked at her and said “its ok mom, I am right with the Lord so if it is my time to go, I will be just fine.” I then looked at the surgeon and said, “Ok we know what is wrong now, what do we do about it?” He actually smiled! He said something to the effect, “That is the attitude we are looking for right there. Most people just give up, but you are going to be ok. Since you are already prepped for surgery, we need to get in there and remove the tumor. I have set you up for surgery in two days (Thursday). You need to come in tomorrow for a CT Scan first. Go home and continue on the clear liquid diet and I will see you Thursday.” Then he held my hand and prayed with us all before leaving.
We went home to moms that afternoon to spend the night. We were all in shock, but I felt at peace. It was a strange thing actually. The Lord knew what He was doing for sure by scheduling the surgery in two days. I didn’t have time to think about much at all. Things were just happening so fast! I got up the next morning and drank the last prep for the CT Scan and off we went again. The scan turned out great, no other organs were affected by the Cancer and the blood work came back clear as well. Praise the Lord; at least it was confined to the tumor!!
We did a LOT of prayer those two days. The evening before the surgery, I had to take about 7 or 8 anti-biotic pills. I believe it was one every ½ hour or hour so I wouldn’t get any infection during the surgery. Remember, I had been without solid food for four days and taking strong anti-biotic on an empty stomach. I got all of them down, but they made me so sick. I got up the morning of surgery and just felt terrible. Mom finally called the hospital and they said to bring me in early and would try to make me feel better before the surgery. They started me on an IV and got me prepped for surgery early and made me comfortable. The Surgeon came in right before I was to go down for surgery and again prayed with me. It was so wonderful to have Christian men for both my MD and Surgeon!!! Off to surgery I went then.
We went home to moms that afternoon to spend the night. We were all in shock, but I felt at peace. It was a strange thing actually. The Lord knew what He was doing for sure by scheduling the surgery in two days. I didn’t have time to think about much at all. Things were just happening so fast! I got up the next morning and drank the last prep for the CT Scan and off we went again. The scan turned out great, no other organs were affected by the Cancer and the blood work came back clear as well. Praise the Lord; at least it was confined to the tumor!!
We did a LOT of prayer those two days. The evening before the surgery, I had to take about 7 or 8 anti-biotic pills. I believe it was one every ½ hour or hour so I wouldn’t get any infection during the surgery. Remember, I had been without solid food for four days and taking strong anti-biotic on an empty stomach. I got all of them down, but they made me so sick. I got up the morning of surgery and just felt terrible. Mom finally called the hospital and they said to bring me in early and would try to make me feel better before the surgery. They started me on an IV and got me prepped for surgery early and made me comfortable. The Surgeon came in right before I was to go down for surgery and again prayed with me. It was so wonderful to have Christian men for both my MD and Surgeon!!! Off to surgery I went then.
PART III OF BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
Surgery was about 5 hours. They removed about 7 inches of my Colon which included a buffer or clear margin of clean Colon on either side of the tumor then resected the Colon. My Blood Pressure was very low so they took me to ICU for about 24 hours. Once the Blood Pressure was stable, I was moved to a regular room. I don’t remember too much at all about all that except I was REALLY bloated after the surgery. My brother was very shocked because he didn’t recognize me at all at first.
I was really amazed that I wasn’t in any pain to speak of after the surgery!! THAT was a big fear, or always had been, the pain. I had a Morphine pump and was told to use it whenever I needed it. It would only release the Morphine every 15 minutes or so no matter how often I used it. I really never needed it! The nurses would come in and see that I hadn’t used any and tell me to use it because it would help me heal with no pain. I would tell them over and over again that I was in No pain, but one nurse would pump it before she left anyway. LOL I didn’t even notice any difference after she did.
The second day after I was in a regular hospital room, they had me up. Sitting in the chair then off for walks. I had my trusty security blanket; my ice pack and boy did I use it! I had them filling it all the time and I think THAT was one reason I healed so quickly. I had surgery on a Thursday and left the hospital on that following Tuesday. I FINALLY got some solid food which consisted of Cream of Wheat, the day before I left. That was the best tasting Cream of Wheat I have ever had!! I had gone a total of 8 or 9 days without any solid foods at all, just clear liquids.
We left the hospital and went back to moms house again. We had to wait for the Pathology tests on the tumor. If it came back that I was Stage II, I wouldn’t have to have anymore treatment, but if it came back Stage III or IV, Chemotherapy was in the future. The call came about 2 or 3 days later. My Surgeon was on the phone and he said the news wasn’t good. I had Stage IIIa Colon Cancer. He had such a hard time telling me, but I assured him it was ok, that it wasn’t his fault. He said the next step was setting up an appointment with an Oncologist and he recommended one who was in Des Moines. I was ready to get started right NOW with the Chemo!! Now that I knew what I was facing, I wanted to get it started and kill any Cancer cells left floating around in my body.
Just to give you a better understanding of the Staging of Colon Cancer, here are the different stages. Colon Cancer is not a Cancer that happens overnight. It normally takes up to 10 years to get to my stage of Cancer. That is why it is SO IMPORTANT to have screenings to remove ANY and ALL polyps BEFORE they turn cancerous!!! Stages are as follows:
Stage I: T1, N0, M0, or T2, N0, M0: The cancer has grown through the muscularis mucosa into the submucosa or it may also have grown into the muscularis propria, but it has not spread into nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
Stage IIA: T3, N0, M0: The cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum into the outermost layers. It has not yet spread to the nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
Stage IIB: T4, N0, M0: The cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum into other nearby tissues or organs. It has not yet spread to the nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
Stage IIIA: T1-2, N1, M0: The cancer has grown through the mucosa into the submucosa or it may also have grown into the muscularis propria, and it has spread to 1 to 3 nearby lymph nodes but not to distant sites.
Stage IIIB: T3-4, N1, M0: The cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum or into other nearby tissues or organs and has spread to 1 to 3 nearby lymph nodes but not distant sites.
Stage IIIC: Any T, N2, M0: The cancer can be any T but has spread to 4 or more nearby lymph nodes but not distant sites.
Stage IV: Any T, Any N, M1: The cancer can be any T, any N, but has spread to distant sites such as the liver, lung, peritoneum (the membrane lining the abdominal cavity), or ovary.
