Recently diagnosed

bdix4573

Hello all. Hope everyone is staying healthy and taking care of them selves.

I’m a 48 year old male. Had my first colonoscopy on 04/17. During the procedure a 2x2cm polyp 

was discovered in my Sigmoid colon. Biopsy and CEA blood work completed.

CEA results were a 2.65. Biopsy returned as a well differentiated invasive andenocarcinoma. intact nuclear expression MLH-1, MSH-2,MDH-6, and PMS2. No loss of nuclear expression of MMR proteins.Low probability of MSI-H

CAT scan of abdomen, chest,and pelvis completed. Results all areas returned as unremarkable.

Surgeon, gastroenterologist, and oncologist have all said “ this won’t kill you ….you’ve probably got about 25 more years left at least.” All of the doctors involved are very positive and almost casual about the situation. 

Oncologist gives it a 20% chance of needing any chemo follow up. The surgeon says I’ll be back to running 5k’s about six weeks after. Mentioned I could have waited until the end of the summer for surgery

Does any of this sound realistic? I’m trying to mentally prepare for what will happen after surgery and pathology results. Asking the Oncologist to order Signatera test to maybe put my mind at ease. Waiting on his response. 

SandiaBuddy

Sorry you are here. Everything you report sounds encouraging, but everyone's situation is different. The most solid results will come after surgery. What type or surgery are you expecting? Nonetheless, like the kids say, "it is what it is." Anxiety is to be expected. Best of luck, even with the best prognosis, none of this is any fun.

bdix4573

LAR scheduled at the end of the month.

colmm

Best of luck to you. I had my surgery 2wks ago and am waiting for my results. My recovery is going well. Stay positive. Sound like you are very active which will help with recovery.

Tigerfan92

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705657#Comment_1705657

Have they mentioned the possibility of an ileostomy? I had an LAR in April from polyp high in rectum and ended up with one. Hope yours Is high enough not to need one. I feel like I would be healed after 5 weeks if I only had the LAR.

bdix4573

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705854#Comment_1705854

The surgeon mentioned it was a low possibility only if there was an inflammation or reattachment issue. I’m not receiving chemo and have no other conditions like IBS or diverticulitis.

Tigerfan92

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705855#Comment_1705855

Hope it stays that way. The journey I thought was going to be cut and dry has become quite messy. I am 52 and had one 20mm polyp that came back as an invasive adenocarcinoma. Surgeon thought we caught it early and the resection was going to be all I needed. Pathology from the resection came back with cancer in 2 lymph nodes of the 24 removed and a tumor deposit. Guess it was hiding in the wall if my colon. Now I am having a PET scan to see if there is spread, 28 sessions of radiation and xeloda chemo then 8 cycles of chemo. After all this I can have my ielostomy reversed.

what is the signatera test you mention above?

bdix4573

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705856#Comment_1705856

I hope your PETs come back clear and are able to get good results from your treatment. Did you have any symptoms prior to diagnosis?

it’s a test to find tumor DNA in your blood stream.

Tigerfan92

Hope so too! As far as symptoms, I think I had some bad boiled crabs and started having upset stomach. I tested positive for a virus and bacterial infection so thinking it was from the crabs. I went ahead with the colonoscopy to make sure I didn’t have some type of irritable bowel issue since I had only screened with cologuard at 50. Long of the short, I didn’t have any symptoms to speak of until the seafood incident. At this point, I am soooooo grateful for the bad crabs! Lol

Hope your surgery goes well!

bdix4573

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705870#Comment_1705870

That gave me a good laugh about the crabs. Everyone possess an innate self preservation instinct when you know it’s time to seek help. Glad you recognized yours

My current frustration with the diagnosis is not the surgery I understand that removing the tumor is the first part of achieving a cure. It’s the fact that I feel great right now. Starting the curative process is going to be worse than what I’ve experienced to this point. All of my doctors have said that given what they think I’m going to have more pain and discomfort from the procedure than the disease at this point . Does that make sense?

