New! Diagnosis of Adenacarcinoma--in Rectum

JDuke said:

MaryJane
Welcome to this amazing group of people. I am sorry that you have had to seek us out, but this site will bring you unbelievable comfort in the days ahead. There are many here who have been through what you will be experiencing. I have squamous cancer of the anal canal, which is different than yours, so my treatments would not compare. Rest assured you will hear from many members that will be able to provide you with a wealth of information and personal victories with this beast. It is very overwhelming at first, but as you said, once you have a plan in place, that feeling of having some control helps. I hope you can enjoy today, think positive thoughts; I will be praying for you.
Warmly,
Joanne
Remember...Thoughts become things - choose the good ones!

Fight for my love said:

You will be
You will be fine,relax.Please try not to let the whole thing overwhelm you,but I do understand it is easier to say than do.My husband was diagnosed with rectal cancer stage 2A in this May,it was a big big shock to both of us.He did the radiation and chemo before surgery,he had great response to the preoperative treatment,his tumor got shrank by 90% from a like pingpong ball size to a size much smaller than a dime,only very little leftover.The surgery went quite well,the surgeon got all of it.The pathology report showed the cancer was downstaged from stage 2 to stage 1.After 8 weeks recovery from the surgery,my husband started more chemo(Folfox) to make sure there is no potential cancer cells left in the body.Both oncologist and surgeon recommemed more chemo,because they say they want to make sure my husband will be cured completely.My husband just finished 5 of 12 rounds chemo,he is going to complete the whole treatments in the spring time.Chemo is tough,but we take one day at a time,take one treatment at a time like many people do in this forum.Please really get involved in the treatment and understand the disease,the more you know about it,the better you cope with it.It sounded like your tumor is not big and you found it early,so you do have great chance to beat the cancer up and you will be cancer free soon.Good luck with everything.Take care.

mgrinager said:

I was diagnosed with rectal
I was diagnosed with rectal cancer Nov 18th 2009, which was also the day my divorce was final, talk about stress...My care giver is the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Ft. Wayne. I have never been treated with more dignity,kindness, or encouragement. My doctors (who actually practice at other hospitals)have me on chemo and radiation, to be followed by surgery and more chemo. The chemo is Xeloda, it is in pill form,500mg 8 per day, and will be increased to 10 per day Tuesday. 28 sessions of radiation, 8 down 20 to go. I work 3rd shift, done at 8am, get to Radiation Oncology Associates for radiation at 8:30 and I am on my way by 8:45am! Side effects so far, fatgue (I have 10 good hours then it's lights out)loss of apetite, diarhea, and a third eye. Not really, but you need to keep a sence of humor and learn to appreciate EVERYTHING, good and bad, that's life. My doctors feel that the chemo/rad prior to surgery increases your survival rate. What did your reseach tell you?

PGLGreg said:

"My doctors feel that the
"My doctors feel that the chemo/rad prior to surgery increases your survival rate."

That's my understanding, though I don't think the difference is major. I had chemoradiation after surgery because my colonoscopy had left it unclear whether my tumor was in the rectum. It might have been a colon cancer, in which case I wouldn't have needed radiation. Surgery made it clear that it was rectal.

--Greg

VickiCO said:

MaryJane
My diagnosis (Oct 22, 2008) is similar to yours. My tumor was 2cm by 4cm and located just inside the rectum, very, very low. I did opt for the chemo/radiation before surgery and it was successful in that the tumor was eradicated, but not the total cancer. I had surgery in Feb 09, then more chemo into the summer, finishing in June. My rectal damage was too severe and in Nov I finally opted for a colostomy - best decision I've made since the cancer diagnosis. I have my life back. It takes some getting used to - I am still learning after 6 weeks - but it really was the best option for me.

I wish you the best and pray that your surgery is successful. My holidays last year were a 'nightmare', as you say, but here I am a year later, cancer free and enjoying life. Never give up hope. There is so much they can do to help us.

Many hugs, Vicki