How do you deal with this diagnosis?

premi, Thanks! I never gave the diagnosis of cancer a second thought! Yes looking back it should have been a very traumatic decision! But it was surprisingly easy decision! I wasn't going to let it be a "Death Sentence"!
Was one of the Best Lessons in my Life!
Please others receiving a cancer diagnosis, "FACE IT, THEN GET ON WITH LIFE!" You can win the battle with a Positive Mind Set!
BLESS YOU ALL!
SUNDANCE aka RB

Be grateful for a straightforward and truthful diagnosis.
Now, get on with a plan to rid yourself of the rectal cancer - plenty of resources to help you.

Mine started with noticing occasional bloody tissues after I wiped following a bowel movement. I just thought it was internal hemorrhoids, waited each episode out, and it always resolved. But it started happening with a bit more frequency, so I scheduled a physical with my primary doc, and he said I needed a colonoscopy to get to the bottom of (no pun intended) the reason for the bleeding. When I woke up from the colonoscopy, BAM! I was told I had cancer, and was referred to the oncology department. That was on a Monday. I had my first appointment with my primary oncologist not that Friday, but the Friday after, and in that two week period, I had a CT, MRI, and PET scan. For that week and a half, I was a wreck, wondering how long I had to live , how I would afford everything, work, the dog, the house… A nervous wreck. In the first 5 minutes of my appointment with my oncologist, he told me he intended to completely get rid of my cancer entirely with chemo and radiation. I almost started crying tears of relief right then and there.

I’ll be honest, and my oncologist gave me this warning from the get-go, treatment was BRUTAL. The treatment period wasn’t too bad. I tolerated the chemo just fine; no nausea, no hair loss, not much of anything initially. And radiation was a breeze until the last week. Then the side effects started showing up. Oh man, excruciating bowel movements, neuropathies of my hands and feet, sores in my mouth and down my throat, I didn’t get much skin breakdown around my anus, because my tumor was deep internally, but bowel movements were a nightmare. My hands dried up and cracked, and I was exhausted all the time, to the point that I was often too tired to eat.

But… I got through it. And in July of this year, I had a follow up PET scan and my oncologist declared me cancer free. I still have to do follow ups, but the doc said he is highly confident the cancer will not be back. It worked. It actually worked.

I’m still having symptoms relating to treatment, primarily intermittent incontinence, cramping, and neuropathy pain, but it seems each day is just a teeny bit better than the day before. Healing has not been linear, which has been frustrating, but I’m improving over time nonetheless.

Hope this gives you an idea of what might be in store. Listen to your treatment team, be prepared, communicate, and know you can do this.

Best of luck!

It’s really tough especially when you first hear the diagnosis, and each test confirms it is a large and aggressive tumor….my doc told me it was serious… then I realized my legal and financial affairs needed updating for my POA/health proxy….a lot to do, but distracted me from cancer worry for a few weeks….i got the idea that I could be proactive and positive during treatment, surgery and recovery—my 2 nieces egging me on very lovingly. That really helped !! Also, l learn a lot from this group here.—Thank you, brave and kind souls !