I was really amazed that I wasn’t in any pain to speak of after the surgery!! THAT was a big fear, or always had been, the pain. I had a Morphine pump and was told to use it whenever I needed it. It would only release the Morphine every 15 minutes or so no matter how often I used it. I really never needed it! The nurses would come in and see that I hadn’t used any and tell me to use it because it would help me heal with no pain. I would tell them over and over again that I was in No pain, but one nurse would pump it before she left anyway. LOL I didn’t even notice any difference after she did.
The second day after I was in a regular hospital room, they had me up. Sitting in the chair then off for walks. I had my trusty security blanket; my ice pack and boy did I use it! I had them filling it all the time and I think THAT was one reason I healed so quickly. I had surgery on a Thursday and left the hospital on that following Tuesday. I FINALLY got some solid food which consisted of Cream of Wheat, the day before I left. That was the best tasting Cream of Wheat I have ever had!! I had gone a total of 8 or 9 days without any solid foods at all, just clear liquids.
We left the hospital and went back to moms house again. We had to wait for the Pathology tests on the tumor. If it came back that I was Stage II, I wouldn’t have to have anymore treatment, but if it came back Stage III or IV, Chemotherapy was in the future. The call came about 2 or 3 days later. My Surgeon was on the phone and he said the news wasn’t good. I had Stage IIIa Colon Cancer. He had such a hard time telling me, but I assured him it was ok, that it wasn’t his fault. He said the next step was setting up an appointment with an Oncologist and he recommended one who was in Des Moines. I was ready to get started right NOW with the Chemo!! Now that I knew what I was facing, I wanted to get it started and kill any Cancer cells left floating around in my body.
Just to give you a better understanding of the Staging of Colon Cancer, here are the different stages. Colon Cancer is not a Cancer that happens overnight. It normally takes up to 10 years to get to my stage of Cancer. That is why it is SO IMPORTANT to have screenings to remove ANY and ALL polyps BEFORE they turn cancerous!!! Stages are as follows:
Stage I: T1, N0, M0, or T2, N0, M0: The cancer has grown through the muscularis mucosa into the submucosa or it may also have grown into the muscularis propria, but it has not spread into nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
Stage IIA: T3, N0, M0: The cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum into the outermost layers. It has not yet spread to the nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
Stage IIB: T4, N0, M0: The cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum into other nearby tissues or organs. It has not yet spread to the nearby lymph nodes or distant sites.
Stage IIIA: T1-2, N1, M0: The cancer has grown through the mucosa into the submucosa or it may also have grown into the muscularis propria, and it has spread to 1 to 3 nearby lymph nodes but not to distant sites.
Stage IIIB: T3-4, N1, M0: The cancer has grown through the wall of the colon or rectum or into other nearby tissues or organs and has spread to 1 to 3 nearby lymph nodes but not distant sites.
Stage IIIC: Any T, N2, M0: The cancer can be any T but has spread to 4 or more nearby lymph nodes but not distant sites.
Stage IV: Any T, Any N, M1: The cancer can be any T, any N, but has spread to distant sites such as the liver, lung, peritoneum (the membrane lining the abdominal cavity), or ovary.
PART IV OF BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
Surgery was over, the shock of having Stage IIIa Colon Cancer slapped us all in the face but now we had to move on. An Oncology visit was setup next. I had no idea what to expect with that! I knew I needed what was called a “port” put in my chest area for the Chemo infusions but had no idea how they did that, what it was, when they did it, if it would be done at my first Oncologist visit before they sent me in for my first Chemo infusion or IF I would even get my first infusion that day! My head was spinning! I was scared to death for that first infusion, yet I was ready to fight this thing!!! I, like everyone else who has heard the BIG “C” word, could only see in the back of my mind that I was dying. I was ready to fight with all I had to LIVE though!!!
Terry went with me to the Oncologist which was a Godsend! In the Oncologist’s office we were sitting there waiting and then the door opened. My blood pressure was pretty good that day considering how nervous I was. I wasn’t sure what I expected in the Oncologist, but it wasn’t this! LOL Dr. M. was a short man, only about 5’6 or 7, balding, olive complexion and very quiet. He shook our hands and then sat down and looked at my chart. He started talking about Colon Cancer, what part of my Colon was affected and how we could treat it. With Stage IIIa Colon Cancer I could have the surgery to remove the tumor only. Statistics say I would only have a 40% - 50% Survival rate doing this. If I had surgery AND 6 months of Adjuvant Therapy (chemotherapy), I would increase my chances of Survival by 30% ( 70% - 80%). Terry and I just looked at each other then I asked the BIG question. Could I be CURED if I did the Chemo? They don’t like to give you answers to this at all!! All I got was I would only have a 20% - 30% chance of recurrence with the Chemo. Of course I didn’t like ANY chance of recurrence but I would take the stats WITH Chemo rather than do nothing!! He explained that he would be using the 5FU Chemo Cocktail on me which consisted of 6months of 12 infusions every 2 weeks. I would come there for the first day of treatment for a 3 hour infusion, go home with a fanny pack attached with 22 hours of a slow drip infusion I would wear all night long, then back to the clinic again for the second day of infusion. The second day would be a bit shorter, just 2 ½ hours! Lots shorter huh! I would then ago home yet again with a fanny pack of 22 hours of slow drip infusion. A nurse would then come to my home or work and remove the fanny pack pump and I would be done for 2 weeks. Easy right!!! He also asked me at this time if I would be interested in a new Clinical Trial. This was another drug they would add to the treatment. IF I decided to do this I had to let them know at the beginning of the treatment. Once I started my Chemotherapy I couldn’t decide to do the Clinical Trial, but IF I started using it, I could stop using it at anytime. He said that using it may not make any difference in my survival rate at all, they weren’t sure yet how it would do. They didn’t have any idea what the side effects would be with this new drug either. As it stood now with the 5FU, I knew the side effects would be minimal. I wouldn’t lose my hair; it would thin a little but not go bald, very slim chance of nausea, probably some diarrhea, possible mouth sores and neuropathy side effects with one of the drugs used. We opted NOT to go with the trial as we had heard the 5FU had very good results.
I then asked about the port. Was I getting that today before starting the first infusion? He explained that the “port” was something that was surgically implanted. I would go back to my surgeon to schedule a date to have that implanted. It was a round disc about an inch and a quarter around with a catheter tube on the backside of it running directly into my jugular vein. The top of it was covered with a rubber membrane that the needle for infusion would penetrate so they didn’t have to try to find a good vein and jab me each time I came. Once the needle was removed, the membrane would heal over, or fill in. The port was yet another Godsend!!
