Please read important info! Thanks to all that replyed

ANNAE
ANNAE Member Posts: 11
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
My first surgery was 11/03 (2feet of my colon taken out), but my resection leaked and I got an
infection inside and had to have emergency surgery within a month. Yes, had to be cut again from bellybutton to pelvic area. So, please if you get a fever and start vomiting, after surgery go to the ER and have them do a CT. This saved my life. A different doctor did my second surgery. I now have a PPO and go to City of Hope in Duarte, CA. They looked at my slides and down graded my cancer from a T3 to T2NOMO. I go every 3months for followups, CT every 6months and colon test once a year. My side affect from my surgery is many bowel movements in a day at any time. Does anyone have this also?

Advice to all that have surgery, be careful in lifting things. Because I had two surgery back to back my abdominal wall was weak and I now have a hernia above my bellybutton and face another surgery. And will be cut in the same place, not happy about this and I think this is another reason my cancer haunts me. They said to wait as long as i can for the surgery, because even if you are healed outside you may not be healed inside. So please be careful!

Any one in California, City of Hope is the place to go they are wonderful and caring. Their number is (626) 359-8111.

God be with all of us.

Anna

Comments

  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #2
    Morning ANNAE -

    Sounds like you had an exciting month there! Glad you are OK now.

    Regarding the prepetual bathroom deal... that is about the most common side effect. I had 27 inches removed from me. I was going 5-8 times a day. A couple of recommendations:

    1. Get one of those padded seats like your grandma had. Might as well be comfortable!

    2. Get a subscription to National Geographic, Reader's Digest (now I know why they call it "digest"), Smithsonian, and Jane magazines. Might as well use your "quality time" to learn about the world (the subscription to Jane is to just make you more hip and well-rounded. Although it's a "chick mag" I enjoy reading it.)

    3. Drink lots of water - I'm not talking about the recommended 8-10 8 oz servings that is for people with a good 3 feet of colon. No m'am. I'm talking about 2-3 litres of water. You may be in the bathroom going pee more often, but that's preferrable to getting dehydrated.

    4. Believe it or not, do lots of FIBER! That will actually slow things down in your case. I eat about 4 tiny snacks a day (healthy ones) including a couple of power bars, which are high in fiber, in the morning. I eat one real meal at about 2 pm. I am down to one or two visits to the reading room per day - I may even let my subscription to Jane Magazine lapse.

    5. Exercise, exercise, exercise. It will aid with good bodily function, good water processing, you'll feel better, and you'll look great! It may not, by itself, keep you from running to the bathroom five or six times a day, but you won't be out of breath when you get there!

    Be well.

    - SpongeBob
  • kangatoo
    kangatoo Member Posts: 2,105 Member
    #3
    spongebob said:

    Morning ANNAE -

    Sounds like you had an exciting month there! Glad you are OK now.

    Regarding the prepetual bathroom deal... that is about the most common side effect. I had 27 inches removed from me. I was going 5-8 times a day. A couple of recommendations:

    1. Get one of those padded seats like your grandma had. Might as well be comfortable!

    2. Get a subscription to National Geographic, Reader's Digest (now I know why they call it "digest"), Smithsonian, and Jane magazines. Might as well use your "quality time" to learn about the world (the subscription to Jane is to just make you more hip and well-rounded. Although it's a "chick mag" I enjoy reading it.)

    3. Drink lots of water - I'm not talking about the recommended 8-10 8 oz servings that is for people with a good 3 feet of colon. No m'am. I'm talking about 2-3 litres of water. You may be in the bathroom going pee more often, but that's preferrable to getting dehydrated.

    4. Believe it or not, do lots of FIBER! That will actually slow things down in your case. I eat about 4 tiny snacks a day (healthy ones) including a couple of power bars, which are high in fiber, in the morning. I eat one real meal at about 2 pm. I am down to one or two visits to the reading room per day - I may even let my subscription to Jane Magazine lapse.

    5. Exercise, exercise, exercise. It will aid with good bodily function, good water processing, you'll feel better, and you'll look great! It may not, by itself, keep you from running to the bathroom five or six times a day, but you won't be out of breath when you get there!

    Be well.

