I’m 25 and I just found out my dad has colorectal cancer

                My dad has been battling rectal cancer for two years and looks to be on his way to chemo and like you he is my best friend . He's more then dad to me he's like my only family so I know the pain your going threw hang in there and don't give up . Just recently I got my dad a second opinion first you need his oncologist now the local oncologist to send a referral to were you choose to have a second opinion . Then all the records get sent there and the second opinion looks at it and let's you know there opinion . We didn't even have to see the oncologist who did the second opinion we have a phone appointment with him and I live in michigan so I am sure it works this way for you to . Like tueffel said take a break from cancer once and while don't let the cancer consume yours and your dad's relationship just some friendly advice . 

The initial diagnosis is a real shock. It is a scary thing to learn of because we all know how devistating it can be. You will learn a lot about the disease and find hope here on this forum. There is chat that gets going after 9:00 pm EST.

I am from New Hampshire. My wife is 62 this month and we found out about her colon cancer in January. We are throwing everything including the kitchen sink at her condition, using conventional chemotherapy along with holistic oncology and energy healing. I would howl at the moon if Pubmed had a study that showed it had anticancer properties!

I found our holistic oncologist from this web directory https://fonconsulting.com/resources/integrative-oncology-centers/

I suggest that you accompany your Dad to his appointments if you can and see if he will give you access to his on-line medical records like MyChart. You will be able to read reports and get test results quickly to gauge what is going on. It has to be scary for him as well and he would benefit from you helping him through, taking notes at appointments, and helping him manage his care.

The shock will wear off. I lived on the edge of anguish for about six weeks following my wife's diagnosis. But remember, your Dad is a free man who can make decisions about his own life. You can influence his decisions but ultimately they are his to make, just as if the roles were reversed they would be yours to make.

God bless you and your Dad.

Dan

Staypositive1971 said:

Thank you!

My dad was 47 when he first found out the news of cancer cells in his colon, he's now 49... hopefully the cancer has not grow tremendously. I'm also curious if anyone has performed a strict recommended diet for this process. I'm assuming so but I dont want to make any assumptions. youre inspirational. I hope My dads body can do the same!

My wife is on a very restricted Keto diet. Cancer burns glucose. Healthy cells burn glucose or fat. Keto diets restrict carbs, which break down into glucose, and leave fats for fuel for healthy cells. There are studies on Pubmed about Keto and Cancer. Just a thought.

Staypositive1971 said:

Thank you

Hi Tueffel

 

i appreciate The kind words. I saw Other speaking up more renowned colon cancer insitutes and none of those are near me.. can I have the documents sent to those places for a second opinion. Will that even work if it's all remote.. new to this and I want to make the best educated decision since there are so many experts on this topic in this group.

Many people choose a name brand place if their insurance covers it. Some can afford to travel for treatment, some can't. Many people at my hospital come from all over the state.

You can have your records sent anywhere your father wishes. I'm having mine sent to another hospital myself (I have to fax them, I can't believe there is somewhere that still uses faxes lol).

They can talk to you over the phone regarding your options if they can see everything there is to see (scan results, etc)

Staypositive1971 said:

Thank you tarheeels

Okay thank you! thats more than likely what we'll have to do. How do you go about treatments then? You would have to make the trip? That seems very tough financially. I'll talk to my dad About it. 

Yes, people are coming here by car usually and stay overnight, heard a few people talk about getting a hotel and everything. Most often they are retired (I am assuming because of their age) and so they have the time but not maybe the money, but they are doing it.

I would definitely speak with someone at the name brand treatment centers if your dad thinks that is what he wants. OTOH, once they see his medical records they may not prescribe anything differently than the local hospital does. Some treatments are the same no matter what. If he is going for surgery, the strength of the facility may be a concern. My surgeons have all been fine, my hospital is not top ten but it is no slouch in the reputation department, lol. But I think we might expect a top ten rated facility to do something magical that no other facility can do, I don't think that's the case in all situations.

I was 52 years old when I was diagnosed with stage 3. I had a colon resection and had 12 rounds of chemo. I'm now 10 years cancer free.