Colon cancer
 

Get a colonoscopy. Today. If you're over 50 and haven't had one (a real colonoscopy, not a barium enema), pick up the phone and make an appointment to get one.

We took dad into the hospital yesterday for tests to see what was causing him to run a low-grade fever and to lose weight. I think my foreshadowing was blunt enough that you can guess what the test revealed. Although a sigmoid something or other and barium enema 3 years ago came back clean, a full colonoscopy revealed a polyp large enough to cause 60% blockage of his colon. The pathology results come back tomorrow, but the doctor says that he's certain that the tumor is malignant.

How long he's had it, no one knows. Once they've verified malignancy, they'll schedule more scans/tests/pokings/cuttings to find out how far it has spread. At this point, all we can hope for is that it's not in his lymph nodes -- but that's a long shot. Nothing that big on the inside could have failed to involve something on the outside.

Anyway, we're at the start of a long, hard road. At best, we have surgery and recovery to deal with. At worst (and what is with every passing hour looking more probable), mom won't get to grow old with her soulmate, and our family will be dealing with the umpteenth cancer death in 20 years.

I was going to post this in the support group thread, but I have a feeling I'll be writing a few more posts about it.

I feel like someone has been punching me in the head for the last 24 hours.

Thanks in advance for any prayers and good wishes you can send out.

Yeah, I had a whole 9-yards one done last year. Then you're good for another 10 years. The prep is the worst part -- OD on laxatives :( but the procedure drugs are good ;) I'd post pics but if you've seen one, you've seen 'em all...

and best wishes to you and your family.

mrnoodle, my good vibes are indeed heading your way. I will say a prayer for your dad and your family and please remember: they will need you, take good, GOOD care of yourself so you can be there for them.

So sorry to hear about this. My Mum had a close friend who survived bowel cancer, and a work colleague that didn't I'm sorry to say. As you wrote, you are at the start of a long road and it's not one I would wish anyone to set foot on.

All I can offer is my full sympathy and hopes for the future for you and your whole family.

Oh, Noodle! So sory to hear! Yes, one prayer coming right up! Sometimes, Doc's paint the grimmest possible picture, just in case. This has happened to me. I was once told that I had so much damage to my larnyx after a car wreck that I would never be able to speak again and that the first time I got so much as a cold I wouldn't be able to breathe anymore due to an obstructed air passageway. I went up to University Hosipital in Denver (Outstanding medical care, there, BTW), and the head of their ENT department worked magic on me over the course of two surgeries and here I am breathing and talking away. Let's hope that a similar thing will be true for your Dad.

I'm sorry, mrnoodle. Hang in there. I wish you and your family the best.

Makes me wonder about my Dad. I know he's had the barium one done. I need to ask him about that.

Dear mrnoodle:

I am shocked and saddened to hear your news. Please rest easy in this one small comfort--my prayers are with you and your father and your family. I pray also for wisdom and skill and compassion for the doctors and nurses and others that care for him and your family. Even if it's all I have to offer, I'm sure you know it's no small thing. It counts.

God bless your dad, you, and all your family. Please post again, if you feel the need. I will be here for you.

noodle, you and your family are in my thoughts and prayers.

mrnoodle, my thoughts and good wishes are with you and your family and this difficult time. Look after yourself so that you are best able to help those around you, and come back here and vent whenever necessary (but you don't need me to tell you that!).

Will do. sorry man.

Sorry to hear that, man. Best wishes to your Dad and his supporters.
What are you, nuts. If I don't know it's there, it'll just go away, right? :right:

Really sorry to hear about your dad. I've had GI tests before, and while they were uncomfortable as hell, the price of not getting them done is worse.

In your father's case, they did catch it, so things might not be as bad as they seem. Take a deep breath and brace yourself.

I'll add my prayers to everyone elses.

Good luck man. Cancer is not the death sentence it used to be!

It's probably not really my place to comment here being so new etc, but my heart goes out to you MrNoodle. It's a terrifying feeling that you have right now and I can only say that this feeling will pass one way or the other for good or bad. If the news is good, well praise be to all the Gods in the universe, but if it's bad, I recommend you explore all avenues, not just the ones offered by conventional doctors. You never know what's going to work and what's not, so keep an open mind, and stay as positive as you can.

