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POWWOW
POWWOW Member Posts: 2
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
Hello I'm a newbie and this is my first post. I've got all the symtoms of colon cancer and have my first doctors appointment this coming Thursday. What sould I expect...I'm already worried that I have cancer. Please advise. Thanks.

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  • tennislover
    tennislover Member Posts: 64
    #2
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    Hello there and welcome! I havent been on this site long but it has been such a support system for me. If you do have cancer, you have come to the right place to share your total experience and get total support! I dont know what you have had done yet in the way of tests. Have you had a colonoscopy? That is where they started with me. After the procedure was done I knew that I did indeed have cancer. Have you had any blood tests or scopes done yet?
  • POWWOW
    POWWOW Member Posts: 2
    #3
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    tennislover said:

    Hello there and welcome! I havent been on this site long but it has been such a support system for me. If you do have cancer, you have come to the right place to share your total experience and get total support! I dont know what you have had done yet in the way of tests. Have you had a colonoscopy? That is where they started with me. After the procedure was done I knew that I did indeed have cancer. Have you had any blood tests or scopes done yet?

    Thanks for your response. I have had no tests as of yet but will this coming Thursday. I "DO" have all the sysmtoms that indicate to me colon cancer and I'm already freaking out. Steve
  • AuthorUnknown
    AuthorUnknown Member Posts: 1,537 Member
    #4
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    Hello Steve,

    I am so sorry that you have to go through this. This is excellent place for support.

    I know it is difficult not to worry, but maybe you can try to not to think about it until your tests results are ready. Maybe it is not that... Maybe it is something else. But you are right to go to the doctor. The doctor will either send you to gastroenterologist specialist who will schedule colonoscopy or this doctor will schedule colonoscopy. Whatever it is, insist on having colonoscopy done. This is the only way to diagnose cancer in the colon. So, please hang in there and we will pray for you so that by some miracle it will turn out to be not cancer.

    Please do let us know what happens on thursday.

    Best wishes and God Bless, Eleonora
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #5
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    Hey, Steve....a piece of 'easier said than done' advice.
    Don't worry until you have something to worry about...it won't change the outcome.
    Congrats on seeking medical advice when you noticed some troubles, but let the medical people do some/most of the diagnostic work. From your strong post, I guess that these symptoms have not been around for a long time with you ignoring them. Good for you. The first time I passed blood, I was in my doctor's office the next day, and under treatment within a month. The earlier it is caught, the better chance there is of vanquishing the beast!

    Depending on your symptoms, mainly the passing blood thing, you will have alot of workup tests done, including some that are easy(CT Scan), some that are yucky(sigmoidoscopy and/or colonoscopy...sigh...ANYthing with a 'scopy' in it), and some that are pokey (lab tests). You need to make sure your anxiety is addressed...don't just have them pat you on the head and say it's just stress, if that doesn't feel right.
    I truly believe that we know our own bodies better than anyone...we live IN them....
    Here's hoping that it is NOT the beast...but if it is, there are a bunch of us crazy people here to help you thru it!

    Hugs, Kathi
  • Patrusha
    Patrusha Member Posts: 487
    #6
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    Steve,

    Take a deep breath. While it is definitely a possibility you have cancer, it is just as possible that you have something else that has similar symptoms. Also, there is such a thing as catching this colon cancer stuff early on and complete cures are possible. So, again, take a deep breath.

    Get the colonoscopy (is that what they are doing on Thursday?) and hope for the best. The doctor who did my colonoscopy was able to tell me right off the bat that he was pretty sure that what he found was cancer... and he was right. So you should have some preliminary answers on Thursday. THat being said, it will be some time before you'll know how far this has progressed (again, if it IS cancer) and you'll need to do a bunch of other tests as Kathi described.

    It's not hopeless, Steve. Scary, yes. Hopeless, no. Keep that in the front of your mind.
  • scouty
    scouty Member Posts: 1,965 Member
    #7
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    Hi Steve,

    Exactly what symptoms are you having????????

    FYI, I have been coming to this site for 2 1/2 years now and you are the 3rd person to post saying "they know they have colorectal cancer" before a doctor confirming it and you know what, the other 2 did NOT have it, they were wrong!!!!!!!!! Personally I had no symptoms until my colon perforated.

    Keep us posted.

    Lisa P.
  • spongebob
    spongebob Member Posts: 2,565 Member
    #8
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    Ahoy, Steve -

    How did you tests come out?

    Wishing you good health and a hemorhoid (did you ever imagine someone wishing you to have a hemorhoid would be a GOOD thing?)

    - SpongeBob
  • vinny3
    vinny3 Member Posts: 928 Member
    #9
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    It sounds like you are having your first appt on Thursday so they may not do much in the way of testing on that day. Make sure they set you up for a colonoscopy. The test is not that bad but the prep is icky. If the colonoscopy shows signs of cancer they can tell you at that time and then would do further tests-the scans and CEA. Hang in there, the symptoms for cancer are the same as for other minor problems-it is just that it is important not to attribute them to the minor problems without testing. I had symptoms of hemorrhoids for 30 yrs and would periodically go in and get that confirmed. Unfortunately the last time I did that there was cancer present. But even at that the condition is treatable as you can see from the many posts at this site. We just learn to adjust our life somewhat.

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