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Jaggi
Jaggi Member Posts: 6
in Colorectal Cancer #1

I am glad that I found this support group. I had my first Colonoscopy on Feb 23/16 and was shocked to find that I have sigmoid colon cancer. I wish, I had done colonoscopy earlier but I lived in Canada until August last year and the colonoscopy is not part of regular check. They do a stool test but mine was negative three years ago. I had no symptoms and felt very healthy. I had surgery on March 10th and the surgeon removed 12 cms of sigmoid colon. He also took 35 lymph nodes and one was found infected in pathology report. My cancer is considered low grade and Stage 3b. i had the port inserted on this Monday and my first chemo (Folfox) starts this Friday. I came back to work on March 28th. We have been in US only for 8 months. My wife left her permanent teaching job and I switched to a new job. We came to US to live closer to our daughter as she plans to have baby And neede our support. So here we are. I just turned 60 five days after my surgery. I very much need this job and wish to continue working while on chemo. Reading the side effects on Internet and in our meeting with oncologist have scared me. My prognosis so far has been really good. I am really worried for side effects. Before diagnosis we were planning to buy a home and settle down. Our life has been completely turned upside down with this. I am usually good at dealing with stress but this time I am really scared. I hope to finish 12 times chemo that my onc says that I need.

Comments

  • NewHere
    NewHere Member Posts: 1,428 Member
    #2

    Sorry you are here, but welcome to the boards.  Good place to be to laugh, talk, discuss.

    I had 21 lymph nodes taken and 11 were ...  not cool (Cancer).  I am Stage IIIC.  

    There are some bad days on chemo.  Everyone is different.  For me the day of the initial hook-up was the one  I usually relaxed the rest of the day when I got home.  Long trip back and forth and there is the emotional component.  Then the next couple of days did whatever I wanted (subject to not getting pump hit or needle hit in the port).  The day of disconnect I could still do things, though got a tad tired.  After 6Th Session then had couple of days of tired.

    So as follows

    Monday  - Hooked up  Okay, though with travel would chill

    Tuesday - Whatever I wanted

    Weds - Whatever I wanted 

    Thursday - Pretty much whatever I wanted, though after 6 sessions slowed down

    Friday - After 6 sessions, rest day

    Satruday - After 6 seeions, rest day

    Sunday, After 6 sessions, coming back

    Week 2 - Everything okay.  Some tired some minore stuff in terms of cold sensisitivity etc.

    Then repeat.  Click my name, I have details as I went through it.  Hang in there.

  • heisenberg
    heisenberg Member Posts: 14
    #3
    hello Jaggi

    Welcome to the club that no one wants to be a member of! Still, you can get support here.

    Your life will be completely upturned emotionally for several weeks. Receiving a diagnosis of cancer is a literally traumatic event, you are traumatized. It gets better after a while once you get your equilibrium back. Right now you are probably in full fight-or-flight mode. It is not a happy space to be in but like I said, if you are able to endure it your psyche will adjust after a while. 

    This site was very helpful to me in recognizing my emotional symptoms:

    http://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/emotional-and-psychological-trauma.htm

    Again, hang in there because the emotional trauma does get better after a while. It has been 2 and a half months since my diagnosis and I am just beginning to sleep through the night again. I still have some minor anxiety attacks when I wake up but compared to where I was say two weeks after the diagnosis, I am in a much better spot.

    Getting a cancer diagnosis completely destroys your sense of invulnerability, and you begin to wonder what else can go wrong. The best thing that you can do is distract yourself from negative thoughts if that is at all possible. I found that online coloring book apps and simple games for my Android phone helped to distract somewhat. 

    It is great that your prognosis is considered good, I would also keep reminding myself of that fact when I felt down.

    Again, for me the emotional challenges have been far worse than the physical for this disease. I went through mental torment for the first two months. Like I said, it is getting better now. Slowly your world will turn right-side-up again. Give it time, it needs time, and you probably can't rush it.

    As for working through chemo, I have been doing it through five chemo sessions so far and I've actually become more productive at work because I focus on the work to blot out my anxiety. People there are amazed Smile. So, it can be done. 

    Good fortune to you. Sending positive thoughts your way.

