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seussfan
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2010 Colondar Models Needed!
Started this discussion. Last reply by seussfan Oct 6, 2008. 2 Replies 0 Likes
Seussfan - Stage III Colon Cancer
Profile Information
- City:
- Elkridge, MD
- Relationship to disease: [select only one]
- Patient/Survivor
- Race and Ethnicity: [select only one]
- White (non-Hispanic)
- (Patients/Survivors Only) Type of Cancer: [select only one]
- Colon Cancer
- (Patients/Survivors Only) What stage were you diagnosed? [select only one]
- Stage 3
- (Patients/Survivors Only) Diagnosis Date:
- March 5, 2007
- (Patients/Survivors Only) Chemotherapy Received:
- Fluoroucil (5-FU), Eloxatin (Oxaliplatin)
- About Me:
- I woke up the morning of March 3rd, 2007 feeling really crappy. Lots of pain in my lower right quadrant and a slight fever. My husband told me we should go to the emergency room - I, in my infinite wisdom, said no and that I was sure it was just gas. Well, the next morning it was so bad, I thought it was my appendix and finally agreed to go to the hospital.
As soon as we are called back to the emergency room, the nurses took one look at me and practically carried me into a room. I couldn't figure out what all the fuss was. I remember hearing them say things like - she is so white....she looks terrible...get blood tests done on her and put her on an IV right away. Whoa! Hang on there everyone, don't you know I am just having either serious gas pains or there is something wrong with my appendix?
Cut to the chase...my blood scores were so low they could not figure out how I had walked into the hospital - I was missing 2/3 of my blood volume and severely anemic. Over the next 24 hours, I ended up with a total of 5 blood transfusions to get my blood back to a safe level. In addition, they did 2 CT scans and 2 sonograms. Let me tell you - when you have a fever of 104 and your blood is crap these tests are difficult at best. I was shivering from the fever and crying from the pain and they wanted me to be still! I thought they were crazy.
A doctor came into my room and told me that they found a 4cm cyst on my right ovary and something troubling with my colon on the right side as well. I was told that they suspected Crohn's disease. Jeez - what happened to the gas pain and appendix problem I was sure I had? He told me they would have to do surgery to remove my ovary and cyst and possibly some of my colon, but they could not do surgery until my blood was better. I was checked into a room and after the 5th transfusion, they rushed me off to surgery...literally. I was talking to my family and all of a sudden, two people rush into my room, mumble something about my blood numbers finally being in the safe range, and they just started rolling my bed out. I have never been so scared.
My husband rushed to keep up with us. My one memory of being taken to surgery was the ride in the elevator. Here I am on my way to get a five inch incision from my pubic area up to and around my belly button and all I could think of was, “Shit, I wish I had shaved my bikini area before we came to the hospital.”
Well, 4 hours later I was back in my room. I don't remember it very well, but apparently I spent all day like the movie 'Groundhog Day.' I would have conversations and then fall asleep...only to wake up and have the same conversations with the same people over and over again.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, the surgeon had come out to my family and told them that they had to remove my ovary/cyst and fallopian tube on the right side as well as 8 inches of my colon and 15 llymph nodes. The surgeon was sure it was colon cancer, but needed to wait for the lab results for the stage level. He advised my family not to tell me until the lab results came back. Due to the amount of narcotics I was on, he felt that I would have to relive being told the news over and over again.
On March 9th, I was finally told...I had colon cancer. They found a large tumor in my colon and 6 of the 15 lymph nodes they took were cancerous. However, they believed they got all the cancer and it had not spread to any of my other organs. The surgeon first told me I was Stage II, but I later found out that was wrong and I was at Stage III. My diagnosis has forever changed my life.
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Darcey
Nancy - Patient Support - 877-422-2030
:)
Vanessa
I just read your profile and am so impressed by your strength in getting through the truly life-threatening situation you faced when admitted to the hospital -- and by your courage in accepting the devastating news you finally received on March 9th.
I know how much such news can change your life forever. I'm a 5+ year colon cancer survivor. My stage 3 condition was finally diagnosed & I had surgery plus chemotherapy in early 2003, was virtually cancer free 2004 through most of 2006, with metastasis to my liver (stage 4) discovered in late 2006, and chemo ever since (and tumors stabilized).
I was gratified to read that your chemotherapy for stage 3 disease is completed -- and hope that means that you've been cancer-free since then. I pray that it never returns -- that you are in fact, cured.
Jim
Just wanted to here how you are doing, I am doing ok I have 6 more treatments left Ican't want till it is over.
Rose
How are you doing?
:-)
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