New to colon cancer: Don't know my stage yet. What should I ask?

@jaspithill1946

You are so RIGHT about looking for public and patient reviews and reactions. No, you can’t please everybody all the time. But I DO count the stars and read the comments, and make my own decision. Good for YOU! Thanks.

@jaspithill1946 if in doubt at all, seek 2nd or 3rd opinions if necessary…having docs that inspire confidence is huge ! Ideally, they are partners in healing.

@hopeseeker22 - Amen! I dumped two oncologists and one supposedly, world-class surgeon. Don’t hesitate to get as many opinions as it takes to find the right medical practitioners for you. Also, do lots and lots of research so you are prepared to ask good questions. There’s a wealth of information on the internet.

Go with your gut. I’ve dumped plenty of doctors for things not skill-related. Yours sounds immature, ditzy, and well her way to unprofessional.

Thank you. My husband and I are in the middle of the workup. It is scary. We did have an appointment with a colorectal surgeon on Friday and tomorrow is our second appointment with the oncologist. I wonder what you think about asking the oncologist to refer to a different surgeon - because on Friday, when talking to us, the surgeon commented on how big the tumor is (it’s 4 to 5 cm). “Wow, it’s really big!” she said, with a big smile while she demonstrated with her fingers. I’m thinking, wow, now here’s a very unprofessional doctor. She may be good, but to say something like that, I don’t know. We don’t even have staging yet, but anyway, a bad feeling about this one.

@dude63, welcome. I hope you saw the helpful comments from @nycmusic @premi @jofree and others. You're asking good questions. Have you had a follow-up appointment with your doctor to find out more about next steps? Has surgery been recommended?

@premi right on !

The word cancer is always overwhelming and scary.Please wait for the initial work ups and complete diagnosis.It is easy to say calm down but it is the most difficult thing to do.Please dont start researching at this stage.If you are going to be blessed with an initial stage and complete clearance,all these anxieties will vanish.We all wish you that blessing.Trust your doctors and it helped me a lot.I never went near Google till my treatment plans were over.Mine was stage 3B and I have survived since diagnosis in July 2017.Transfering all my blessings to you.God bless you

At the beginning , it does seem overwhelming….facing something so life changing without much information is very challenging…one thing we are all warned about is using Google, which can scare one unnecessarily…asking questions from docs and team is better early on…the nurses/NPs are especially helpful and are a lifeline….if you have someone in your circle who’s been through this, they can help with any researching you do as time goes on…this site and Colontown are very useful…Colontown especially helpful in these matters, a very helpful site/community, with expert info always available. Wishing you the best !

Hello Jeff,
You sound very concerned regarding your condition; many of us who were diagnosed with colon cancer were in your same boat; it is all very overwhelming initially so just be patient and keep asking questions. When did you realize that you had colon cancer and what test were performed to determine these facts?
The connect site shares many options for individuals like yourself to seek out and feel more informed regarding your status so keep sharing and other members will also share their stories.
Please respond at your convience.
Jofree