Hi Jim, 

I had similar experience as yourself. From procedure to stoma, however I had several months of chemo after it was found in my lymph nodes, that being said, I have done well. The weight loss has steadied but it is three years for me now , while I don't loose any weight I don't ever put it on either. Happy days some would say. 
 

watch your diet, certain foods can trigger heavy bowel movements, so it is harder to gain weight. So put that worry aside and enjoy the slender years. 
 

dee

Hello, glad to hear that you're doing well. I'm also fine and am heading towards my 4 year post diagnosis check up in April which this year will be a colonoscopy rather than CT scan . The last CT scan showed no evidence of disease so let's hope that this continues in 2021. Happy New Year! Jo 

Hi Dee

Thankfully my weight has crept back up & is now stabilised at my normal weight ... for now at least!

Jim

Hi Dave

In my case my bowel cancer was discovered by the screening programme (offered to over 60s) where a kit is sent to me every 2 years & I send a small sample of my faeces away in the container provided.

I had no pain or any feeling that anything was wrong like you had, so I have to say I feel very lucky that my cancer was picked up by the screening process. 

I don't want to spend too much time on my case, suffice to say that after 15 months wearing ileostomy bags, my stoma was reversed 3 months ago & I have now been signed off as not needing any more treatment now, apart from 6 monthly follow ups.

However, because I also have ongoing metastatic melanoma skin cancer thought to be sun related (silly vain me) which moved to my lung (and then removed by surgery) I am on a yearly course of monthly sessions of immunotherapy.

So now I do have this ongoing fear of any of those cancers returning! Every day it's in my mind, even though I feel fine & well. But I can't spend the rest of my life worrying about something that may or may not happen! So I get on with life...we only get one!!

Which is why I have a feeling that your fears are  mentally responsible. Stress can cause all kinds of changes to the body, especially the digestive system. You've had a colonoscopy  which showed nothing untoward & other tests also showing negative. I've had those stomach pains before, ones that I could feel when I pushed my bowel from outside. The doctor diagnosed constipation, & prescribed medicine for it. You've got IBS, (probably half the population have it) & we all know the bowel related problems that can cause.

So my advice Dave would be to try & relax, seek out some techniques to help you with that, even pay a counsellor if needs be.

Evidently, if the blurbs are to be believed, one in two of us will get cancer. If it happens it happens, but remember technology is quite brilliant at dealing with it today!

Dont wish it on yourself my friend, from what you've said the chances of you having it are unlikely! I hope you don't find my reply too flippant, it's just the way I've learnt to deal with my own circumstances.

Jim

Jim,

Flippant? Far from it! You are right to say what you say.

I have massive respect for anyone who has gone through what you have in recent years. I really hope the immunotherapy continues to keep it at bay and your innings continues for many years to come.

In my cycling days (before kids), I used to raise money for Melanoma UK with an annual 100-miler, and I'm all too aware of what can happen through a friend who suffered from it. As you say though, treatments have come along in leaps and bounds in the last 20 years or so.

I suppose it's me being a father these days that has brought out the hypochondriac in me that had previously laid dormant for so long!  Weird recent stuff like generalised pruritus (itchiness) is something I've never had before, ditto a raised liver enzyme, so I will at least get this checked out just to be sure.

Thanks for your comments, Jim.

Dave 

Thanks for your swift reply & for the good wishes for my hopefully, prolonged future!

Good luck with any further diagnosis, though I feel you'll come out just fine. Dig that bike out again & give the road a pounding to take your mind off things! 
 

Jim

Hi

i have only seen this thread cause my sister has the same cancer as you, how are you doing now? And what can my sister expect, I am devastated as she has 2 small children xxxx

HI

Am going through treatment for colon cancer which spread to the liver. Only found it at the same time I was diagnosed with coeliac disease. I'm 45 and it all started maybe April or may 2020. Coeliac symptoms which I ignored and thought would go away but didn't so test in doctors in sept confirmed coeliac but doc was concerned and sent off a blood to be tested for bowel cancer. Gluten free diet stopped all the wind and diarrhoea symptoms fairly quickly but stools never went back to normal.

  Scopes and ct and MRI scans confirmed bowel and metastases in both sides of the liver. Confirmed on December 4th. Bowel bypass on dec 19th . 

 Now here is where I hope i can help. I had a ileostomy and from day ĺ1 its being fine. It's hopefully temporary but I could live with it being permanent. Took about a month to heal from op . I've lost 3 stone between op, going gluten free , no alcohol and starting chemo.

Chemo started on 4 th jan on 3 session now , 1 day in hospital and pump for 2 days at home . No real side effects I can't manage. Take the anti nausea and drink loads of water. They are giving me steroids which are causing withdrawal symptoms I had to ask for a dose to wean me off. 

I get out for a walk every day even day after operation in the hospital. I can manage 6k easily but only a day my body tells me I can. Went for 10 k cycle with the kids and 2 k walk after with the wife on Sunday so every day I seem to get stronger

Day in the hospital can be tough on the head I haven't met anyone yet that has more the 2 years to live , but that's normal I'm told the survivors are out living.

Tough on the family but I try to not have too much over talking about it and my son said all the phone calls from well wishers had me talking about it all the time which wrecked his head

Sorry if I went on a bit. I'm saying positive they've said its operable but have warned me this could change so I'm not in denial of how serious it is. Oh I'm from a large Irish family 14 in total I'm 6th from the end .No cancer in my 7 brothers and 6 sisters so huge shock to me.

Thanks for sharing your story, Micko. Really hope you come out the other side with a new lease of life.

I had my CT Colonography this morning and was actually surprised how smooth it all went. The only real discomfort was the bloating in the first 10 minutes after the scan. The effects of the gastrografin seem to be lingering on a while though (nuff detail).

'D Day' is booked for 15th Feb, and I'm hoping I don't get a call from the Gastroenterologist before then!