colon cancer surgery: kindly share your experiences and guide me

Welcome!
December 2004, stage III squamous cell carcinoma of the rectum. My first treatment was chemo/rads...as it turns out, that did the trick. BUT, after consult with my gastric surgeon, because I was a healthy 49 year old woman, he suggested we go ahead with removing my rectum and sigmoid colon, and fashioning a 'new' storage facitity out of descending colon (called a J-pouch procedure).

I just celebrated 5 years free from colorectal cancer. My oncologist kicked me back to my G.P., using the 'other' C word...'cured'!

Welcome to the site, there are so many here to help...ask anything you wish...except my weight...lol!

Hugs, Kathi

colon surgery
I experienced this recently (Feb 2010) when my 25 year old daughter had surgery for colon cancer. She had her entire colon removed, then her small bowel hooked up (no bag). She spent about 8 days in the hospital, she had a hard time getting her colon working again. I think the key is to get up and move around! But I have to tell you the timeline - Surgery Tuesday, still taking morphine and dilauded Sunday, next Tuesday, no more morphine pump, just oral pain meds and sent home. By Friday she was out running errands. Once home, she recovered 100% every day and actually went back to work to a desk job 3 weeks to the date after surgery! She has only missed work for chemo treatments and then goes right back to work and even out at night for trivia at a bar. So, don't let this worry you - she's stage IIIC and she's gone right back to her normal life as muh as possible.

The surgeon told her she just needs to get through the next 18 months and then she'll be cured. So far, so good! So yes, you can be cured. A slight inconvenience for a period of time, then life will be back to normal. You can do it!

Colorectal surgery

Should be performed by a colorectal surgeon. If your surgeon
isn't an experienced colorectal surgeon, it would be in your best
interests to get one. If you have to postpone surgery, postpone it.

A colorectal surgeon will advise you or the possibility of needing
an ostomy, even if temporarily. If it is a possibility, then time will
be taken to locate the area where an ostomy will be best for
your lifestyle. The location of an ostomy is very important.
The wrong placement of any type of ostomy will cause more
problems than imaginable.

I was told about a week of hospital care also. I ended up in ICU
for over three weeks, and in step down for over a week. My
surgical wound didn't heal quickly; it took almost 6 months
to heal fully. Chemo can not be started unless wounds are healed
and no infections are present. At 6 months past surgery, chemo
was a moot choice, as the effectiveness is less than 50%, as
clearly stated in almost all literature; ask your onco. Chemo
should be started within a month of surgery, two months
at the most.

Lymph node involvement is gauged best with more than 20 nodes
removed and tested. Less than that tested is not worth the results.
If there are less than 4 nodes out of 20, you are in decent shape
statistically. If there are greater than 4 nodes out of twenty, you are
in line with the rest of the 3b and 3c cancer people.

If you're scared, you have reason to be, just as we all have
reason to be. Cancer is scary. HIV is scary, and so are a ton
of diseases that there are no cures for. But being scared is no
reason to lose hope. What is better, is to align yourself with the
situation at hand, and make plans for the best way to take
care of the problem.

Read, read and read. The Internet is great for research, provided
you stay awake enough to realize that most of the data can be
fabricated, false, or greatly exaggerated. The .org, .edu and.net
sites are usually more beneficial than the .com sites.

Any site that is selling something will usually be leaning towards
what they are selling. That goes for any of the mainstream cancer
web sites, as well as the holistic web sites. It doesn't matter if
it's chemo, herbs, or sea grass, if there's money involved, there'll
be some embellishing of facts.

Anyone that tells you that your cancer can be cured within a
specific amount of time is either dreaming or disingenuous.
To date, there is no known "cure" for cancer.

Your body's immune system allowed a normal cell to begin
living by the fermentation process without attempting to remove
it from your body. When that problem is resolved; when your
own immune system starts doing what it was intended to do,
that will be the "cure". Until then, all we have to hope for with
what's presently available, is to keep the condition stabilized.

On the brighter side... They are now realizing that when a cancer
cell dies, it releases chemicals that the immune system can identify
as foreign, and consequently attack. If that is the case, a cure
may be within sight for most all of us.

I think you'll do as well as any of us, but please.... make sure
you are under the care of an experienced colorectal surgeon.

Do that for yourself. It's that important.

Better days!

John

Hi
Welcome to the board! It's nice to meet you, but I'm so sorry you have cancer. It definitely is a shock to the system, isn't it? You're going to be scared and confused for awhile, but there are good treatments out there, and things WILL get better!

*hugs*
Gail

Welcome
Most have already posted what I would say so I will stick with a welcome to the board. NEVER be afraid to ask anything in this group but more importantly with your Doc. I like what Buzz said the next year is going to be a whirlwind. It is not an easy road, there are no miracle pills or cures but plenty of people selling both. That being said YOU CAN BEAT THE MONSTER!!!
Attitude is very important, but dont beat yourself up over self doubt or depression realize they are normal emotions that you will experience at some level. Keep your eye on the prize, celebrate the "little" victories and remember you have been thrown into a war, the enemy is not a kind one and he will attack on all fronts physical and mental, dont expect to win every battle but expect to win the WAR!
good luck to you,and I think Buzz said this too, make today the first day of KICKING CANCERS A@#!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
GREYBEARD

Hi
I am a 50 year old man, who was told February of last year, I had cancer. Two stage III tumors indifferent parts of my colon. I am still here, so as scary as cancer is, it does not always have to have a bad ending. I am currently wearing Depends and can not manage much food, but this summer I will see my youngest son get married, visit my grandson in CO and hopefully a trip to the Grand Canyon. I can't say it has been easy (did I mention I was wearing Depends?), but I can tell you even with cancer there can still be plenty of life left to live.

Best wishes