So, I was off to my Surgeon yet again!! I was a bit frustrated that I couldn’t get started that day with my treatment because I was ready to get this going so I could get it over with!! LOL One thing I DID learn that day was the idea that because a person had Cancer these days, DIDN’T MEAN A DEATH SENTENCE!! I had caught my Cancer at a good time yet so I had a pretty good outlook! Yes, I had a long way to go and wouldn’t be considered “CURED” for 5 years, but at least I had that chance now with the Surgery and Chemotherapy!!
This was all happening so fast!!! Let me give you a timeline of what happened now. My Colonoscopy was 1-25-05, CT Scan 1-26-05, Surgery to remove the tumor 1-27-05, first visit with Oncologist 2-10-05, Surgery for port 2-17-05 and first day of Chemo 2-21-05. Tomorrow I will tell you about my Chemo Journey!!
Terry went with me to the Oncologist which was a Godsend! In the Oncologist’s office we were sitting there waiting and then the door opened. My blood pressure was pretty good that day considering how nervous I was. I wasn’t sure what I expected in the Oncologist, but it wasn’t this! LOL Dr. M. was a short man, only about 5’6 or 7, balding, olive complexion and very quiet. He shook our hands and then sat down and looked at my chart. He started talking about Colon Cancer, what part of my Colon was affected and how we could treat it. With Stage IIIa Colon Cancer I could have the surgery to remove the tumor only. Statistics say I would only have a 40% - 50% Survival rate doing this. If I had surgery AND 6 months of Adjuvant Therapy (chemotherapy), I would increase my chances of Survival by 30% ( 70% - 80%). Terry and I just looked at each other then I asked the BIG question. Could I be CURED if I did the Chemo? They don’t like to give you answers to this at all!! All I got was I would only have a 20% - 30% chance of recurrence with the Chemo. Of course I didn’t like ANY chance of recurrence but I would take the stats WITH Chemo rather than do nothing!! He explained that he would be using the 5FU Chemo Cocktail on me which consisted of 6months of 12 infusions every 2 weeks. I would come there for the first day of treatment for a 3 hour infusion, go home with a fanny pack attached with 22 hours of a slow drip infusion I would wear all night long, then back to the clinic again for the second day of infusion. The second day would be a bit shorter, just 2 ½ hours! Lots shorter huh! I would then ago home yet again with a fanny pack of 22 hours of slow drip infusion. A nurse would then come to my home or work and remove the fanny pack pump and I would be done for 2 weeks. Easy right!!! He also asked me at this time if I would be interested in a new Clinical Trial. This was another drug they would add to the treatment. IF I decided to do this I had to let them know at the beginning of the treatment. Once I started my Chemotherapy I couldn’t decide to do the Clinical Trial, but IF I started using it, I could stop using it at anytime. He said that using it may not make any difference in my survival rate at all, they weren’t sure yet how it would do. They didn’t have any idea what the side effects would be with this new drug either. As it stood now with the 5FU, I knew the side effects would be minimal. I wouldn’t lose my hair; it would thin a little but not go bald, very slim chance of nausea, probably some diarrhea, possible mouth sores and neuropathy side effects with one of the drugs used. We opted NOT to go with the trial as we had heard the 5FU had very good results.
I then asked about the port. Was I getting that today before starting the first infusion? He explained that the “port” was something that was surgically implanted. I would go back to my surgeon to schedule a date to have that implanted. It was a round disc about an inch and a quarter around with a catheter tube on the backside of it running directly into my jugular vein. The top of it was covered with a rubber membrane that the needle for infusion would penetrate so they didn’t have to try to find a good vein and jab me each time I came. Once the needle was removed, the membrane would heal over, or fill in. The port was yet another Godsend!!
So, I was off to my Surgeon yet again!! I was a bit frustrated that I couldn’t get started that day with my treatment because I was ready to get this going so I could get it over with!! LOL One thing I DID learn that day was the idea that because a person had Cancer these days, DIDN’T MEAN A DEATH SENTENCE!! I had caught my Cancer at a good time yet so I had a pretty good outlook! Yes, I had a long way to go and wouldn’t be considered “CURED” for 5 years, but at least I had that chance now with the Surgery and Chemotherapy!!
This was all happening so fast!!! Let me give you a timeline of what happened now. My Colonoscopy was 1-25-05, CT Scan 1-26-05, Surgery to remove the tumor 1-27-05, first visit with Oncologist 2-10-05, Surgery for port 2-17-05 and first day of Chemo 2-21-05. Tomorrow I will tell you about my Chemo Journey!!
PART V OF BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
My port was put in on Feb. 17, 2005 and I had my first appointment for Chemo scheduled the morning of Feb. 21. We got in the car to drive to Des Moines and I was full of the fear of not knowing what was going to happen. Terry and my mom went with me this first time. You all know the horror stories of Chemotherapy. Well, I was living all those in my head while driving the hour to the treatment center at the hospital.
We checked in at the clinic and the first thing that happened was blood was drawn. They were supposed to be able to draw blood from my port but not with me!! Oh no, I had to be different. LOL After the blood was drawn we got to wait in the waiting room before meeting with Dr. M. It was a big waiting room with this huge 200 gallon fish tank with these beautiful salt water fish in it!!! Boy, was that a good idea to have. We sat there and watched those fish and oh how relaxing it was. I was called to meet with Dr. M. and he checked all my blood work and all was fine. He said the Port looked good and I was ready to go over for my first treatment.
The treatment room was across the hall from the waiting room. It seemed like hours before they came to get me from the waiting room but I was finally taken to the actual treatment center. A nurse came over and went over all this information about what they would be giving me and what my side effects would be. Told me another person would be coming to hook me up to the fanny pack after the initial treatment was done from Critical Care. One of the drugs used in the 5FU cocktail was Oxiliplatin. This drug affected your nerve endings so I was told I wouldn’t be able to eat or drink anything cold the whole time I was doing these treatments. This meant room temperature drinks or hot drinks for 6 months! This was being told to someone who ALWAYS had a huge insulated mug next to her filled with ice water all the time!! I would have to wear gloves if I got anything from the refrigerator or freezer as well. IF I happened to drink something cold, my throat might feel like it was closing up, but really wasn’t. It is just how the drug makes it feel. My hands and feet would get numb after each treatment for some days after, but should go away in between treatments. I was told I wouldn’t lose my hair but it will thin some. They would include and anti-nausea drug in with my cocktail and prescribe pills IF I would happen to need them but this wasn’t a normal side affect with 5FU.
