How long was the time between diagnosis to surgery for you?

@maya8238, I know this is of little reassurance, but remember colon cancers are very slow growing. For my dad, the time between diagnosis (stage 3b) and surgery was also 2+ months because an unknown heart issue was discovered during testing that needed to be resolved before he could have surgery. There was no significant change in tumor size and no spread during that time. Members like @lisag03 @martin77 @mothermary1 @leed2022 @virgo1952 @apinzonc0627 can perhaps share what the time from diagnosis to surgery was like for them.

I'm sure the holiday schedule affects the length of time. Have you asked to be on a cancellation list? Not sure if that exists, but worth the question.

I had my regular colonoscopy on 4/11 and I had a partially obstructing structure. There was a mass that was presumed to be cancerous. I had a CT the same day. CT revealed that whatever was blocking my sigmoid was causing the area of colon above it to be filled up (kind of like a balloon). The CT also indicated that there may be lymph node involvement. I was referred out to a surgeon and he couldn’t see me for two weeks. Two days after my colonoscopy, I started running a fever so my appt was bumped up. I felt like the first surgeon wasn’t a good fit as he just wanted to remove my entire colon ao j sought a second and then a third opinion. During this tine, i was on a soft low residue diet. My surgery waa on 5/6 so about a month out. The main reason for getting me in so quickly was because of the partial blockage and the suspected infection (there was an abscess). But as mentioned above, colon cancer is slow growing. I had a colonoscopy 14 months prior to diagnosis so it had to have been missed before. Ideally, you want to be in the best possible condition for surgery so your body can recover. I loaded up on protein (shakes and eggs ) and was very healthy.

Your team should always be focused on what’s best for you, and if they felt it would adversely affect you to wait, they would bump you up.

Try not to stress about it as stress can really cause negative effects on your. Body!

Thank you for sharing this experience. It helps to know what others have been through

Actually what you said is a huge reassurance! I so
Appreciate this. Thank you!!

It's encouraging to hear from Colleen that colon cancers are slow growing. In my case I was diagnosed on 11 October and then had a CT scan, two MRI scans, two meetings with my consultant, one of which he marked the tumour with a pre-operation tattoo (my first ever!) and then the operation on 4 November. This was under our NHS system in the UK. And this week I'm starting a course of chemo, privately, and so it's all been a bit of a whirlwind.
maya8238 - it sounds if waiting until the end of January is not too serious and I hope you have a good Christmas in the meantime.

My diagnosis for colon cancer stage 4 was in January 2019, my surgery was on March 1 2019, (so 2 month later.)
Margreet

My colon cancer stage 4 surgery was 2 month after diagnosis.

Guess what! The surgeon moved it to 12/27! Two weeks away now. Sometimes it helps to advocate for yourself. I emailed and just said I was afraid to wait and they bumped me.

Hello, I truly understand how you must feel, as I too was recently diagnosed with stage 3A colon cancer. Here is my story: October 20, 2022 I had my colonoscopy and endoscopy. I was told afterward that my doctor found a small tumor in my colon, but it was caught at an early stage and was treatable. The doctor put in a referral for me to get a CT scan, and to see a surgeon and an oncologist. I met with the oncologist on October 27, 2022 and then went to get the CT scan the same day. The oncologist said it was caught early and is treatable, but they would know more once the CT scan results came in. On October 30, 2022 I met with the surgeon, and when the CT scan results came in the following week, I was told nothing had spread, which was good news. I had the surgery on November 15, 2022. Not sure this will be very helpful, as every facility is different, but my recommendation is that you contact your surgeon's and oncologist's offices and ask their nurse or medical assistant to please get a message to the doctors to see if you could get in for surgery sooner. The surgeries are prioritized in order of severity, so consider it good news that they did not rush you in right away. It depends on the doctors' case load, so it could be that there are several people ahead of you who have a more severe situation. It is better to be proactive where your health is concerned, and don't be afraid to let your doctors know how you feel and that you appreciate their helping to expedite your case. Please keep us updated on your situation. You are not alone.

I had a colonoscopy on November 8, 2022 and by December 5, 2022 had a CT scan and staging. s surgical consult and surgery. I am at home recovering and have a two week check with the surgeon on December 22, 2022.