Tigerfan92

Oh yes, it makes total sense. I went so far as to ask my surgeon if the pathology could be wrong. Hopefully you feeling good now is a sign they have caught your cancer early and pathology from the resection will come back clean. I had a hard time coming to terms with how invasive the surgery was with a high probability of no further treatment.

Can you go do something fun for a few days before surgery? I feel as though this year is pretty much shot as I will be getting chemo until November or longer if things don’t go as planned.

Do you ever think about if it is worse than expected? My docs say mine is curable (a 72% survival at 5 years) if I go through all the treatment. Well heck, I already lost the odds game when my polyp with a 5-10% chance of being cancer ended up being cancer. Can’t help but wonder how I will beat these other odds.

SandiaBuddy

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705878#Comment_1705878

An old saying that used to circulate on this board when it was more active is, "you are not a statistic." There are a lot of old posts on this topic, but essentially, statistics describe an entire population (and usually one from a number of years ago) and make little consideration of things like age, health, co-morbidities, and so forth. And, even if the statistics apply directly to you, why shouldn't you be the one who thrives? Plus, there are plenty of things you can do to improve your chances, things like exercising, eating right, and having a healthy vitamin D level, among others. I wish you luck in facing these challenges.

Tigerfan92

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705905#Comment_1705905

Thank you! In my job I deal with a lot of percentages and guess I need to get out of my own head!

bdix4573

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705909#Comment_1705909

It’s hardest to be objective when dealing with your own situation. You have an implicit bias in interpreting information. But in reality it’s the doctors job to make the decisions and our job to follow them.

did you get any more information on your status?

Tigerfan92

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705911#Comment_1705911

Very true! I am comfortable with my treatment plan but anxious about how it will affect me. No new info. Pet scan is Wednesday. Did your oncologist agree to the signatera test?

SandiaBuddy

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705911#Comment_1705911

I have a slightly different perspective, I think it is the doctor's job to give advice and the patient's job to make decisions. Sorry to differ, but in my life it has made a real difference.

bdix4573

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705913#Comment_1705913

He wants to wait until after surgery and staging. That’s fine with me. How soon do you get pet results?

Tigerfan92

Are you okay with waiting to have the test? Pathology from surgery can change things. I am not sure on the pet scan results but figure it will be this week or next. The rad oncologist is creating a hologram of me to administer the radiation and he will need to know if the cancer has spread. I am supposed to start chemo radiation on May 30th but not sure they will have the hologram completed.

i am hoping it is delayed a week or so. I want to go out of town for a few days July 4th weekend and don’t want to be real sore. The doc said it starts to get uncomfortable after 3 weeks. What are your thoughts on missing 4 days of radiation in the 28 day cycle? It is supposed to be 5 days/wk with weekends off. I figure 2 extra days one time during treatment can’t be too bad. He definitely didn’t like the idea of me taking a whole week off so I guess that’s out. Lol!

bdix4573

https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/comment/1705917#Comment_1705917

I’m fine without the test. I feel confident with the doctors appraisals of the pre operation labs etc. I’m putting a lot of emphasis on the tumor being small, well differentiated, the tumor still being part of a poly op, negative CT scans, normal CEA, and being asymptomatic. Both the surgeon and oncologist mentioned that I could wait until the end of the summer and it wouldn’t make much of a difference.

With all that being stated I understand it’s speculative until surgery and pathology results. All it takes is 1/2 a lymph node to go from stage 1 to 3.

I’ve never had any previous medical issues so I’m inclined to trust the doctors analysis at this point.

So you want to extend your rest for a few days. I’d approach it from an argument of self care and mental health rejuvenation. If your otherwise healthy and in responding well to the treatment why not

unbelievably there is a colon cancer group on Reddit that’s been really supportive . The members have great insight and can answer a lot of questions based on their experience

So I have to know which tigers? Detroit, Auburn, or LSU?

Tigerfan92

Geaux Tigers! Y

bdix4573

Go Big Blue. Uk alumnus. At least it ain’t Roll Tide. So what did you decide to do about missing your treatment for the trip?

if you don’t mind me asking how did you end up with an ilostomy (sic) after your surgery