Ok, they had the cocktail all mixed and ready to go. They told me step by step what they were going to do which helped. I was terribly nervous though! They cleaned my Port area well then told me they would insert the needle that would be hooked up to the infusion cocktail. The said it would feel more like pressure than pain and to hold my breath when they told me to. One, two, three….hold your breath. It was done, needle inserted. I was VERY surprised it didn’t hurt since the port was only 4 days old. They put this huge clear bandage over the port area to secure the needle in place then they have to “flush the port” with a saline solution to make sure the needle is inserted correctly. They also try to draw blood at this time as well through the port, but yet again, mine didn’t work. They said this happened a lot that it was 50/50 that it would and it really wasn’t intended to, but was an added benefit for me if it did. Bag number one of three was started then. It felt cold flowing into my body but that was all. Not sure what I really expected, but all was well. The last bag was almost done 3 ½ hours later and I was doing just fine. The nurses were just great in there and so were the other people who were there receiving their Chemo.
The Critical Care nurse came then and explained my new “friend” the “fanny pack” to us and got me hooked up. The little thing was heavy when it was full but got lighter as the bag emptied. I would have this on now for 22 hours or until I got back to the treatment center for round two. We left the clinic relieved that the first treatment was over and the fear of the unknown was finally over! I thought I would be really weak and tired, but was very surprised that I wasn’t. Back home we went to spend my first night sleeping with my new friend the fanny pack!!
We checked in at the clinic and the first thing that happened was blood was drawn. They were supposed to be able to draw blood from my port but not with me!! Oh no, I had to be different. LOL After the blood was drawn we got to wait in the waiting room before meeting with Dr. M. It was a big waiting room with this huge 200 gallon fish tank with these beautiful salt water fish in it!!! Boy, was that a good idea to have. We sat there and watched those fish and oh how relaxing it was. I was called to meet with Dr. M. and he checked all my blood work and all was fine. He said the Port looked good and I was ready to go over for my first treatment.
The treatment room was across the hall from the waiting room. It seemed like hours before they came to get me from the waiting room but I was finally taken to the actual treatment center. A nurse came over and went over all this information about what they would be giving me and what my side effects would be. Told me another person would be coming to hook me up to the fanny pack after the initial treatment was done from Critical Care. One of the drugs used in the 5FU cocktail was Oxiliplatin. This drug affected your nerve endings so I was told I wouldn’t be able to eat or drink anything cold the whole time I was doing these treatments. This meant room temperature drinks or hot drinks for 6 months! This was being told to someone who ALWAYS had a huge insulated mug next to her filled with ice water all the time!! I would have to wear gloves if I got anything from the refrigerator or freezer as well. IF I happened to drink something cold, my throat might feel like it was closing up, but really wasn’t. It is just how the drug makes it feel. My hands and feet would get numb after each treatment for some days after, but should go away in between treatments. I was told I wouldn’t lose my hair but it will thin some. They would include and anti-nausea drug in with my cocktail and prescribe pills IF I would happen to need them but this wasn’t a normal side affect with 5FU.
Ok, they had the cocktail all mixed and ready to go. They told me step by step what they were going to do which helped. I was terribly nervous though! They cleaned my Port area well then told me they would insert the needle that would be hooked up to the infusion cocktail. The said it would feel more like pressure than pain and to hold my breath when they told me to. One, two, three….hold your breath. It was done, needle inserted. I was VERY surprised it didn’t hurt since the port was only 4 days old. They put this huge clear bandage over the port area to secure the needle in place then they have to “flush the port” with a saline solution to make sure the needle is inserted correctly. They also try to draw blood at this time as well through the port, but yet again, mine didn’t work. They said this happened a lot that it was 50/50 that it would and it really wasn’t intended to, but was an added benefit for me if it did. Bag number one of three was started then. It felt cold flowing into my body but that was all. Not sure what I really expected, but all was well. The last bag was almost done 3 ½ hours later and I was doing just fine. The nurses were just great in there and so were the other people who were there receiving their Chemo.
The Critical Care nurse came then and explained my new “friend” the “fanny pack” to us and got me hooked up. The little thing was heavy when it was full but got lighter as the bag emptied. I would have this on now for 22 hours or until I got back to the treatment center for round two. We left the clinic relieved that the first treatment was over and the fear of the unknown was finally over! I thought I would be really weak and tired, but was very surprised that I wasn’t. Back home we went to spend my first night sleeping with my new friend the fanny pack!!
PART VI OF BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
Things went better than I expected for that first day. I would have to carry my little friend around with me now for 2 days so that was a bit of a challenge. They warned me that for the days I was having my treatments I wouldn’t sleep much at night because of the Steroids in the Chemo cocktail they gave me. I went to bed thinking I would be staring at the ceiling all night. My head hit the pillow and I was out ALL night!!
Defying the doctors and statistics was something I planned on doing with this whole Cancer thing, so why should this be any different huh?!! I did have to learn to sleep on my back for the 2 days I had this pack with me, take a sponge bath instead of a shower, Terry had to help me wash my hair in the sink so I didn’t get the port wet and the really fun part was dressing!!! It isn’t JUST a fanny pack I carry around. That fanny pack has an IV hose connected to it that runs up to my port with about 6 ft. of extra hose! Looking back now, it was almost like a circus trying to get dressed. It took both of us to complete this task as well. Just try to imagine putting a bra on with an oxygen type hose coming out of your chest area attached to a fanny pack on the other end!! The trick was to make sure the hose was OUTSIDE the bra so the nurses could unhook part of the hose to re-attach to the IV bags that second day!! LOL I think Terry truly appreciated what women go through to get dressed everyday after this 6 month Chemo experience! I also had to make sure to wear pants and a V-neck top so access to the port could happen too.
We made it finally, and were off for the second day of treatments!! The second day was like the first except no blood test this time and the needle was already in place so all they had to do was unhook me from the fanny pack and up to the clinics IV packs. It took about 2 ½ hours the second day then the Critical Care nurse again came back and hooked me up again to the fanny pack. This was the final 22 hours for that thing!! After the 22 hours was up the next day, the pump would beep and I would turn it off and wait for the Critical Care nurse to either come to our home or to my work to unhook me. I would be FREE!!!!!!!! I would have 2 weeks of freedom until the next treatment.
