Colorectal tumour found in DF

[PurpleAlerts]

DF had some bleeding a few weeks ago. Referred for endoscopy which he had this morning. I knew it was bad when they took us into a room
with comfy chairs and a box of tissues on the table...

He has a tumour in the sigmoid colon. He has ulcerative colitis in this part of the bowel many many years ago but unusually was cured or at least symptoms went. He was monitored for years but seemed to be cured.

They are doing a full colonoscopy next week and also CAT and MRI scans- to see if it is anywhere else- they took a biopsy this morning.

They mentioned doing chemo and radiotherapy to shrink the tumour before removing it.

He is well in himself- the doctor commented on how well he looked - hasn't lost weight- just a bit tired ( but he is 79 so perhaps to be expected?) Doctors said they don't know what grade of tumour yet until more tests.

Anyone with experience of this? Any advice?

I lost my mum to a horrid auto-immune disease 4 years ago. Don't want to have to see my dad suffer too.

[PerfectlyDone]

Sorry to hear your news.

What you/he need to face will depend very much on biopsy and scan (staging) results so impossible to say anything specific at this point, other than that bowel cancer is one of the very, very treatable ones.

Fingers crossed for you and him

[PurpleAlerts]

Thanks- yes I know it is one of the easier ones to treat. Just a waiting game I suppose. Think it depends on how advanced. He had one of these private full medicals just under a year ago where bowel screening was done and nothing came up. I am hoping that this might mean early stages- I don't know how quickly these things develop.

[PurpleAlerts]

Bump

[Namethecat]

Sadly I have experience with a family member, who was around the same age. Tests came back stage 4, no offer of chemo or radiotherapy. Operation to remove that part of the bowel, colostomy bag given. And sadly died approx 3 months later. But obviously every case is different, I think until you get all the information back ,try to be optimistic. I'd take comfort that a year ago everything seemed fine. Good luck.

[PurpleAlerts]

So now he tells me that the bowel screening wasn't included in his medical last year. It was extra and he decided not to have it... So now we have no idea how long it has been there. Just hanging on to the fact that the signs first became apparent only 2 weeks ago.

Hate this waiting game.

[Zisterhood]

My dh was diagnosed with same condition at the beginning of this year. He too has had chemo and radiotherapy before the tumour could be removed along with having a temporary colostomy bag.

It's very very early days for you and if your dad has to have the above treatment it's quite a slow process 9 months for us so far.

The best advice I can offer you is to stay away from google. It's the scary things that once read you can't forget and they stick in your head.

Take care x

[PurpleAlerts]

Thanks. I worry about how he will cope with treatment and also how we would cope with him having treatment.

My dad is a man who likes to
Keep himself busy- lots of hobbies. I can't see him cope well with infirmity, even in the short term.

[PurpleAlerts]

So the full colonoscopy was clear and he has the MRI late on Sunday afternoon!(Think our local hospital is one that has recently been criticised for long waiting times between diagnosis and commencement of treatment which is why all the diagnostic stuff seems to be available at the weekend at the moment.)

After that he has to have a CAT scan then hopefully we can find out what we are dealing with. Hope we don't have to wait too long for the results.

I am hanging on to the comment that the doctor who did the first scan said that DF would be a good candidate for non- invasive surgery. I looked this up and it appears that it's possible to remove tumours from this part of the bowel using either keyhole or going up from the outside.
Hate the not knowing...

[Namethecat]

Thanks for getting back to us Purple. Wishing your Dad all the very best and hoping his tests continue to be on the positive side.

[PurpleAlerts]

Thanks Name

[Namethecat]

Hi Purple
How's things going ?

[PurpleAlerts]

Hello Name- he has had the MRI on Sunday and full blood work up today. CAT scan is next Monday. Amazing just over two weeks and all the tests done. Just can't fault our local hospital. God bless the NHS.

He was given a date for a consultant appointment on 21st December when he had the first test that found the tumour but I hope we don't have to wait that long for news. Just can't stand the not knowing.

Want to be able to sleep...

Strange thing is he is so well. Full of beans, busy and active. Hard to believe he has cancer. Hoping that's a good sign and it has been caught early.
Thanks for asking

[PollyPerky]

I think you need to push for an appt earlier than 3 weeks ahead. It's all very well the NHS having a 2-week target for running tests, but not acceptable to wait a month before they can begin treatment. In the private health sector you'd get treatment the next day! Phone and push them a bit.

[hellsbells99]

My mum had bowel cancer approx 18 years ago. She was lucky and they removed the tumour successfully with surgery. She is still alive and has regular checkups as do all the family who are over 45. Her brother and sister both had bowel cancer too and they were successfully treated.
Good luck

[PurpleAlerts]

Thanks Polly- I was going to get DF to talk to them about the consultant appointment when he goes in for the last scan. He has been assigned a specialist nurse who he was told can chase things up and answer any questions. I think 3 weeks is too long to wait too for the results. I was hoping that treatment would start before Christmas.

[PurpleAlerts]

Thanks Hellsbells- I know that it is one of the easier ones to treat and survival rates high if if caught early enough. Just hoping the MRI and CAT scans show it hasn't spread.

[PurpleAlerts]

They have the results of the MRI and have called him in to the hospital today to discuss the results. Not sure if that's a good sign or not. They don't seem to be hanging around.

[PurpleAlerts]

All the MRI showed was what we already know about- nothing else seen- organs clear - not spread! Just CAT scan now to check that there are no mets in the bones and then they will sort a treatment plan and get going.

[LIZS]

That sounds encouraging. Hope the appointment goes well.

DM had bc op 5 years ago, a second op and chemo/radio about 18 months later and is still going. She was quite poorly in the run up to the first op so hopefully your df has had his caught earlier.

[Namethecat]

Sounds like your hospital are doing everything needed. Glad your df is feeling well - long may it last 🌺🌺

[PurpleAlerts]

So good news.
The MRI only picked up the tumour we already knew about- nothing else found in any other organs.Now it's just the CAT scan on Monday which apparently check for any spread to the bones. Fingers crossed that's ok then they will come up with a treatment plan to get rid of it.

[PurpleAlerts]

Oh Lord- forgot I had posted that earlier! Sorry!

[Apocalyptichorsewoman]

That does sound encouraging! It must be so difficult for you at the moment. It does get a bit easier once all the results are in and a plan has been made.

Don't forget to look after yourself too x

[PurpleAlerts]

Thanks.
The problem today was that the doctor who told us the results of the MRI didn't know what other tests DF has already had. So he had that kind of cagey air of a doctor about to give bad news which panicked us rather. He didn't realise that we already knew about the tumour and all we wanted to know was that it hasn't spread and it took a few questions to ascertain that this was the case.

Shame- could have saved a lot of angst today if they had just phoned and said they hadn't found anything new and it hasn't spread to any organs...

[PurpleAlerts]

So all the tests are now done and a letter has been sent with the results and a treatment plan meeting which is still another two weeks away.

DF hasn't really read the letter but the diagnosis is T3 NO B which I found out is a stage 3 tumour that is deep into the layers of the bowel but not in any lymph nodes or spread to any far organs.

Not the early stages I had hoped for but still seems relatively treatable.

I am surprised we have to wait so long for the treatment plan to be explained as I can't see anything being started until the new year. But frustrating as they seemed to be in such a screaming rush to get all the tests done.