     

     

  • beaumontdave
    beaumontdave Member Posts: 1,289 Member
    #4
    I was stage3b, resected at

    I was stage3b, resected at the sigmoid section, 2 of 17 nodes positive, did Folfox, all 12, some neuropathy, gone after 1 1/2 years, worked physical job with the pump, couldn't drink or touch cold stuff. Chemo wasn't rough for me, others had a hard time and lasting effects, so you won't know till you get there, best of luck...........................................Dave

  • Jaggi
    Jaggi Member Posts: 6
    #5
    NewHere said:

    Sorry you are here, but welcome to the boards.  Good place to be to laugh, talk, discuss.

    I had 21 lymph nodes taken and 11 were ...  not cool (Cancer).  I am Stage IIIC.  

    There are some bad days on chemo.  Everyone is different.  For me the day of the initial hook-up was the one  I usually relaxed the rest of the day when I got home.  Long trip back and forth and there is the emotional component.  Then the next couple of days did whatever I wanted (subject to not getting pump hit or needle hit in the port).  The day of disconnect I could still do things, though got a tad tired.  After 6Th Session then had couple of days of tired.

    So as follows

    Monday  - Hooked up  Okay, though with travel would chill

    Tuesday - Whatever I wanted

    Weds - Whatever I wanted 

    Thursday - Pretty much whatever I wanted, though after 6 sessions slowed down

    Friday - After 6 sessions, rest day

    Satruday - After 6 seeions, rest day

    Sunday, After 6 sessions, coming back

    Week 2 - Everything okay.  Some tired some minore stuff in terms of cold sensisitivity etc.

    Then repeat.  Click my name, I have details as I went through it.  Hang in there.

    Thank you

    Thanks for sharing your experience. I sincerely appreciate the support

  • Jaggi
    Jaggi Member Posts: 6
    #6
    heisenberg said:

    hello Jaggi

    Welcome to the club that no one wants to be a member of! Still, you can get support here.

    Your life will be completely upturned emotionally for several weeks. Receiving a diagnosis of cancer is a literally traumatic event, you are traumatized. It gets better after a while once you get your equilibrium back. Right now you are probably in full fight-or-flight mode. It is not a happy space to be in but like I said, if you are able to endure it your psyche will adjust after a while. 

    This site was very helpful to me in recognizing my emotional symptoms:

    http://www.helpguide.org/articles/ptsd-trauma/emotional-and-psychological-trauma.htm

    Again, hang in there because the emotional trauma does get better after a while. It has been 2 and a half months since my diagnosis and I am just beginning to sleep through the night again. I still have some minor anxiety attacks when I wake up but compared to where I was say two weeks after the diagnosis, I am in a much better spot.

    Getting a cancer diagnosis completely destroys your sense of invulnerability, and you begin to wonder what else can go wrong. The best thing that you can do is distract yourself from negative thoughts if that is at all possible. I found that online coloring book apps and simple games for my Android phone helped to distract somewhat. 

    It is great that your prognosis is considered good, I would also keep reminding myself of that fact when I felt down.

    Again, for me the emotional challenges have been far worse than the physical for this disease. I went through mental torment for the first two months. Like I said, it is getting better now. Slowly your world will turn right-side-up again. Give it time, it needs time, and you probably can't rush it.

    As for working through chemo, I have been doing it through five chemo sessions so far and I've actually become more productive at work because I focus on the work to blot out my anxiety. People there are amazed Smile. So, it can be done. 

    Good fortune to you. Sending positive thoughts your way.

     

     

    Thanks

    i sincerely appreciate your support and encouragement. I am at present strong and ready to fight but it all depends on physical side effects. If I am able to endure the side effelets then hopefully I would stay strong emotionally. Thank you once again!

  • Jaggi
    Jaggi Member Posts: 6
    #7
    beaumontdave said:

    I was stage3b, resected at

    I was stage3b, resected at the sigmoid section, 2 of 17 nodes positive, did Folfox, all 12, some neuropathy, gone after 1 1/2 years, worked physical job with the pump, couldn't drink or touch cold stuff. Chemo wasn't rough for me, others had a hard time and lasting effects, so you won't know till you get there, best of luck...........................................Dave

    Thanks

    Hi Dave,

    Your diagnosis is almost same as mine. Your story is very encouraging. My work is not too hard. I need to drive for my appointments to different locations and basically discuss my products and benefits and clinical outcomes. My job is mainly with physicians. I feel motivated and string after reading your journey. Thank you!

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