Adenocarcinoma - just diagnosed

Hello. I found the support here and from friends / relations so valuable in the treatment of my cancer diagnosed a year ago. Hopefully this record will help provide the strength and encouragement you need at this stage: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/tumour-position/

A year on and life is back to normal - lots of walking, cycling, fun with the grandchildren and skiing to come!

Best wishes

Martin

Try to hang in there. You are definitely not alone. We have all experienced that SCARY diagnosis and we are here to support one another. I was diagnosed 9 years ago with Rectal Cancer. Please reach out if you have any questions or if you just need a friend to listen. I was diagnosed at age 51 and I just turned 60 in May.

Great tips for @fpdm, @staystrong99. And welcome.

@staystrong99, I'd like to learn more about you. When were you diagnosed with rectal cancer? What treatments did you or are you having? Do you still journal?

Well everybody is goodie 2 shoes but how can one be when you are keep in the dark about what is going to happen Oncologist gave me 90% rate radiology gave me 60% and the rectal surgeon gave me 0% Boy those are great chances. And the surgeon told me to go away and just die How nice
my whole life has been a negative kick in the butt guess that is why I have anal cancer too many kicks in the butt to keep you down in the mud pile Heaven forbid one has sucess in life So after I get everything arranged I will say good bye to these nasty people sorry really nothing to live for

good luck hope you have better people to work with I was told to go away & die even thou I am a stage one victim

Well folks thanks for the response but have no family no friends & live out in no wear land. If you tell anybody all they want to do is smother you with hugs Yuk hate em And the stupid surgeon I saw who told me to go away has now set up appointments to see her in May And again no consult to see if these times work By that time I will be dead This tumor from Sept was a postage stamp size to 4 months later had grow to a ping pong size Not clean margins Locations is just on the edge of the sphincter muscle Which sucks
Just wonder why one cannot be told what the heck they are going to do It is always a surprise or by the way so am working on wrapping up the loose ends in my life and then it is good bye and I promise not to take longer than 15 minutes so the end of life appointment does not go over the time limit

I also had good news from CT and yesterday MRI revealed no nodes, T2(whatever that means). I am suppose to talk to surgeon tomorrow now that all tests are done. It’s been agonizing and scary waiting and waiting! Wish me luck tomorrow. Best of luck to you as well!!!

Please check out the colon Cancer Alliance online. They will give you as much support as you need and guide you through your journey. It is the most wonderful support for those of us colon cancer.

Hay folks forget the hugs it does not fix the problem I hate hugs because of family upbringing Nice idea but it does not fix anal cancer i am just plane screwed 6 months thats it

I'm so sorry you've had so poor interactions with those health professionals.
Maybe my story can give you hope.
In Sept. 2022, I consulted a colorectal surgeon for some bleeding in my stool. When examining, she touched a polyp. I had my colonoscopy at the end of October, indicating two polyps, one benign 20 cm from the anus and one close to the sphincter, an pre-cancerous adenoma. I couldn't get the transanal surgery right away, because I had to travel to take care of my parents for a month. So on Dec. 17, 2022, I had the surgery. The polyp had doubled in size and the biopsy indicated positive margins.
Consulting with the oncologist, we agreed to radiotherapy + oral chemo, because the surgeon and the oncologist feared a new surgery would put my sphincter at risk.
I developed a rectovaginal fistula at 3.2 cm from the anus, from the RT (rare secondary effect). I consulted the surgeon again early in October 2023 and she proposed a flap with a temporary colostomy. Unconvinced by that, because of the high risk of fistula recurrence, I got a second and third opinion. A new colonoscopy at the end of November revealed a large fistula and a polyp right in front of it, which alarmed the doctors of the second and third opinion. After committee analyzed my case, the recommendation--to which I agreed--was a two-step Turnbull-Cutait pullthrough with a coloanal anastomosis + vaginal flap.
Last Jan. 26, I had the first step, a 5-hour surgery for the low anterior resection, vaginal flap, and pullthrough, complicated by the lack of margin because the fistula had grown to touch the sphincter. Feb. 2, I had the coloanal anastomosis, again complicated by the lack of margin. But overall, the surgeons who operated on me are satisfied by the result. I'm now on home rest for at least a month.
Why did I agree to such an invasive surgery: it reduces the risk of a new fistula to the same percentage as that risk exist for any human, it reduces my risk of a new polyp and recurring cancer to the lowest degree possible.
I hope you can find health professionals who can be more empathetic to your plight, as I did.