Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Living with Colon Cancer
i have been reading about Colon Cancer, just for some answers, and a lot of the articles do not seem to relate to my current situation, so if anyone will read my story, please comment back with some answers.
Some facts about Colon (bowel/colorectal) cancers
36,700 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the UK each year. Excluding non melanoma skin cancer, this makes colorectal cancer the 3rd commonest cancer overall. It is the 2nd commonest affecting women (after breast cancer). About 22,700 of these 36,700 colorectal cancers are large bowel (colon) cancers and the rest are back passage (rectum) cancers.
SYMPTOMS
* Bleeding from the back passage (rectum) or blood in your stools
* A change in normal bowel habits towards diarrhoea or looser stools that lasts longer than 6 weeks
* A lump that your doctor can feel in the right side of your abdomen, or in your rectum
* A straining feeling in the rectum
* Losing weight
* Pain in your abdomen or rectum
* Anaemia (a low level of red blood cells)
Most cases of Colon cancer need an operation, to remove the tumour or part of the bowel. Most are given advice or at least the choice of whether they want this kind of operation. Most are left with a colostomy or ileostomy before the operation and before signing that form. Me, i was admitted into hospital with severe pains, given Morphine, and told they would operate on me to see what was causing the pain. nobody warned me about what kind of operation. Did they neglect to tell me or was so high on morphine i had no idea what was going on. When i woke up, still in pain, they told me then that i had my bowel removed due to an unknown blockage. And i also had a Stoma now. 'Would i like to look at it' they asked. I was not prepared for the next few months of what this Stoma would now control my life. When i posted my fears on twitter, i had the colon cancer profile posting lots of articles or links but it may as well be written in Chinese as me, being the patient, do not know the medical jargon he was posting.
When i went to the doctor who was to discharge me from the chemo, he said do i have any questions. My mind went blank. I had questions for the past few months rotating round my head, but there and then i just went DUH!.
But i did have this same problem when i had problems with my liver. All the GP gave me was some links to a website, again, reading it left me more confused than before. Are GPs so useless or just can not be bothered to actually discuss it with the patient. Why does the Doctor ask the patient if they have any questions before discussing their condition. Of course the patient has questions, but they have so many swirling around their brain, their brain shuts down once they are in the GP's surgery. The GP should actually discuss their condition without the need to ask the poor confused patient if they have any questions.
And as for fitting the criteria of having Colon cancer, I ate almost healthily, was not a fan of too many cakes and fatty foods, ate a lot of vegetables, loved the healhty stir fry, and ate less meat than most people. not a regular drinker except on vacation or xmas, so any of these factors again dont relate to me. Also, this kind of cancer has not ventured into my family genes before so, again, makes me wonder what is the cause.
Some facts about Colon (bowel/colorectal) cancers
36,700 people are diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the UK each year. Excluding non melanoma skin cancer, this makes colorectal cancer the 3rd commonest cancer overall. It is the 2nd commonest affecting women (after breast cancer). About 22,700 of these 36,700 colorectal cancers are large bowel (colon) cancers and the rest are back passage (rectum) cancers.
SYMPTOMS
* Bleeding from the back passage (rectum) or blood in your stools
* A change in normal bowel habits towards diarrhoea or looser stools that lasts longer than 6 weeks
* A lump that your doctor can feel in the right side of your abdomen, or in your rectum
* A straining feeling in the rectum
* Losing weight
* Pain in your abdomen or rectum
* Anaemia (a low level of red blood cells)
Most cases of Colon cancer need an operation, to remove the tumour or part of the bowel. Most are given advice or at least the choice of whether they want this kind of operation. Most are left with a colostomy or ileostomy before the operation and before signing that form. Me, i was admitted into hospital with severe pains, given Morphine, and told they would operate on me to see what was causing the pain. nobody warned me about what kind of operation. Did they neglect to tell me or was so high on morphine i had no idea what was going on. When i woke up, still in pain, they told me then that i had my bowel removed due to an unknown blockage. And i also had a Stoma now. 'Would i like to look at it' they asked. I was not prepared for the next few months of what this Stoma would now control my life. When i posted my fears on twitter, i had the colon cancer profile posting lots of articles or links but it may as well be written in Chinese as me, being the patient, do not know the medical jargon he was posting.
