Hi there, I was diagnosed almost 5 weeks ago and I still cant take it all in. I have bowel cancer at the sigmoid and a tiny spot on my liver that has metastasised from the bowel. I was seen by the oncologist last week and have to start chemotherapy on December 4th for 3 months. It all very terrifying when they are giving you all the possible side affects that you may get. Once I have had the chemotherapy they will rescan me and then I will need two surgeries. One to remove the bowel tumour and I need to go to Edinburgh for the liver surgery. I am glad to have found this forum with people who are going through the same thing as me. 

Hi there, I was diagnosed almost 5 weeks ago and I still cant take it all in. I have bowel cancer at the sigmoid and a tiny spot on my liver that has metastasised from the bowel. I was seen by the oncologist last week and have to start chemotherapy on December 4th for 3 months. It all very terrifying when they are giving you all the possible side affects that you may get. Once I have had the chemotherapy they will rescan me and then I will need two surgeries. One to remove the bowel tumour and I need to go to Edinburgh for the liver surgery. I am glad to have found this forum with people who are going through the same thing as me. 

Hi it is very scary when they go through things I didn’t have chemo first not sure why it might have been because I had a neuroendocrime bowel tumour. All I can say is that amazing things can be done with our bodies and if they are recommending surgery go with it as they do know the best course of action x hope all goes well with you x 

Hi 

It is scary when the unknown lies ahead. Just to share with you I had been diagnosed back early July with a tumor in the bowel .surgery and 45 lymph nodes removed at time and six weeks after surgery oral chemotherapy was started I am just heading towards the third cycle ..the forth cycle ending Christmas day !! Then in Jan a scan to see where /how it's at ...re side affects ..they do make worrying reading but my experience has been mainly nausea and fatigue . Meds are given to help with nausea ...this is a journey that holds many what ifs and our minds are powerful things ...but I tell myself I got this ...I can give it my best shot ..you can too ...sending all good wishes for a speedy recovery with successful outcomes 

Hi, you look to have a similar treatment plan to me. I will be doing my 3rd round of chemo the day after you have your first. Are you at the Beatson?

We all have similar cancers and there is no way for us to know why some of us have a certain treatment plan and others have a different one but the specialists really do know what they are doing and in all our cases I hope and pray we have the best of outcomes. It is scary and so hard to believe it is actually happening to you. My main side effects from week 1 were also nausea and tiredness, and just a general feeling of not being quite with it but by the following week I felt like my old self again but you do get paranoid about the more serious stuff. I do lots of deep breathing if I feel all the thoughts in my head are getting too much and try to just concentrate on the here and now so all I am thinking about just now is the chemo, I will think about the next scan and the operation later. Please feel free to private message me. Clare

Hi Claire, thanks for your reply it’s really lovely to hear from you and what I can expect the treatment to be like. I was only at the Beatson Last Wednesday for a PET scan. I’m being treated at Wishaw but my chemotherapy will start at Beatson Monklands hospital and then I can go home for the infusion to finish over 48 hours. My surgeon is excellent  and as are the colorectal nurses. 
Annemarie.

Thank you, I am staying positive and doing meditations and positive affirmations that are really helping me especially my mental health. My family and friends are amazing. I hope you are doing okay.

Annemarie.

That’s good to hear Annemarie family and Friends are really important I did not tell mine for ages and it’s a decision I do regret now. 
im home taking it easy first night was weird but looking forward to being the director of my house and dishing out the jobs lol x take care and I wish you well. 
Wendy 

Thanks Wendy, how long was your surgery and stay in hospital? I’m waiting and hoping that my Pet scan I had last week is all clear. I think after you have any scans mri’sits always a worry of the unknown. Take care and please keep in touch.

Annemarie

Surgery was about 6 hours as they did liver and colon at the same time I had problems with the epidural so they had to do when I was asleep but then it was dislodged when I came round so I just had oral pain killers. I went in last Sunday as they needed to do an infusion to block hormones in advance and surgery was on Tuesday early afternoon and then I was discharged yesterday. First few days I really was not with it and only as the drains and lines come out did I start to feel myself and the reduction of pain meds. The hardest I think was waiting between Sunday and Tuesday and all I could think was that feeling of driving away from my house, dog and that I might not return but surgeons are amazing what they can do when you are asleep and I have so much admiration for them. I feel really thankful that it was operable as well there are so many who don’t get that second chance. 
sending positive thoughts your way

wendy 

Hi Claire, I’m having problems navigating this forum. Since I last spoke to you I have an apppointment next Friday to see oncology as they now want to give me radiotherapy as well as chemotherapy. They said it’s because I’m having bleeding from the tumour. I only got my head around starting chemotherapy on December 5th now this too. It’s just so much to get your head around and very scary. How are you? 
Annemarie.

Hi Annemarie, it is so hard to get your head around the options and that things can change just as you are coming to terms with one thing. Hopefully you will feel a bit better when you see them on Friday. I was due to get disconnected from my chemo pump yesterday but it is running really slow for some reason and wasn’t empty so the district nurse is coming back today. I felt worse this time than the first round but nothing too bad. 

I will send to a wee message (i also find it hard to keep track of the threads ) xx