Hubby diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer 4 years ago. Surgery, 3 months of chemo and fine ever since. He participated in a study that lasted 3 years. With that, has had a ton more follow up than normal. Luckily, it is so slow growing that the chances of catching it in time are high. Fingers, toes & eyes crossed for you.
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Sannois, many hugs and jingles for you. Thank you for taking the time to tell people how important diagnostic tests are to catch things early.
We are and will be here for you!
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Hugs from me! I hope your doctor is able to get back to you quickly. I am SO glad that you decided to go for the testing. And, I second the suggestion that you do not go web surfing.
They have made such advances in treating cancer these days. I have a cousin who was diagnosed with very advanced breast cancer because the clinic she went to for her yearly mammogram missed the tumor and it went untreated until a year later when she went to a different clinic for her yearly exam. In spite of that, she underwent a successful treatment, and just celebrated her fifth year of being cancer free.
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Jingles and cancer obliterating prayers coming your way.
Susan
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Cancer survivor here, 3 years out from breast cancer. ZuZu was a great cheerleader for me and now for you!
My adviceā¦accept help and companionship going to your appointments if it is offered. I should have done that more. I had 33 small radiation treatments consecutively. The techs there were the best most positive people you could wish for!
As others have said, the treatments and care available now are great.
It also helped me to see a couple survivors where I work, just doing fine. I call them āthose who have walked this path ahead of meā.
Like you, OP, I felt like āIāve had a pretty good life. More than a lot of peopleā but āI still want moreā and thatās okay. I kept my eye on the positive people. Had also had a volunteer in one of my programs that had had 5 different types of cancer, but kept coming back! All about the attitudeā¦
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Good thoughts and jingles sent your way Sannois!
As my sister the MD would say, ācolon cancer is one of the ābestā cancers one can haveā - meaning, itās highly treatable.
Stay positive, you will beat this!
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Well the bad news isā¦ well itās obvious, the bad news is that you have your scary cancer diagnosis, but the good news is that you have inspired at least one COTHer to schedule a colonoscopy.
For those who are procrastinating, a colonoscopy is a snap. The only bad part is drinking that icky stuff. Next time, Iām going to ask my doctor if I can fast an extra day beforehand and just have the citrus stuff (which is delicious) and maybe half of the icky stuff.
The good part is that after you have done the cleanse you feel like youāve just been on a healthy diet, all light and thinner. I walked out of the procedure feeling normal, nothing odd, painful, leaky or gassy down there there afterwards ā just felt normal, and I donāt recall needing any recovery time at all.
This year my doctor sent home the Cologuard kit which I procrastinated with for a few months. That was stupid because it couldnāt have been easier; the kit includes a collection bowl with a hangar that attaches to your toilet and you poop normally, do a couple of easy packaging steps and send it off. The mailing package and postage is all provided so you just drop it off at I think it was UPS. The most difficult thing about it (and the word ādifficultā is a stretch) was remembering to do it early in the week so that the package doesnāt arrive on a weekend or holiday.
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Cologuard only tests your genetic percentages.
Not if you do or don`t actually have it.
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The last discussion I heard about Cologuard was that if it is positive, you MUST go ahead with a colonoscopy. However, if it is negative, it doesnāt mean you are squeaky clean. It cannot detect a precancerous polyp, either. It might be useful for someone who absolutely refuses a colonoscopy - but then, if it is positive, what are you going to do?
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So you scheduled one?? Go Petey!!! awesome.
HUGS!!!
Wicky is right, same with those Hemocult tests, those only tell if blood is present, not why.
I cannot stress enough how freaking easy it was.
I actually felt so sorry for my doc, he looked wrecked. He is a very nice man.
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Do you have people who can help you through this?
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Yes, My Ex. and as strange as it sounds we get along so great now, if only he was like he is now when we were married.
He is my best friend.
I almost feel more sorry for him, he is devastated. 
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Did some therapeutic leaf burning out back this evening. LOVE to do that in the spring.
But the weather is supposed to turn nasty again this weekend. What the heck, MArch came in like a lion in Michigan and now is going out like one? :eek:
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The magic that are COTH jingles headed your way
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just wanted to say ā¦ I thought of you several times today ā¦and Iām sending Jingles.
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Thinking of you and sending you some hugs and jingles. It is nice to hear your ex is supportive. Mine was better after we got divorced too, so much so that we remarried.
My BIL had stage 3 or 4 colon cancer. He was diagnosed three years ago and is now cancer free. He looks great and has returned to his life as it was before he was diagnosed.
Hang in there, you will get through this!
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Sending hugs and jingles, and healing thoughts.
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Oh, sorry, no, not I! Someone else said they did.
I have had a colonoscopy and my doctor prescribed the Cologuard next. As long as everything continues to be clear he said heās going to vary the tests, colonscopy every other time.
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Hang in there Sannois and donāt imagine the worst until you hear it. Itās a waste of your time to freak out if later you find that itās not so bad. Iāve been thereā¦ waitingā¦ wait until you know to really think and plan.
For anyone hesitating , itās really not as awful as you think it will be. A night on the toilet (have some movies available) and you sleep through the scope. No biggie. The hardest part for me was finding transport (no family in State) as they wonāt let you drive afterward and there are only so many people I can ask to drive me to and from a colonoscopy.
Thinking of you.
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Yes this is awful. not being able to find transport.
And they are a stickler about it. When I was in the office Wed. they have a big sign, Driver MUST stay with patient the entire apointment. meaning you cannot just drop someone off and pick them up.
My discharge instructions, no driving for 12 hoursā¦ Well ha, I could have driven from the appointment.
Ex drove me back to his house, I hopped in the jeep and drove home.
I am sure it is a liability that they are protecting themselves.
The sad thing about my current situation is I felt okay most of the time, BEFORE the Colonoscopy, Now, Eh not so much. Monday I am calling the office. Like one of you great folks told me, must be proactive.
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