Doing so well - but cause for concern now.

[dscontroller]

Late 2011, I was diagnosed with two separate cancers, lung and bowel.

On the 12th January 2012, I had a left lung pneumonectomy and on the 3rd February, three weeks later, I had a good part of my bowel removed.

In December 2022, I underwent a colonoscopy, as a result of which a polyp was removed in two pieces from my remaining bowel and which was tested at the hospital. I later saw the Colorectal consultant and was informed that cancer was found in the head of the polyp but not in the remaining stalk. In January when he recommended a CT scan which was done on 22nd March to ascertain if any cancer had been passed to my lymph glands.

Nothing heard yet, so am trying to convince myself that no news is good news!!

David

[RoyCastleHelpline Partner Ask the Nurse Roy Castle]

Hi David

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear you have had both lung and bowel cancer.

It is understandable your worry and you should have had the results within 2 weeks., so hopefully it is good news having no news, however, you may wish to consider contacting the secretary of your colorectal specialist and ask if the report is through and request appointment with them if you do not have an appointment.

Your GP may also have the results. You may wish to contact Bowel Cancer UK for more information on treatments for you: bowelcanceruk.org.uk/

This is the number to speak to the cancer nurses at Bowel Cancer UK 080 8800 4040, Monday to Friday 0900-1700.

This is their online forum for bowel cancer: community.bowelcanceruk.org...

For lung cancer, they often do a PET scan to show up any lymph node activity. All our information booklets can be found on this link: roycastle.org/help-and-supp...

But I am assuming they are looking at the lymph nodes in the abdomen, hence it would be better to contact bowel cancer UK.

I hope you have some answers soon. You are very welcome to contact our helpline nurses on 0800 358 7200 Monday to Thursday 0900-1700 and Friday 0900-1600, or you can email them at [e-mail]

All the very best

The Roy Castle Support Team

[JanetteR57]

you're having a bit of a roller coaster in diagnostics, and treatments so hang on in there. Were the two cancers related - i.e. was one a primary and the other a secondary i.e. having spread from the other site? or were they two separate primary cancers? sounds as if both have been picked up early when surgical removal was possible.

my dad had bowel cancer in his late 50s twice and had two resections of his colon and was very poorly and we didn't think he'd reach 60. He was 93 in January and had another primary bowel cancer in 2016 when he was 86 and another surgical resection changing his stoma but again it hadn't spread.

my lung cancer resulted in an upper left lobectomy in Dec 2010 which fortunately hadn't spread so I consider my dad and I incredibly fortunate although at the time it felt very worrying and an anxious time.

hope you get the news you wish for very soon - the health strikes and backlog aren't helping in getting quick results but hang on in there.

good luck.