Hey all,
I'm writing to you as I was just diagnosed with colon cancer this past Saturday. I am devastated and don't feel like it is worth living anymore.
I'm 32M, lived such a healthy life, no drugs, no smoking, drinking 3 times a years, regular gym, tons of fruits and veggies... and then they discovered this nasty f*cker inside of me.
It's just so surreal... how do I even begin the fight when I already feel at 0%
hi I’m so sorry to hear of your diagnosis. I just wanted to say that Reddit has a pretty good, active sub dedicated to CRC patients. You may find more support over there. Best of luck
sorry to hear this. Please don’t give up. We’ve all been there. Hearing the diagnosis is a shocker. Been there too. Emotions are normal but you can’t stay there. But an ‘H’ on your chest and Handle this. Find good support groups and study and learn about it. I was diagnosed with stage 3b and now doing folfox chemo. 2nd round is tomorrow. I’m 55. I believe you can get through this. Chin up
Txbj1 Thank you for your reply and support. Good luck with round 2
I’m so sorry to hear that - I was in the exact same position as you earlier this year. I turned 40 in February, gave birth in March then told I had bowel cancer in May. It completely takes the wind out of you and there are all kinds of thoughts and emotions whirling around. I totally understand how you’re feeling - but please don’t give up. It’ll take time, with a lot of bad days but you can get through this. I found that I could handle things better when there was a plan in place i.e. when I had a date for the surgery to remove the tumour and then a date to start the chemo. Take time for yourself to process it all and lean on and share with your nearest and dearest - they will want to be there to support you through this. Thinking of you - you’ve got this 💪
LeBonBon Thank you for sharing and for your words of support and advice.
Dear 1990Pfj
I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I just wanted to comment to let you know that there are a number of resources where you can connect with others who are newly diagnosed, as well as those who have been where you are and are thriving.
I hope you will find comfort and strength in these two groups - and others please feel free to add other resources.
Man Up To Cancer (manuptocancer.com/) was created for men affected by cancer and the people who love them. They are an incredible group. Colontown has a number of neighborhood groups that are specific, and again, it is an incredible group. (colontown.org/)
Our moderator, Tom, GCCA-Survivor is a stage IV survivor and active with Man Up To Cancer, he'll be in touch with you soon. Again, I'm so sorry for what you are going through.
~Nicole @GCCA
Dear all,
I wanted to thank you kindly for all the positive feedback. I also want to apologize for not commenting back, but as you can imagine, it is very difficult to form thoughts.. I just want you to know that I really appreciate it
Hi 1990Pfj,
I hate to see you are having to deal with this. I myself am a stage 4 colon cancer survivor and I know the feeling of having those words spoken to you that you have cancer. It's not an easy thing to deal with. I was like you. Very healthy, exercised a lot, just going about life and then I went in for a routine physical. I mentioned I had something tender in my abdomen and my doctor said let's get that checked out. Two days later I was having a CT scan period two days after that I was standing in front of a surgeon who's telling me that needs to come out and it needs to come out now. I had my very first colonoscopy the next morning and two days after that I was having partial colectomy surgery to remove the tumor.
In your opening remarks you actually said the word that you need to do. That word is “fight.” Fight is exactly what you need to do. The first thing I realized is that I don't know how to fight cancer. I had to get some good doctors around me that knew how to do that. I also realized how much I was actually not in control of things anymore. Cancer seemed to be dictating everything I was going to do. But I needed to be in control of something and that's something was me. I needed to be the best patient I could be. I knew I could control hydration, nutrition, attitude, exercising, and faith. I knew I needed to get good doctors around me and I had that. That's very important.
One thing I did was put a face on cancer. I would talk to it. I consider cancer to be an opponent that needed to be defeated. Another part of controlling things that you can control is doing things cancer is trying to stop you from doing. For me it was physical fitness. Exercising. Cycling was a big thing for me. Anytime I could get back on the bike was a win for me. I felt like that I was getting in cancerous space and saying not today. And now I treat cycling as getting in cancer’s face every time I do it. So anytime you can do something that cancer is trying to stop you from doing, I think that's very beneficial to your mindset and can be viewed as a win that you can control.
One of the biggest results that I had but I didn't realize it right away was that my doctor's wanted me to have genetic testing. And in my 4 1/2 year cancer fight, the genetic testing was the most important thing that I did. After a little over two years of fighting cancer, the chemo and radiation was not working. And from out of nowhere I was invited to qualify for a clinical trial. As it ends up it was my genetic testing and knowing my biomarkers that led the clinical trial to me. The clinical trial proved to be a huge game changer in my cancer fight.
There are so many paths that a cancer fight can take. You need to do all you can do to fight cancer. I do wish you the very best and I know what you're going to be going through is not going to be easy. I know when cancer entered my life I felt like it was an intruder that needed to leave. It needed to leave right away. But cancer showed up and it wasn't gonna leave on its own so I knew it had to be fought. Your life will change forever after this fight. And it will be a fight. It's not something that's just gonna go away on its own. Know this, you're not the first. You're gay from the experience from all those we've had what you have now. That's very beneficial, but your fight is uniquely yours. Staying strong and doing all you can do Will be very important.
If you want to continue this conversation in a chat, please let me know. I am here to do whatever I can to help you. I would be interested to hear about this in more detail. There's also a lot of resources you can contact to get information. I know some groups that have a lot of knowledge about various cancer fights that they've been in personally. They are definitely very willing to share.
We want to wish you the very best in this very tough journey. I know it's not going to be easy. You have to attack it head on. Get good doctors around you. Control what you can control.
~Tom, GCCA Survivor - Colon Cancer Connected Site Administrator.
Just a reminder - this group is here to offer support, share experiences, and offer our thoughts - but this is not medical advice, and you should always consult your medical professional(s). Additionally, for all emergencies, seek urgent medical care, never delay.
so sorry to hear but my friend was diagnosed with colon cancer, had radiotherapy and is now feeling well. Bumpy ride but you can get there half my friends age x
Hi, I was where you are now 4 years ago but age 68yrs. I had seen my tumour on the colonoscopy screen and was told it was operable. T3 n1 m0 .The operation a right hemicolectomy was done a couple of weeks later and I made a swift recovery, only in hospital for 5 days. 3 rounds of chemotherapy followed. I found this gruelling but was determined to get on with my normal life as much as possible. I slowly got back to full fitness and have regular follow ups, scans colonoscopies and blood tests. I have had 2 further polyps removed at colonoscopy and have "lumps" in my liver that are benign but being watched for any changes and am leading my best life. Holidays, grandchildren and a 5 month greatgrandchild to enjoy. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps and fight this. Cancer is not always a terminal diagnosis. You have your whole life in front of you. Mags x
Mags …You have definitely been through a lot and I'm glad to see you're doing well. Spot on and well said. I am a big fan of “Don't give up. Don't ever give up”. It is definitely a fight.🙌❤️
Sorry to hear that mate hope everything goes well ,would you mind telling me what symptoms you had im an 18 y old male don’t smoke barely drink maybe once every 6 months and my anxiety is taking over at this point I’ve got a symptom I just don’t know what to do
So sorry horrible diagnosis and shock, but better to know and get treatment for success
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