This cycle would continue for 6 months. It seemed like an eternity to me, us really. Each time the side effects of the Oxiliplatin got worse. My treatments were from Feb to August so it was still cold outside. When I would walk outside and it was just windy, not snowing, it would feel like sleet pellets were hitting my face and any bare skin. For 2 or 3 days after the pump was unhooked, my lips, cheeks, neck would feel numb as would my hands and feet. This would go away until my next treatment but get worse the more treatments I had. We DID get smart and did research on the Oxiliplatin and found that you COULD drink cold things after about day 4 of 5 of the start of your treatments though! I took it very slow to test it and make sure my throat didn’t feel like it was closing on me. I tried sips of cold tap water first. Nothing happened, so I tried water with some ice in it. Still fine!! My lips and tongue would get that cold numb feeling but not my throat so I was in business again. At least I knew I didn’t have to go 6 months drinking only room temperature drinks now.
I hope I am not boring you all with this. I will try to wrap this up in the next day or two. I am really just giving you an overview of what happened, but at least you get some idea what it was like and could be like if you or someone you know had to go through this. The important thing to remember is NOBODY would have to go through this if people would talk about Colon Cancer, take the step to be screened and be pro-active with your body.
Defying the doctors and statistics was something I planned on doing with this whole Cancer thing, so why should this be any different huh?!! I did have to learn to sleep on my back for the 2 days I had this pack with me, take a sponge bath instead of a shower, Terry had to help me wash my hair in the sink so I didn’t get the port wet and the really fun part was dressing!!! It isn’t JUST a fanny pack I carry around. That fanny pack has an IV hose connected to it that runs up to my port with about 6 ft. of extra hose! Looking back now, it was almost like a circus trying to get dressed. It took both of us to complete this task as well. Just try to imagine putting a bra on with an oxygen type hose coming out of your chest area attached to a fanny pack on the other end!! The trick was to make sure the hose was OUTSIDE the bra so the nurses could unhook part of the hose to re-attach to the IV bags that second day!! LOL I think Terry truly appreciated what women go through to get dressed everyday after this 6 month Chemo experience! I also had to make sure to wear pants and a V-neck top so access to the port could happen too.
We made it finally, and were off for the second day of treatments!! The second day was like the first except no blood test this time and the needle was already in place so all they had to do was unhook me from the fanny pack and up to the clinics IV packs. It took about 2 ½ hours the second day then the Critical Care nurse again came back and hooked me up again to the fanny pack. This was the final 22 hours for that thing!! After the 22 hours was up the next day, the pump would beep and I would turn it off and wait for the Critical Care nurse to either come to our home or to my work to unhook me. I would be FREE!!!!!!!! I would have 2 weeks of freedom until the next treatment.
This cycle would continue for 6 months. It seemed like an eternity to me, us really. Each time the side effects of the Oxiliplatin got worse. My treatments were from Feb to August so it was still cold outside. When I would walk outside and it was just windy, not snowing, it would feel like sleet pellets were hitting my face and any bare skin. For 2 or 3 days after the pump was unhooked, my lips, cheeks, neck would feel numb as would my hands and feet. This would go away until my next treatment but get worse the more treatments I had. We DID get smart and did research on the Oxiliplatin and found that you COULD drink cold things after about day 4 of 5 of the start of your treatments though! I took it very slow to test it and make sure my throat didn’t feel like it was closing on me. I tried sips of cold tap water first. Nothing happened, so I tried water with some ice in it. Still fine!! My lips and tongue would get that cold numb feeling but not my throat so I was in business again. At least I knew I didn’t have to go 6 months drinking only room temperature drinks now.
I hope I am not boring you all with this. I will try to wrap this up in the next day or two. I am really just giving you an overview of what happened, but at least you get some idea what it was like and could be like if you or someone you know had to go through this. The important thing to remember is NOBODY would have to go through this if people would talk about Colon Cancer, take the step to be screened and be pro-active with your body.
PART VII OF BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
All in all my Chemo treatments over the next 6 months went pretty well. I was able to work full-time, which was good for me. Sitting at home feeling sorry for myself just wasn’t something I wanted to do! The side effects of the Chemo got worse with each treatment. I was really tired, my hands and feet would get numb and tingly even up my legs some now and stay for longer periods of time. I lost my taste for food, which was probably a good thing since I could stand to lose some weight!! LOL THAT wasn’t a good way to lose it though, trust me! I think not tasting food was the hardest thing for me. The only things that really had any taste at all for me were cold cereal, homemade chicken noodles, poached eggs and lukewarm pizza!! LOL You all KNOW how I love my coffee!! Well, not while on Chemo! YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!
The wonderful Chemo cocktails they give you for Cancer are actually just plain ole poison. It really does a number on the Cancer cells, but the problem is, it doesn’t know the difference between the bad cells and the good cells. This is why you had to do the blood tests the first day of each treatment and see the Oncologist before starting treatment. He checked your white and red blood cell counts, platelets etc. You didn’t have much of an immune system at all while on Chemo. There was one time my blood counts were just too low to do the treatment that day so I had to skip one week only. I was SO frustrated because that messed up my whole schedule in my mind! You set goals or benchmarks when you are doing the treatments so it doesn’t look like it is so far to the end. That just messed mine up now. I was to be finished the last Monday of July, but now it would be the first Monday of August!! Oh well!
After my second treatment I got really sick. I had diarrhea, which wasn’t too alarming as it is one of the side effects of the Chemo. I also had terrible cramping. This happened on a Wednesday and my Oncologist told me to start taking Imodium AD every 2 hours 24/7 until it cleared up. We set the alarm every 2 hours all through the night for 2 days. It wasn’t getting any better and my temperature also went up to 101. That means to call the Oncologist immediately! Since it was now the weekend, I got an on-call Oncologist who told me to go to my local emergency room for some blood tests to send up to him. They not only took blood tests at this time but tested me for the flu as well. Those tests all turned out ok. They gave me Tylenol for the temp and continue to take the Imodium. I just didn’t get better at all, so by Monday I was really sick. I had even passed out in the bathroom. We called the Oncologist first thing Monday morning and they said to take a stool sample into the local hospital for testing. Come to find out, I had a bacterial infection in my intestines! This is also something VERY common for Colon Cancer patients on Chemo so I was very frustrated that they didn’t have me tested before this. Come to find out by taking the Imodium, it was worsening the problem instead of helping! They got me on an anti-biotic right away and POOF, it was all gone after just 2 doses!!! I was sick 6 days because of that then. That was the only time I was sick during the whole Chemo journey!!