My thoughts are with you.

I recommend you stick only to conventional doctors. Medicine works best when science is used to back it up. While you may not know what's going to work and what's not, the doctors will. That's why cancer is not the death sentence it used to be.

I wouldn't recommend disregarding a conventional doctors advice, but there are avenues such as nutritionist etc who can give invaluable advice on what you can do to help strengthen your body. I didn't mean go and talk to wacko quacks. Sorry for the confusion.

Today at 2:45 we will hear the pathology results.

That sentence looks so mundane. Nine words, a simple statement of fact. How many times have I read something similar from someone else? Did I ever have a reaction? I can't remember.

All I know is that those words contain more meaning than can be conveyed. Every one has its own significance. Today at 2:45 life is going to change forever.

Again.

And once again, I have to surrender what I can't change to God. I hate doing that. And I hate how Sunday School that sentence looks. But this is where peace comes from, and occasionally I get a thump upside the head to remind me of that fact.

I don't mean to make it sound like my dad having cancer is somehow all about me. Each of us, including dad, is dealing with this surrender in our individual way. I can only speak to what I'm feeling. And right at this moment, I poignantly feel the difference between hope in a living God and simple resignation to the inevitable. My lack of faith has come through too many times (dozens on this board alone) for this to sound like any more than a reaction to grief by someone who uses religion for a crutch. I'll take my hits for hypocrisy, and I'm smart enough to know what events like this can do to someone psychologically. But I wish you could experience the clarity I feel right now. I never got it from drugs, from new age crystal gazing, from rolling in the peat with mother nature. Only from God.

Here's where a polite person would put "YMMV" or some other weak-kneed "not that I'm saying my god is the ONLY one" disclaimer. I just can't.

Thanks for your prayers and good wishes, they mean a lot.

Logging off for a few days, probably. I'll keep you posted.

I just caught this thread. Noodle, my friend, my thoughts and prayers will be with your father, you, and the rest of your family during this experience. In case anyone doubts it, prayer (sending of energies, good mojo, positive vibes, pick a name) *does* work, and your father and family will have it in spades.

Keep your faith and your support handy, they will bear you and yours through trying times.

I'm really sorry, Noodle. We're here for you when you need.

Mr. Noodle,

I know all too well the feelings that you're dealing with right now, having gone through them with my own mother just a few years ago. One day at a time will take you through what God has brought you to.

You and your entire family will be in my prayers.

Kellie

Noodle, I hope by now that you have gotten news that gives at least some reason for hope. I think even the most profoundly spiritual person can experience a crisis of faith in such times. Don't make things worse for yourself by beating yourself up because you are not responding the way you think you "should."

May God be with you and your family during this difficult time for you all. You are in my prayers. :(

Update? :neutral:

Nothing much to update yet. It is malignant, about golf ball sized, and could have been there for years (dad's health has been a little off for about 8). No news on what stage it is or a prognosis -- today he goes in for a CT scan to determine if any remote organs are involved. If so, he'll be immediately put on the chemo and possibly radiation. If not, they'll schedule surgery for week after next (we don't actually get the results of the scan till next Wed). From there..................?

Thanks for your prayers, we're in a holding pattern for now. It's still devestating, but we are one by one getting our fighting gear on. Mom is the hardest hit, seems like. But we'll figure it all out. The amount of support he's already started to get is amazing -- it's almost uncomfortable.

Results of the scan are in. We will hear if the cancer has spread today. They called yesterday and moved his appointment up by 2 hours. This, of course, makes me nervous.

Colon cancer is the second deadliest form, just behind lung cancer. It's the third most common. I bet none of you have scheduled your colonoscopy yet. Don't fuck with this -- really.

Good news -- the CT scan was negative, so they're hoping the cancer hasn't spread past the colon. Looks like it might be treatable by surgery. They won't know for sure until they open him up, but the prognosis is for a full recovery.

Again, a couple of sentences don't convey the emotion very well. Now if he'll just make it through the surgery and his colon restart successfully, he and mom can grow old together after all.......

