Diagnosed 3 days ago

After several weeks of occasional, very painful lower abdomen moments, I saw my GP who immediately referred me to a colorectal specialist. A CT scan indicated an obstruction in the colon, and a colonoscopy 10 days later resulted in the consultant declaring - with 99% certainty - that it was cancer of the colon. I am now waiting for the biopsy result (expected tomorrow). The consultant reckoned that the tumour is easily operable, and he is confident of a successful outcome. We will see. With the benefit of hindsight (pun not intended...) I had been experiencing other symptoms for a lot longer than the few weeks of occasional intense pain episodes - constipation for example.

Having been a healthy eater (50 years a vegetarian), and also having spent the last 3 months on an intensive fitness regime during which I lost 11kg (54 high intensity work outs in 62 days) and eliminated all bad foods and finally reached my target weight, I am hacked-off!!

So now I am slipping into bad habits again (cheesecake, chocolate, pizza,,,) while I can.

Time feels very finite, all of a sudden.

  • Cancer is so annoyingly unfair! 

    For what it is worth, I'm told that about 40% of cancer cases can be avoided by lifestyle changes - so a healthy regime significantly reduces the risk but doesn't eliminate it. Hence all the "helpful" people who point to their elderly relatives who have smoked 60 a day and lived off a diet of chips, sausages and gravy and lived to be 90, conveniently forgetting that most of their peers who did the same died before they reached retirement age. 

    On the other hand, the healthier your immune system the better your chances of a good outcome from your treatment.

    Enjoy the treats - your mind needs a break too and chocolate is good for calming the nerves :-)

    Good luck!
    Dave

  • Thanks, Dave!

    At least the current hot weather supports the near fasting required over the next couple of days before the latest scans.

    Pizza and tiramisu on Friday.  Nothing like a bit of good English cuisine...

    And a road trip to the Italian Alps as soon as I can get in a car again!

    Looking at the consultant's approach to this type of surgery, I am hoping the recovery time will be quite quick.