There was only one other problem during the Chemo treatments which is very normal and that was my White Blood Count dropping. Because of this they gave me a shot of Neulasta. This is a one time shot that is suppose to build your White Count up. I am just such an odd duck I guess! LOL I went back the next time for my treatment and my White Count had REALLY shot up!! No more Neulasta for me! LOL All my blood levels were really good until about treatment 5 when the White Count dropped. I would have to have shots for this the rest of my treatments now, but they would be using Neupogen. These shots would have to be given DAILY in-between my treatments. I would either have to drive to Des Moines (60 miles away) each day or give them to myself! NOT!!! LOL Until school was out, I could have the nurse there give them to me, but once school was out I had no idea who would. A nurse from our church gave them to me on the weekends. Terry kept telling me he would be just fine doing it. I just wasn’t sure I wanted someone who had never done this before giving me shots!! Over Memorial Day weekend there was nobody around to give them to me so Terry HAD TO! You won’t believe this but he gave the shots to me better than a nurse from our church did! From then on, he gave them to me.
Hopefully, I will be able to finish this saga tomorrow! LOL Thank you all for being so patient with this. I have really felt the need to do this for a long time now and with this being Colon Cancer Awareness month, what better time than now!
The wonderful Chemo cocktails they give you for Cancer are actually just plain ole poison. It really does a number on the Cancer cells, but the problem is, it doesn’t know the difference between the bad cells and the good cells. This is why you had to do the blood tests the first day of each treatment and see the Oncologist before starting treatment. He checked your white and red blood cell counts, platelets etc. You didn’t have much of an immune system at all while on Chemo. There was one time my blood counts were just too low to do the treatment that day so I had to skip one week only. I was SO frustrated because that messed up my whole schedule in my mind! You set goals or benchmarks when you are doing the treatments so it doesn’t look like it is so far to the end. That just messed mine up now. I was to be finished the last Monday of July, but now it would be the first Monday of August!! Oh well!
After my second treatment I got really sick. I had diarrhea, which wasn’t too alarming as it is one of the side effects of the Chemo. I also had terrible cramping. This happened on a Wednesday and my Oncologist told me to start taking Imodium AD every 2 hours 24/7 until it cleared up. We set the alarm every 2 hours all through the night for 2 days. It wasn’t getting any better and my temperature also went up to 101. That means to call the Oncologist immediately! Since it was now the weekend, I got an on-call Oncologist who told me to go to my local emergency room for some blood tests to send up to him. They not only took blood tests at this time but tested me for the flu as well. Those tests all turned out ok. They gave me Tylenol for the temp and continue to take the Imodium. I just didn’t get better at all, so by Monday I was really sick. I had even passed out in the bathroom. We called the Oncologist first thing Monday morning and they said to take a stool sample into the local hospital for testing. Come to find out, I had a bacterial infection in my intestines! This is also something VERY common for Colon Cancer patients on Chemo so I was very frustrated that they didn’t have me tested before this. Come to find out by taking the Imodium, it was worsening the problem instead of helping! They got me on an anti-biotic right away and POOF, it was all gone after just 2 doses!!! I was sick 6 days because of that then. That was the only time I was sick during the whole Chemo journey!!
There was only one other problem during the Chemo treatments which is very normal and that was my White Blood Count dropping. Because of this they gave me a shot of Neulasta. This is a one time shot that is suppose to build your White Count up. I am just such an odd duck I guess! LOL I went back the next time for my treatment and my White Count had REALLY shot up!! No more Neulasta for me! LOL All my blood levels were really good until about treatment 5 when the White Count dropped. I would have to have shots for this the rest of my treatments now, but they would be using Neupogen. These shots would have to be given DAILY in-between my treatments. I would either have to drive to Des Moines (60 miles away) each day or give them to myself! NOT!!! LOL Until school was out, I could have the nurse there give them to me, but once school was out I had no idea who would. A nurse from our church gave them to me on the weekends. Terry kept telling me he would be just fine doing it. I just wasn’t sure I wanted someone who had never done this before giving me shots!! Over Memorial Day weekend there was nobody around to give them to me so Terry HAD TO! You won’t believe this but he gave the shots to me better than a nurse from our church did! From then on, he gave them to me.
Hopefully, I will be able to finish this saga tomorrow! LOL Thank you all for being so patient with this. I have really felt the need to do this for a long time now and with this being Colon Cancer Awareness month, what better time than now!
PART VIII OF BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
I told you I worked full time during the Chemo but it wasn’t an easy thing. I would get up and shower each morning, except when I had my little friend along side and get dressed with Terry’s help. I usually had to lie down for a few minutes after the shower just to get a little strength back to dress. I would sit on the toilet with a mirror on the sink to do my makeup and when it came time to do my hair, Terry would have to help with the hair dryer because it was just too heavy.
Motor skills, strength and memory were not the best during this time. Because of the Neuropathy, I would drop things often, typing at work was hard because of no feeling in my fingers and brain function? Hmmmmmm that was REALLY hard to cope with! Remember I said the Chemo killed bad AND good cells? Well, it killed brain cells as well. I had a terrible time thinking of what things were called. I was forever telling Terry to put things in the oven to wash them instead of the dishwasher and I was going to mow instead of vacuum. You knew what you wanted to say, but by the time it got to your mouth, it wasn’t at all what you were thinking. Thank heavens brain cells grow back!! It isn’t back 100% yet, but in a few more months I won’t get to use the Chemo Brain as an excuse anymore! Guess I will have to use the OLD AGE thing then huh!!!
I would go to work, come home and go straight to bed for about 1 ½ hours. Terry would come help me up and go downstairs for some dinner and would watch maybe ½ hour of TV then back to bed to sleep all night long. Between working, sleeping and taking pills it wasn’t much of a life but I worked that whole time!!! The pill thing was something else too. I felt like a walking pharmacy!! I took a Multi-Vitamin, blood thinner so my port wouldn’t clot up, Iron Pill, anti-biotic, then a laxative to counter act the Iron pill when the Chemo wasn’t causing diarrhea, THEN I would have to take Imodium AD!! LOL
My Chemo was FINISHED!!!!! I had made it, wow! How did I feel about that? Well, I felt totally excited yet scared. You see, the Chemo was kind of a “security blanket.” While you are having the Chemo you know any Cancer Cells left in your body are being killed. When it stops what happens? The “after Chemo” thing is just another part of your journey, another stepping stone.
