Newbie here. A few questions

tanda said:

Trubrit

This is the anal cancer discussion board...there is a separate Colorectal Cancer Board

I scrolled to the top and it says Colorectal Cancer Forum.  I rarely as in almost never visit the Anal board. 

Maybe the forum is having a problem.

Edit: I think this may be showing up on both the Anal forum and the CRC forum.  It looks like the initial post was on the Anal forum and the mods moved it, and now its showing up on both.   See, I got it sorted 

Tru

Annabelle41415 said:

Boards

You are on the right board colo/rectal board.  A lot of anal cancer people come on this board because there is not much discussion on their board (didn't know they had one - so sorry) because it is the closest to their cancer.  Please continue to come on this forum and ask your questions as you will get a lot of people that can help.

Kim

I have been on the anal cancer board for years and I beg to differ.  There has been a tremendous amount of discussion there over the years.  It may be a little quiet right now, but I can assure you that if someone new comes on there, they will get support.

mp327 said:

Boards

I have been on the anal cancer board for years and I beg to differ.  There has been a tremendous amount of discussion there over the years.  It may be a little quiet right now, but I can assure you that if someone new comes on there, they will get support.

I'm so sorry if that was stated incorrectly by me.  When starting here the anal cancer board wasn't very active or didn't even know about it.  I'm sure that there is very great wealth of knowledge over there and if I've misspoke I'm sorry.  This whole support system on the ACS is awesome and no matter what site we are from there is always wonderful, caring people.  Wishing you continued health.

Kim

mp327 said:

Annabelle1415

No offense taken.  However, one topic that has been discussed often on the anal cancer board is the stigma associated with AC that does not exist with colon or rectal cancer.  As someone who has suffered through that, I have been so appreciative of the frank discussions and support that I've gotten from other AC survivors in that regard.  The "bottom" line (no pun intended), is that these are different types of cancer with some commonalities, however, likely causes and treatments are not the same.  All that said, support is support, no matter who or where it comes from.

You are right - the treatments are probably not the same just like mine was rectal cancer and most others here are colon cancers and the treatment is different.  I'll have to check out the AC board as I'm suffering so with issues closer to the "bottom" with terrible bathroom issues than the colon patients.  Thank you for your support on the boards.

Kim

Trubrit said:

Welcome

You are in the right place here on the CRC forum. 

I personally did the surgery before chemo and then chemo & radiation. Compared to the radiation, the surgery and first chemo were a doddle. Each person reacts to chemo and radiation differently. Some breeze through it, others suffer.  You will not know how it will effect you until your into it.  

It is good to be prepared for the good, the bad and the in-between. 

We're here for all of your questions. 

Tru

hi,,, i hit the anal cancer discussion tab which is the first one listed on discussion..... i have been coming since 2009 so i dont know what has happened to our discussion but Anal cancer is very different from rectal or colon.....so now, i am struggling to read all the posts from everyone..... I do not chime in as often as i used to because it would be reptitious..... but we all have problems so i will try to see why these different cancers have crossed on this site.....sephie

sephie said:

confused been here since 2009 for anal cancer

hi,,, i hit the anal cancer discussion tab which is the first one listed on discussion..... i have been coming since 2009 so i dont know what has happened to our discussion but Anal cancer is very different from rectal or colon.....so now, i am struggling to read all the posts from everyone..... I do not chime in as often as i used to because it would be reptitious..... but we all have problems so i will try to see why these different cancers have crossed on this site.....sephie

The reason you were directed to this board is because you clicked on the topic of discussion on the anal cancer board that was moved to the colorectal board by the admins.  It threw me off too.  The anal cancer board is still there as it has always been in the past.  If you go back to anal cancer and click on any of the other topics besides this one, you will still be in the anal cancer board.  I hope this answers your question. 

SandiaBuddy said:

Mods

Are the mods the ones that dress in bright colors and say "yeah man" a lot?  Just joking, of course,  I was telling someone about the "Mod Squad" today.  Anyone else remember that TV show?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0-XrZoHj2k

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mod_(subculture)

When I was very young, there were the Mods and Rockers in England.   

Lots of leather and bikes and the usual youthful dissatisfation.  - Maybe thats where the Rolling Stones got their song from 'I can't get no, Satisfaction' HA! 

Tru

dln1014 said:

Brand new

I am brand new and have been reading everyones posts. I'm a survivor of stage 3B anal cancer for 7 years and just want to be sure I'm in the correct place. Having some major issues for the last few years from chemo and radiation. I'm only 53 and it's really made my life pretty much nonexistent. Just wondering if I'm the only one alone here.

You're not alone on this forum. I'm wondering what's the difference between anal and rectal cancer, though. Like you, my life is not and probably never will be the same. I am so grateful for the days when I feel almost normal and they are few and far between. Right now I've been feeling good for a couple of months but I'm worried about when the axe is going to fall again. I hate that. Not being able to fully enjoy life anymore.

Jan

JanJan63 said:

You're not alone on this

You're not alone on this forum. I'm wondering what's the difference between anal and rectal cancer, though. Like you, my life is not and probably never will be the same. I am so grateful for the days when I feel almost normal and they are few and far between. Right now I've been feeling good for a couple of months but I'm worried about when the axe is going to fall again. I hate that. Not being able to fully enjoy life anymore.

Jan

Obviously, the first difference between anal and rectal cancer is the location.  Secondly, they are treated differently because, typically, the type of cancer cells are different.  While there may be some similarities, these are two different types of cancers.

"Anal cancer is a rare type of cancer that arises from the lining of the anus. The anus is lined by skin cells and, as a result, most of the anal cancers are squamous. (The word “squamous” refers to cells that are thin and flat, most often skin cells.) On the other hand, the rectum is internal and is the lower part of the colon that connects the colon to anus. As rectal cancer arises from the mucosa or lining, it is typically an adenocarcinoma (in other words, cancer of glandular tissue).

There is an association between HPV and anal cancer, as HPV is found in some of the cases. The risk of HPV infection increases with increased sexual activity. There is also an association between anal cancer and HIV infection, as well as being a smoker."

https://www.everydayhealth.com/colon-cancer/specialists/how-to-figure-out-if-cancer-is-anal-or-rectal.aspx

Hi there! I started with rectal cancer. Had 28 rounds of radiation first. I never had a problem until about the last 3.  It was painful and just made me feel a little beat up in that area.

Next I was to have 8 rounds of FOLFOX. I got through half of it (they gve you meds for nausea and anything you have) and I started getting serious pain when trying to go to the bathroom. After surgeon checked with scope, it didn't hurt anymore. However we did surgery anyway. They were afraid rumor was growing. So, I had the rectum, spincter and anus removed. Then I finished the rest of the chemo. All in all its about a 12 month fix.