Huge colon cancer scare, then great medical work and absolutely no signs
by Andrea
(Florida)
In January of this year I went for my annual OB check. At the time I was having difficulty with my hemmorhoids, which I have had for almost 21 years. My Dr. said she would not do a rectal exm but instead referred me to the gastro. Dr. across the parking lot so see what he could do to help me.
I went over mada an appt. and saw him a week later. The first thing he decided to do was schedule me for a colonoscopy.I balked at that because I had had one 2 years previous at the age of 46 only to find out the bleeding was from hemmorhoids.
I left the office and decided in my mind I was not having the procedure done.
My husband and I talked and he convinced me to do it. I had the colonoscopy one week later and the Dr. found a mass. He removed as much as he could and sent it out for a biopsy. That was on a Thursday.On the following Tuesday he called me at home at 5pm to tell me it had come back as cancer. I had to get another colonoscopy in the morning and he would try and remove the rest. The next day after the procedure he told me he was unable to get it and I would have to see a surgeon. I had a trip planned for the following week to SanDiego to see my daughter who is 20 serving in the NAVY and on he way to her first deployment for 8 mths. I was going. Needlass to say the Dr. was not pleased but I went. But before I did go I had xrays and a ctscan to make sure the cancer had not spread. When I returned I met with the surgeon and the surgery was planned for the next week. He did a very uncomfortable rectal exam to make sure the tumor was not in the muscle wall in which case I would have to wear a bag for the rest of my life.
I went to surgery on a Tues. the operation took about 2 hours and they were able to remove it all plus some lymph nodes surrounding the area to make sure it had not spread. The surgeon went through my belly button and I have almost no noticible scar at all. They removed about 8" of my colon. I was discharged that Friday, the Dr. said it was the fastest recovery in the hospital of any of his patients that had had the same surgery.
Two weeks later at my post op check up I was completely cleared of all cancer! I do not have to go back for one whole year.
