Sometimes... things happen to us that we can not control.
I am a survivor of Colo-Rectal Cancer.
Getting a second chance at life is pretty cool. My outlook is different. I treat people differently now. I wonder why I treated people differently before.
I spent many hours researching my problem when I was diagnosed with colo-rectal cancer. Thanks to a 19 yr. old lad from England, I knew what to expect at every turn. It has been too long for me to remember his name, but I would like to acknowledge him now, if I could. I thank him for his dedication to help people like me and you.
PROBLEMS :
I remember changes in bowel movements. Frequent, then distant. Running for the bath room, with no results. Barely making it there. Painful experiences there. I really thought it was hemorroids.
NOTE :
Undelined words can be defined in your dictionary or at Google( www.Google.com)
The Doctor ruled out hemorroids and referred me to another doctor to perform a colonscopy. This procedure involves a scope which sees any problems and tiny snips to remove any polyps which can lead to tumors.
I had polyps and I had a big tumor. I had Cancer.
SOLUTIONS :
The doctor referred me to an oncology surgeon . He promptly referred me to a Radiation Specialist.
I went through six weeks of radiation to shrink the tumor. It was easy at first. I would leave home at 6:30 am and arrive at the hospital at 7.00 am. I would sign in and go to wardrobe to down a gown. I would wait for my name to be called, then proceed to the radiation room. They promptly "tattoed" me in 3 areas.. around my cheeks.. both sides and the back. This would be the "target" for the radiation ray.
The next visit for radition became a daily routine. Sign in, down a gown, wait to be called, then enter the radiation room.
The techs were very kind and supportful. They deal with this every day. They acknowledge you and ask about your well-being and life in general. They always make you feel welcome to return for treatment by saying " See you tomorrow Mr. Smith"
One tech secures your position, then sets the circular enclosure with the ray to target the "tatoo". The other tech reaches above you, and exchanges some kind of slide plate with a new one. They exit the room and you hear a " Bzzzzzzz " for about 30 seconds. They renter the room and reposition the ray for the next tatoo. This procedure is repeated until your tatoos have been targeted 4 times; front, rear, and both sides.
From there, you get dressed, exit hospital, and go home or to work.
Now that I was prepped for radiation, I had to report to my new Chemotherapy doctor. He promptly attached a 24 hour pump to my body which dispensed chemo consistently. I had to refill pump every week. This was necessary to reduce the size of the tumor in order to make it operable.
I continued to work at least 40 hrs per week to support my family. I concealed the pump , underneath my shirt, to the side, and discussed my dilemma only with my trusted co-workers.
SIDE EFFECTS :
They sounded terrible . I expected the worst.. losing hair, loss of weight, loss of appetite, nausea when smelling food, burns..... I was scared. All of these procedures actually saved my life. The radaition shrank the tumor, the Chemotherapy killed the cancer cells, and surgery was the next step.
I did experience nausea, some hair thinning, burns around my buns about the third week, blisters on lips(which I had prescription cream for) and loss of appetite. I bloated to 172 lbs and dropped to 152.
After completing radiation and chemo, I felt like I did not require surgery at all. The docs said " No, you have to follow this through"
And so, I did. The surgery was supposed to be 4 hours( doc called it . Major Major surgery as opposed to Major surgery)
He said I could have been carrying this thing around for as long as 12 yrs.
He gave me 6 weeks to prepare for the surgery. I thank him for that.
The surgery only lasted bout 2 and 1/2 hours. The tumor was so low that he could not re-connect my rectum to my colon. He removed the entire rectum, hence the colostomy.