I have a Wonderful Oncologist though! He could see the excitement yet fear in my eyes. He explained to me that yes, the Chemo security blanket was gone, but I had done SO WELL! He was very proud of what I had done because most people doing this type of Chemo have to have the dosage cut way down or stop before the treatments are finished but I did all 12 treatments full strength!! He also said that I would have a different kind of “security blanket” now. He would see me every 3 months now for a year to check my blood work and make sure the cancer didn’t come back. He told me that it was still a long way to go yet before the “CURED” word would be used, but each month I was cancer free would be one month closer. He DID say he was going to have my “port” removed though and that doesn’t usually happen for 2 years just in case you have a recurrence and need the port again. He said he was very pleased with how things went and didn’t expect to see my back again for more Chemo, yet he still said the journey to “cure” was a way off. After several months, I ventured to ask him again how he thought I was doing. He said he could say I WAS in remission, but not at the “cured” point yet.
In January of this year I went for my last 3 month visit. I was again very nervous because if everything was still clear this would make my 2 year anniversary and I would only have to see my Oncologist every 6 months then. Everything looked great! He finally gave me a lot more hope this time around. He said that 85% of recurrence happens within the first 18 months or 2 years and I made it to 2 years!!! He had a huge smile on his face. I did have questions though because that “security blanket” was really being stretched to the limit!! I was told that I would have to have a Colonoscopy every year until my 5th year when I was considered “cured” so I asked if he needed to set up my Colonoscopy or did I? He really surprised me!! He said I wouldn’t need one for 2 more years now since the one I had after my one year was clean! I also asked about needing CT Scans off and on to make sure that yucky stuff didn’t come back. He said that the only time I would need another one was if my blood work showed something abnormal. He said not to worry that he could tell from the blood work if something was going on and we would catch it before it got out of hand. I felt much better after hearing that!
We left the Clinic and went to celebrate!! I wanted Olive Garden so off we went. We did a LOT of PRAISING that day. It wasn’t because of anything I did that got me through this journey in my life. It was because of God’s Grace, family and friends support and lots of prayer!! I promised God that I would use this experience as a tool to share HIS love anyway I could. So this isn’t just my story, it is HIS story as well!!
Well, there you have it, my Colon Cancer Journey. There is a lot I left out but you got the most important things. Monday will be the last post on this subject as I will be gone tomorrow. PLEASE make sure you read this one as it will be a VERY IMPORTANT one. It will have some of the signs of Colon Cancer to watch for along with advice about whom and what age you should be checking for this!!
Motor skills, strength and memory were not the best during this time. Because of the Neuropathy, I would drop things often, typing at work was hard because of no feeling in my fingers and brain function? Hmmmmmm that was REALLY hard to cope with! Remember I said the Chemo killed bad AND good cells? Well, it killed brain cells as well. I had a terrible time thinking of what things were called. I was forever telling Terry to put things in the oven to wash them instead of the dishwasher and I was going to mow instead of vacuum. You knew what you wanted to say, but by the time it got to your mouth, it wasn’t at all what you were thinking. Thank heavens brain cells grow back!! It isn’t back 100% yet, but in a few more months I won’t get to use the Chemo Brain as an excuse anymore! Guess I will have to use the OLD AGE thing then huh!!!
I would go to work, come home and go straight to bed for about 1 ½ hours. Terry would come help me up and go downstairs for some dinner and would watch maybe ½ hour of TV then back to bed to sleep all night long. Between working, sleeping and taking pills it wasn’t much of a life but I worked that whole time!!! The pill thing was something else too. I felt like a walking pharmacy!! I took a Multi-Vitamin, blood thinner so my port wouldn’t clot up, Iron Pill, anti-biotic, then a laxative to counter act the Iron pill when the Chemo wasn’t causing diarrhea, THEN I would have to take Imodium AD!! LOL
My Chemo was FINISHED!!!!! I had made it, wow! How did I feel about that? Well, I felt totally excited yet scared. You see, the Chemo was kind of a “security blanket.” While you are having the Chemo you know any Cancer Cells left in your body are being killed. When it stops what happens? The “after Chemo” thing is just another part of your journey, another stepping stone.
I have a Wonderful Oncologist though! He could see the excitement yet fear in my eyes. He explained to me that yes, the Chemo security blanket was gone, but I had done SO WELL! He was very proud of what I had done because most people doing this type of Chemo have to have the dosage cut way down or stop before the treatments are finished but I did all 12 treatments full strength!! He also said that I would have a different kind of “security blanket” now. He would see me every 3 months now for a year to check my blood work and make sure the cancer didn’t come back. He told me that it was still a long way to go yet before the “CURED” word would be used, but each month I was cancer free would be one month closer. He DID say he was going to have my “port” removed though and that doesn’t usually happen for 2 years just in case you have a recurrence and need the port again. He said he was very pleased with how things went and didn’t expect to see my back again for more Chemo, yet he still said the journey to “cure” was a way off. After several months, I ventured to ask him again how he thought I was doing. He said he could say I WAS in remission, but not at the “cured” point yet.
In January of this year I went for my last 3 month visit. I was again very nervous because if everything was still clear this would make my 2 year anniversary and I would only have to see my Oncologist every 6 months then. Everything looked great! He finally gave me a lot more hope this time around. He said that 85% of recurrence happens within the first 18 months or 2 years and I made it to 2 years!!! He had a huge smile on his face. I did have questions though because that “security blanket” was really being stretched to the limit!! I was told that I would have to have a Colonoscopy every year until my 5th year when I was considered “cured” so I asked if he needed to set up my Colonoscopy or did I? He really surprised me!! He said I wouldn’t need one for 2 more years now since the one I had after my one year was clean! I also asked about needing CT Scans off and on to make sure that yucky stuff didn’t come back. He said that the only time I would need another one was if my blood work showed something abnormal. He said not to worry that he could tell from the blood work if something was going on and we would catch it before it got out of hand. I felt much better after hearing that!
We left the Clinic and went to celebrate!! I wanted Olive Garden so off we went. We did a LOT of PRAISING that day. It wasn’t because of anything I did that got me through this journey in my life. It was because of God’s Grace, family and friends support and lots of prayer!! I promised God that I would use this experience as a tool to share HIS love anyway I could. So this isn’t just my story, it is HIS story as well!!