When i went to the doctor who was to discharge me from the chemo, he said do i have any questions. My mind went blank. I had questions for the past few months rotating round my head, but there and then i just went DUH!.
But i did have this same problem when i had problems with my liver. All the GP gave me was some links to a website, again, reading it left me more confused than before. Are GPs so useless or just can not be bothered to actually discuss it with the patient. Why does the Doctor ask the patient if they have any questions before discussing their condition. Of course the patient has questions, but they have so many swirling around their brain, their brain shuts down once they are in the GP's surgery. The GP should actually discuss their condition without the need to ask the poor confused patient if they have any questions.
And as for fitting the criteria of having Colon cancer, I ate almost healthily, was not a fan of too many cakes and fatty foods, ate a lot of vegetables, loved the healhty stir fry, and ate less meat than most people. not a regular drinker except on vacation or xmas, so any of these factors again dont relate to me. Also, this kind of cancer has not ventured into my family genes before so, again, makes me wonder what is the cause.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Living with Cancer
Things to know about chemo. Your weight will increase horrendously due to the steroids. I never ever been this size before and i am not used to it. Each week i go and get myself weighed at the hospital and each week i am putting on more weight.
Also, i cant drink cold drinks and touch things from the freezer. My hands are slightly numb so my professional typing skills are now blupp.. and its Summer time.....missing my ice lollies. Every year, at this time, i stock up on my Soleros. Nope not this year. Other than that.....its okay.
I am on my eighth cycle, and the ninth is gonna be the big blast off apparently. Then who knows, more tests and that dreaded operation to put my poor little bowel back, which is still all alone in a lab somewhere in Leeds missing its little friends the bladder and liver.
i cant even go away this year. At the beginning of the year i made New Years Resolutiuon for the first time. One, to get back into the dating scene, the other to travel to various European cities, and the third was to back to University, well, this sudden change of events on the January the second has put a stop to that. I dont even know what i am doing tomorrow, next week and so on and i am having problems thinking so far ahead. Having cancer is all you think about when they first give you the news. First thing you feel is DENIAL. I am still in that stage. It feels i am living someone else's life. And with all the operations i am having and the plates they put you back together with, i feel like i am Frankenstein's Monster. And what has happened to my sexy abs. Currently, still bulgily bloated, and my muscles are finding it hard to heal whilst the rest of body is going through the chemotherapy via the Hickman line on my chest. I look like a Borg gone wrong. Dont get me started on the fact i cant wear all my sexy new tops i bought in Hawaii. None fit me right now, and that stoma pouch is bulging out some days.
Also, i cant drink cold drinks and touch things from the freezer. My hands are slightly numb so my professional typing skills are now blupp.. and its Summer time.....missing my ice lollies. Every year, at this time, i stock up on my Soleros. Nope not this year. Other than that.....its okay.
I am on my eighth cycle, and the ninth is gonna be the big blast off apparently. Then who knows, more tests and that dreaded operation to put my poor little bowel back, which is still all alone in a lab somewhere in Leeds missing its little friends the bladder and liver.
i cant even go away this year. At the beginning of the year i made New Years Resolutiuon for the first time. One, to get back into the dating scene, the other to travel to various European cities, and the third was to back to University, well, this sudden change of events on the January the second has put a stop to that. I dont even know what i am doing tomorrow, next week and so on and i am having problems thinking so far ahead. Having cancer is all you think about when they first give you the news. First thing you feel is DENIAL. I am still in that stage. It feels i am living someone else's life. And with all the operations i am having and the plates they put you back together with, i feel like i am Frankenstein's Monster. And what has happened to my sexy abs. Currently, still bulgily bloated, and my muscles are finding it hard to heal whilst the rest of body is going through the chemotherapy via the Hickman line on my chest. I look like a Borg gone wrong. Dont get me started on the fact i cant wear all my sexy new tops i bought in Hawaii. None fit me right now, and that stoma pouch is bulging out some days.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
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