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Gastro Doc Visit

ldot123
ldot123 CSN Member Posts: 272
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Good Thursday afternoon Semi-Colons,

In some other posts I mad reference to visit the gastro doctor that originally discovered my colon cancer. I had been complaining to my onc. and surgeon about various abdominal ailments for a while and did not get a lot of feedback one way or the other as far as what was causing my problem.

Had a great visit with the gastro doc and he was able to diagnose right away that my issue had to do with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) I was having a lot of abdominal discomfort in various parts of my abdomen, plus am very gassy. He explained that it is a very real condition and that stress can play a role in getting this. He said the nerve endings in the digestive system are very sensitive and can react to things going on in your life. I guess cancer is kinda stressful huh? plus working, plus all of the other usual things that impact your life. He said it was not unusual for a patient to get IBS symptoms after a year out of treatment. Anyhoo, it is good to know I am not crazy and that this discomfort is not due to cancer. He did say that in most cases, I would not actually "feel" anything that was due to a recurrence. The usual signs like weight loss, blood in stool etc.. are better indicators (and of course getting followup checks)

Well there you have it. I do feel better knowing this; I am back at the gym with a personal trainer and I WILL RECOVER FULLY AND BE AS GOOD AS EVER!!

Cheers, Lance
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Comments

  • msccolon
    msccolon CSN Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    #2
    that is good news!
    Lance, so glad you finally have an answer to your gastro issues and it's not recurrence! I agree, not even likely to recur in the bowel anyhow! So, do you have to make changes to your diet or anything?
    mary
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  • kmygil
    kmygil CSN Member Posts: 876 Member
    #3
    Good news, bad news
    Great news, Lance! So glad to hear you're essentially all right. HOWEVER, don't take IBS lightly. Do try to miminize your stress, and remember--fiber, fiber, fiber! Take care.

    Kirsten
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  • ldot123
    ldot123 CSN Member Posts: 272
    #4
    kmygil said:

    Good news, bad news
    Great news, Lance! So glad to hear you're essentially all right. HOWEVER, don't take IBS lightly. Do try to miminize your stress, and remember--fiber, fiber, fiber! Take care.

    Kirsten

    Fiber
    Yes, he did stress eating a lot of fiber which I am doing. There is not much as far as changing diet except for added fiber and also the suggestion of probiotic yogurts and of course reducing stress.

    Cheers, Lance
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  • Kanort
    Kanort CSN Member Posts: 1,272 Member
    #5
    Super!
    Hi Lance,

    I am so glad that your gastro doctor was able to determine that IBS was the cause of all of your discomfort and not something more worrisome. (That's not to minimize the effects of IBS....I suffer from it as well. YUCK!)

    Yes, you will recover and will be even better than ever.

    Hugs,

    Kay
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  • tootsie1
    tootsie1 CSN Member Posts: 5,044 Member
    #6
    IBS
    Lance,

    I've had IBS for many, many years, and it's gotten much worse since my colon resection. Trust me when I say i feel your pain! One thing I would add to your regimen is water. Drink lots of it!

    Good luck!

    *hugs*
    Gail
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  • CherylHutch
    CherylHutch CSN Member Posts: 1,375 Member
    #7
    Most Excellent News!
    That is wonderful, Lance... well, not that you have IBS, which is not a fun thing to have, but the fact it is IBS and not the monster returning with a roar! I bet, the fact you now know what it is that is causing the discomfort, is enough to relieve a whole bunch of stress (knowledge is powerful) and the more stress you kick out the door, the more your IBS will calm down.

    They are right when they say, "Cancer patients go through so much and even though we tackle one problem at a time, by the time we get a chance to relax and unwind, we are wound up stress monkeys!" Is it any wonder we end up getting stress-related problems??

    Huuuuuugggggs,

    From your fellow Canadian monkey :)
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