    - SpongeBob

    Hi again Anna--Bob stole me thunder--lol
    He has some sound advice there and it is worth doing, although his choice of magazines is not my first--lol--I prefer a good motorcycle magazine!
    Seriously Anna, I found that after they took about a third of my colon it took some time to get back to what I call reasonably "normal". I found that "several " small meals a day helped rather than 3 main meals--oh--and drink lots of water--er -Bob said that?
    Sorry to hear yu had a hard time of it and your advice on lifting is something all need to be aware of.Our very best--luv-kanga n Jen
  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    #4
    thanks for the advice boys, all I can add An is Archie comics, they are good on the porcelain think tank.

    Randy
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #5
    AuthorUnknown said:

    thanks for the advice boys, all I can add An is Archie comics, they are good on the porcelain think tank.

    Randy

    Right-on, Randy... I've been secretly in love with Veronica since I was 8...
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    #6
    Hi Anna. Bert and I are in California and if we hadn't gone to USC/Norris on recommendation of a wonderful oncologist who specializes in cancers of the digestive tract, particularly colon, that's where I think we would have gone. Bert originally when surgery was performed was with an HMO and while treatment was excellent, the oncologists available were not bad, but left a lot to be desired....honestly, overworked for lack of any other way to describe it. I put Bert on my PPO effective January 2004 and started him at USC/Norris. Best move we've ever made. His staging however did remain at stage III with four nodes involved, but I am glad to hear that yours was upgraded. The is great news.

    Bert's oncologist works on many research programs in conjunction with the City of Hope and I'm glad for that too.

    Regards to you,
    Monika and Bert in Southern California but a heck of a ways away from Duarte.
  • ANNAE
    ANNAE Member Posts: 11
    #7
    spongebob said:

    Morning ANNAE -

    Sounds like you had an exciting month there! Glad you are OK now.

    Regarding the prepetual bathroom deal... that is about the most common side effect. I had 27 inches removed from me. I was going 5-8 times a day. A couple of recommendations:

    1. Get one of those padded seats like your grandma had. Might as well be comfortable!

    2. Get a subscription to National Geographic, Reader's Digest (now I know why they call it "digest"), Smithsonian, and Jane magazines. Might as well use your "quality time" to learn about the world (the subscription to Jane is to just make you more hip and well-rounded. Although it's a "chick mag" I enjoy reading it.)

    3. Drink lots of water - I'm not talking about the recommended 8-10 8 oz servings that is for people with a good 3 feet of colon. No m'am. I'm talking about 2-3 litres of water. You may be in the bathroom going pee more often, but that's preferrable to getting dehydrated.

    4. Believe it or not, do lots of FIBER! That will actually slow things down in your case. I eat about 4 tiny snacks a day (healthy ones) including a couple of power bars, which are high in fiber, in the morning. I eat one real meal at about 2 pm. I am down to one or two visits to the reading room per day - I may even let my subscription to Jane Magazine lapse.

    5. Exercise, exercise, exercise. It will aid with good bodily function, good water processing, you'll feel better, and you'll look great! It may not, by itself, keep you from running to the bathroom five or six times a day, but you won't be out of breath when you get there!

    Be well.

    - SpongeBob

    you have a great sense of humor.

    #1 Have good self padding!!!!
    #2 Get Nat Geo
    #3 Water yes, 1 glass and within hour bathroom reading time.
    #4 Will try
    #5 Walk every day.

    Thanks for your info, take care:)
    Hope things continue to be OK!

    Anna
  • ANNAE
    ANNAE Member Posts: 11
    #8
    kangatoo said:

    Hi again Anna--Bob stole me thunder--lol
    He has some sound advice there and it is worth doing, although his choice of magazines is not my first--lol--I prefer a good motorcycle magazine!
    Seriously Anna, I found that after they took about a third of my colon it took some time to get back to what I call reasonably "normal". I found that "several " small meals a day helped rather than 3 main meals--oh--and drink lots of water--er -Bob said that?
    Sorry to hear yu had a hard time of it and your advice on lifting is something all need to be aware of.Our very best--luv-kanga n Jen

    Hi there from down under,

    Sorry about time difference. Maybe I'll try a motorcycle magazine, since my pipe(colon) has been rimmed (spelling). You know when they do something to the motorcycle pipes and they are louder. Hope you understand that.

    I will try small meals and water.

    it's 6:00pm, if I'am right it is 5:am there? Hope your new day is great.

    Anna

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