There ya go buddy! That's great news to start! And even if it has spread a little they can treat aggressively. Jacquelita's mom is about a year past cancer surgery. It really is not the death sentence it used to be and how beautiful is that?

Fingers still crossed all around, but... this thing can be beaten! Keep yer head up high.

Death from cancer is at its lowest point in decades. Thank your dad for doing his part. :-)

Awesome! That's the best news you could hope for.

Thank God.

My prayers continue, mrnoodle. Thanks for the update, not to mention the good good news. And a hearty "Get Well Soon" to your Dad.

Oh, YAY, Noodle! I am so glad for you and your Dad and your family! Here's my best wishes for a positive outcome for his upcoming surgery, as well! God bless.

Hi Mr. Noodle. I'm a late arrival.. So sorry to hear about your father's condition.
You situation really hits home with me as my wonderful sister in law died from colon cancer about nine years ago. She was only 39 and I was there with her when she passed. But remember every diagnosis and every individual is different. I pray that your father makes it through his surgery.

Thank you Jesus.

They took out the tumor and about a foot or 2 of colon, and are optimistic that there was no spreading. They'll physically look at the lymph nodes microscopically to find out if any cancer made it there. However, the pathologist was at the operation and did a little onsite slice-and-dice of the tumor as they closed up my dad -- he said that to the naked eye, there wasn't any evidence that the cancer had invaded the sheet of muscle tissue outside the colon. It's got to go through the sheet to get to the blood vessels that are around the lymph nodes (or something).

Hopefully we're just looking at a surgery recovery, the same as if it had been a benign polyp.

One of the best things ever was looking at my dad after the surgery and not seeing the cancer in his eyes. Anyone who has seen a cancer patient knows what I'm talking about.

Thanks again for the continued good wishes and prayers

Glad to read you good news, Noodle! My best wishes to your Dad and for his speedy recovery. Sounds like he's gonna be just fine! Phew! :)

Noodle, so glad to hear the good news! Sounds like things are going to be fairly 'easy' (being a hugely relative term here) for your Dad's recovery.

Still sending warm thoughts and good wishes to you and your familiy as your father recovers.

Woo Hoo! Let's hear it for JC, no Big C, and the swift recovery of Noodle Sr!

Good news, man.

Wonderful news, mrnoodle, and thanks for sharing it!

My best wishes and continued support for his recovery and for the well being of you and your family. Really wonderful, please pass on our shared joy.

Excellent!

:thumb2:

mrnoodle - that is fantastic news!!
Please keep us updated!

Pathology came back today -- there was cancer in 1 of the 25 lymph nodes they tested. That means they'll have to do some chemo, but it shouldn't be too bad (i.e., not enough to cause hair to fall out).

The only better news we could have gotten would be that all the cancer was gone. But in a way, it's almost a relief to know that they're delivering a coup de grace to whatever cells remain. Even with a clean bill of health, we'd still be terrified every time he got a fever or had stomach complaints. Looks like we'll be seeing a lot of Dr. Lee over the next few years. I think I might owe him a beer.

In my (family's) experience, chemotherapy is sickening, but not fatal. Good luck to your Dad and your family, mrnoodle.

Good news, good luck. Sending our prayers.

I'm glad to hear that they seem to have gotten most of it. Good luck.

Wonderful!! Give your dad an extra hug, once the stitches don't hurt so much. :)

That is some really good news! Best wishes to you and your family, mrnoodle.

Over the previous couple of years, both of my parents went through cancer treatments (breast and prostate), with full recoveries. Mom's spread to a few of her lymph nodes, so those were removed and she had 6 mos. of chemo and radiation. The chemo was the tougher of the two--she had to be careful about some foods she ate (no raw food, for example) and being around sick people, since her immune system was more sensitive during treatment. And she would complain of being queasy sometimes, and being fatigued--in a "weird" way that she could not describe. Her hair fell out, too, but it was no big deal--she looked cute bald.

I know it's hard, but try your best not to be terrified for your dad. Of course, there is the chance it could rear its ugly head again, but it could happen to any of us at any time, same as being hit by a bus (but probably with a better chance for recovery)--so no point in worrying!