newly diagnosed, looking for info

LaCh said:

Picc/Port
Thanks Marynb,
Um, well, no, haven't given birth but I've had my fair share of injuries and surgeries. I have a pretty high threshhold for pain but it's the sensitivity to drugs that's my concern. I suppose there's no point looking for trouble; better to let it come find me and deal with it as it arises, but I know my body. As for the rides, I checked out the American Cancer Society's website a few days ago and there are no rides in my area. It would have solved a looming problem. Even though the hospital is just a 15 minute walk when all things are equal (meaning that I'm healthy) I think it'll be a diferent story when I'm in the middle of the chemo and radiation. Were you able to take yourself to treatments and return home without assistance? Is that an unreasonable thing to expect (knowing that everybody is different). Well, in any case, my first oncology appointment is this afternoon so I'm sure I'll have at least some of my questions answered. Thanks for the continued support and input, it's a real help.

Jo Joy said:

I am still in treatment
Hi there! You must be going through so much right now. I know that when I was first diagnosed that I had many, many concerns and anxiety until I started treatment a month later. For me it seemed I would get answers from the Drs to all my questions, but then that would lead to more questions. I used, and continue to use this discussion board. Pay close attention to what people on this board tell you to buy or have on hand BEFORE you start treatment. They also have tips and tricks from their own experience to help you through any possible side effects. Also please remember in all things that how your body reacts to treatment is unique for you. I read peoples stories on this board, prepared for the worst, and had faith for the best.

Let me introduce myself so you have a point of reference for what I’m about to tell you. I am currently in treatment. I am 47 and am otherwise very healthy. I am a Christian and my faith in God, and prayers of people that care about me, have made a way for me to successfully cope with treatment and manage my negative thoughts when they surface. I am still working at the moment and plan to be doing that through the next two weeks of radiation and the recovery period, and I am also taking it one day at a time. My Drs have been very accommodating and encouraging me to work as long, or even through the entire treatment, as I want.

I am also changing jobs at the end of next week. My new job is more financially stable, less stressful, and is a half a block away from my home. (I live in SoCal, so that in itself is a miracle! ) ) The hospital I am being treated at is a ten minute drive from my home and I am still driving myself to treatment every morning, and then 16 miles on the freeway, to work after that. Both of my employers know of my diagnosis and the timing of my treatment. The new job is willing to let me take time off or work part-time if the last bit of treatment and recovery gets too much for me to work. I start the new job with 2 weeks of sick leave and 3 weeks of vacation leave already established, as I am a Chief Financial Officer, and thus senior management.

I don’t have any other complications such as diabetes, overweight, HPV, HIV, cancer in my family genetics, etc. I ate all the right things, exercised, and maintained a healthy weight. I love veggies and fruit! I have none of the risk factors for this diagnosis. But it happened. I am attributing it to the stress at my present job. It has been constant unrelenting stress for the last two years. The only thing that has changed in my health for the last 5-10 years was I have had my gallbladder removed. Then I had a few incidences of what I would term as substantial rectal bleeding, even when I wasn’t constipated, and I knew something wasn’t right. The tumor was found on a colonoscopy and was 13mm in size so 1.3cm. I think my tumor staging was either T1 or T2 N0M0. It was also in the sphincter muscle. My doctors told me this was “immanently” curable with chemo and radiation. Surgery would only be required if after 6 weeks post treatment, that it still showed evidence of cancer. They want to avoid surgery if at all possible because that means a colostomy bag for the rest of life.

My second and final round of chemo with 96 hour pump begins in the morning. (Thursday) I will get it disconnected on Monday. With the first round of chemo the only side effects that I had was loss of taste about a week after the pump was disconnected which lasted about a week and a half. (Hated that part, even water tasted gross, and my appetite was fine. So I would get thirsty or hungry and didn’t have the satisfaction of the taste of anything) But make sure you drink tons and tons of water! It will flush the toxins out. I also experienced some severe constipation. I took laxatives, stool softeners, fiber tabs, ate veggies and fruit and nothing seemed to do the trick. So I resorted to a cheeseburger and fries and that did it! (Because of the loss of my gallbladder, too much fat will do that to me and also I don’t eat much red meat anymore and hamburger will have that effect on me.)

I’m a just a little more than halfway through rad. Today was number 14. Rad Dr said 25 treatments for me not 30. Which I am guessing was determined based on tumor size and placement. Radiation hasn’t been bad….until yesterday. I have again been constipated and started taking laxatives and stool softeners again to get ready for the second round of chemo. (I was trying not to have to resort to the burger and fries again) Nothing for days and then yesterday I finally had a bm. It felt like rocks and gravel coming out but was soft, skinny, and formed. The pain was intense but as mentioned, not like childbirth, because the pain goes away faster. I got through it and also the other bms that followed.

Taking baths in my whirlpool tub has been a godsend. Also aquaphor ointment which I slather on after each trip to the bathroom. I bought a portable bidet from Amazon and use that and Viva Paper towels to pat dry after each trip to the bathroom. My skin in the groin area has darkened but doesn’t look red or burned. I am wearing boxer shorts under loose cotton pants or skirts. I think I will be fine as long as I do all the self-care recommended here on the boards and listen to my body when it says rest. I spend a great deal of time sleeping and resting on the weekend. Sleep has never, ever been a problem for me.

I will update next week to let you know how it is going.

LaCh said:

To Pializ
yes, I think "going with the flow" can only serve one well. I'm someone who questions, challenges and doubts doctors, (which often creates problems) and I have a rather low opinion of them in general (with some very notable exceptions, blessedly, my gastroenterologist and my medical oncologist), but in general, doctors, in whom I generally have no trust, are the very same people that I now HAVE to trust. I'm coming to realize that just putting one foot ahead of the other is all I have to do. Strangely, I feel good mentally (maybe I'll feel differently once treatments start, I don't know). That's not to say that I have my low moments, and not to say that I won't have plenty more, but they come and they pass. I think that, for me, the key is (as I said in an earlier post) patience and the acceptance of uncertainty. And while I don't want to die and I'm going to do what I can do to avoid it, because of what I believe comes after, if it turns it that way, I'll try to face it with as much equanimity as I can, believing that it's just another transition in a lifetime of transitions. I do have my moments, as I said, but... I feel ok and hope to be able to contribute to this site for others who follow after me.