Survivor Board

Survivor of the Month - June 2008

Survivors Archive

Kelly

What were your symptoms?

In October, seven months prior to my diagnosis, I was having intense cramping and frequent diarrhea (6-8 times a day). This lasted about 4 weeks, then went away. In April, these symptoms reccured, however the diarrhea was now bloody and a mucus/gelatinous texture (gross, I know!). Every time I ate, I would have to run to the bathroom to relieve the severe cramps.

How was your cancer diagnosed?

At the time of my diagnosis, I was just finishing nursing school. I had thought that my symptoms were due to IBS which was being caused by the stress of ending school, and planning to move across the country. I also thought that the bleeding was simply hemorroids. I do have a family history of crohns disease, so I decided that I should see a doctor before I ran out of my school insurance, and made an appointment with my school health services. They had me give a bunch of stool samples (occult blood, parasites, etc.) and they made me an appointment with a gastroenterologist. I met with the gastroenterologist and he quickly decided to do a colonoscopy just to check things out, as he suspected crohns. The colonoscopy was scheduled for the next week. In the mean time, I graduated from school, packed my apartment, and my symptoms started to improve! I debated whether I still needed a colonoscopy, but decided that since it was scheduled, I should just follow through. After the colonoscopy, the doctor stated that he still suspected crohns, but there was a stricture (narrowing) in my descending colon, and a bunch of biopsies were taken as a precaution to rule out cancer. I went back to see him 3 days later for the pathology report and he gently told me that I did have crohns, but I also had colon cancer. I went home to an empty apartment, and started to replan my immediate future.

What was your stage and treatment plan for your cancer?

The morning after my diagnosis, I went for a CT scan to look at my liver and other organs. Luckily, they all looked good! (I got this news later that afternoon via voicemail on an airplane, immediately after landing in Vermont to be with my family. Those poor people on the plane had to watch and listen to me cry while taxiing to our gate!) My surgery was scheduled for 3 weeks later in Baltimore. During these three weeks, I made trips back and forth from Vermont to Baltimore for appointments. After my surgery, I was diagnosed with stage IIIb cancer. The cancer had spread to 3 lymph nodes. Because of the stage, it was decided that chemo was necessary. I met with an oncologist in Baltimore and he laid out my treatment plan (FOLFOX 6) and options (clinical trials, which I declined) and I moved back to Vermont to follow through with the six months of chemo.

What is your prognosis now?

According to the doctors, I am cancer free. I’m not a fan of statistics, but there is a chance that this cancer will come back in another organ (usually liver or lungs). However, there’s a better chance that it won’t. My follow-up includes yearly colonoscopies and CT scans every 6 months.

What do you want people to know about colon cancer?

I want people to know that if they have ANY change in bowel habits, see a doctor. I never would have thought cancer, as I have no family history of colon cancer and I’m young (diagnosed at 28). I think it’s easy to overlook, or push aside the symptoms, thinking that they’re nothing to worry about and they’ll go away. But if there is any change that lasts more than a couple of days, its better to see a doctor. The prognosis is much better if the cancer is caught at an early stage, and its just not worth playing the odds when its your life that’s on the line.