Well, there you have it, my Colon Cancer Journey. There is a lot I left out but you got the most important things. Monday will be the last post on this subject as I will be gone tomorrow. PLEASE make sure you read this one as it will be a VERY IMPORTANT one. It will have some of the signs of Colon Cancer to watch for along with advice about whom and what age you should be checking for this!!
CONCLUSION OF BE SEEN, BE SCREENED
This journey would never have taken place if I had been informed. None of us like to talk about our bowels and so we don’t. We don’t even talk to our Doctor’s about it! We might say something to our spouse or parent about a little bright red blood in our stools and they will tell us, “Oh you just have hemorrhoids so not to worry.” A lot of people do, but ANY sign of blood should be reported to your doctor. If he says it is just hemorrhoids, I would still suggest a Colonoscopy to make sure. It doesn’t matter what age you are either!! Take a look at this short video clip and you will see why. This is from one of the Colon Club Forum members I belong to.
http://www.myfoxchicago.com/myfox/pages/Home/Detail?contentId=2627989&version=1&locale=EN-US&layoutCode=VSTY&pageId=1.1.1
The doctor’s will try to tell you that you are too young to have a possibility of Colon Cancer if you are younger than 50, but I see more and more cases of Colon Cancer in young people. We are talking 20’s, 30’s and 40’s and even a couple teens!! We are trying to get the age limit for recommended testing lowered to 40 because of this. Right now, the recommended age to be tested with a Colonoscopy is age 50. Remember the beginning of my Journey I said this is for Kisa? Kisa just passed away with Colon Cancer at age 33!! If she had been aware of the signs and the doctor’s would have tested her, she would still be here today. Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about things like this anymore people!!
We ALL need to start being more pro-active about our bodies. Be aware of any changes, talk to your family and find out if anyone died from Colon Cancer!!! If anyone in your family died from Colon Cancer, you need to be tested at least 10 years earlier from the time of their death, yes, I said 10 YEARS EARLIER!!! Colon Cancer starts from a very small polyp. It takes about 3 years for one to develop and about 10 years for one to develop into a cancerous tumor that will need surgery and would probably be either a Stage 3 or IV by then. See why it is so important to be aware!!! IF you get a Colonoscopy at the first sign of blood and there ARE polyps, they will be removed at that time and you probably won’t have to go through what I did. Wait and keep telling yourself it is nothing, and you might just end up like me.
This was my whole point of writing this. Not for you to feel sorry for me or to bring attention to me, but to make you aware of Colon Cancer and have yourself checked out so we can stop this terrible thing called Cancer!! Drugs can’t do it for us right now, but being pro-active can!! We hear about Breast Cancer ALL the time and the death rates are going down because people are aware of what to do to be pro-active, but people haven’t heard about Colon Cancer like this!! Well, now you have, so PLEASE, PLEASE go have a Colonoscopy if you are 50 and haven’t yet. Don’t let the doctor try to tell you to have a Sigmoidoscopy either. This test doesn’t check your whole Colon and is NOT the most conclusive test, only the Colonoscopy is. Talk to your family and see if anyone else has ever had or died from Colon Cancer and then take the steps to have a Colonoscopy 10 years BEFORE they died from it!! Don’t let doctor’s tell you that you are too young or you just have hemorrhoids because of bleeding DEMAND a Colonoscopy to be sure!! BE SEEN, BE SCREENED!!!!
Here are the possible signs from the Cancer Institute:
Possible signs of colon cancer include a change in bowel habits or blood in the stool.
These and other symptoms may be caused by colon cancer. Other conditions may cause the same symptoms. A doctor should be consulted if any of the following problems occur:
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The doctor’s will try to tell you that you are too young to have a possibility of Colon Cancer if you are younger than 50, but I see more and more cases of Colon Cancer in young people. We are talking 20’s, 30’s and 40’s and even a couple teens!! We are trying to get the age limit for recommended testing lowered to 40 because of this. Right now, the recommended age to be tested with a Colonoscopy is age 50. Remember the beginning of my Journey I said this is for Kisa? Kisa just passed away with Colon Cancer at age 33!! If she had been aware of the signs and the doctor’s would have tested her, she would still be here today. Don’t be afraid to talk to your doctor about things like this anymore people!!
We ALL need to start being more pro-active about our bodies. Be aware of any changes, talk to your family and find out if anyone died from Colon Cancer!!! If anyone in your family died from Colon Cancer, you need to be tested at least 10 years earlier from the time of their death, yes, I said 10 YEARS EARLIER!!! Colon Cancer starts from a very small polyp. It takes about 3 years for one to develop and about 10 years for one to develop into a cancerous tumor that will need surgery and would probably be either a Stage 3 or IV by then. See why it is so important to be aware!!! IF you get a Colonoscopy at the first sign of blood and there ARE polyps, they will be removed at that time and you probably won’t have to go through what I did. Wait and keep telling yourself it is nothing, and you might just end up like me.
This was my whole point of writing this. Not for you to feel sorry for me or to bring attention to me, but to make you aware of Colon Cancer and have yourself checked out so we can stop this terrible thing called Cancer!! Drugs can’t do it for us right now, but being pro-active can!! We hear about Breast Cancer ALL the time and the death rates are going down because people are aware of what to do to be pro-active, but people haven’t heard about Colon Cancer like this!! Well, now you have, so PLEASE, PLEASE go have a Colonoscopy if you are 50 and haven’t yet. Don’t let the doctor try to tell you to have a Sigmoidoscopy either. This test doesn’t check your whole Colon and is NOT the most conclusive test, only the Colonoscopy is. Talk to your family and see if anyone else has ever had or died from Colon Cancer and then take the steps to have a Colonoscopy 10 years BEFORE they died from it!! Don’t let doctor’s tell you that you are too young or you just have hemorrhoids because of bleeding DEMAND a Colonoscopy to be sure!! BE SEEN, BE SCREENED!!!!
Here are the possible signs from the Cancer Institute:
Possible signs of colon cancer include a change in bowel habits or blood in the stool.
These and other symptoms may be caused by colon cancer. Other conditions may cause the same symptoms. A doctor should be consulted if any of the following problems occur:
- A change in bowel habits.
- Blood (either bright red or very dark) in the stool.
- Diarrhea, constipation, or feeling that the bowel does not empty completely.
- Stools that are narrower than usual.
- Frequent gas pains, bloating, fullness, or cramps.
- Weight loss for no known reason.
- Feeling very tired.
- Vomiting.