1. < Colorectal Cancer

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

Posted by maya8238 @maya8238, Dec 12, 2022

Was diagnosed on 11/18 with colon cancer. My surgery is on 1/31. It’s not spread to other organs as seen in Ct scan. I’m
Just curious to how long it took for others to get a surgery date. Mine is 2 months and two weeks. I don’t know if that’s good or way too long to wait. They have nothing earlier available.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Colorectal Cancer Support Group.

drkeelyowensa | @drkeelyowensa | Dec 19, 2022

Hi Everyone
I am South African and live in Johannesburg.
I had a colonoscopy on Thursday 11 August 2022 Gastroenterologist found a tumor. Biopsies were taken and the following day I was informed that it was malignant. My doctor said I needed surgery asap and he put me in touch with the top laprascopic doctor in the country. I was admitted on Monday 15th August and sent for CT scan with contrast- which was clear Bloods were pulled as well- also clear
surgery was done that afternoon. I had a right hemicolectomy.
I started preventative/precautionary chemotherapy called FOLFOX on 19 September
2022. It's been vicious and I am bed ridden for 10 days after each treatment. The Neupogen made me feel like my bones were exploding..
I'm one of the minority of people who responds very badly but I am managing my symptoms with Tramadol, ondansetron and imodium.
It's not easy but it's a small price to pay for my health.

Sending strength and courage to you all.
Dr. Keely Owen

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1 reply
drkeelyowensa | @drkeelyowensa | Dec 19, 2022

I had surgery 4 days after diagnosis. Our private health care in South Africa is phenomenal.

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brigli | @brigli | Dec 21, 2022

I was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer in May 2018. I had six months of chemotherapy and radiation. I had colostomy surgery in February 2019. In October 2022 doctor told me that the cancer had returned so I am now getting chemotherapy again.

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Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Dec 21, 2022
In reply to @ruthg "I had a colonoscopy on November 8, 2022 and by December 5, 2022 had a CT..." + (show)
@ruthg

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.

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All the best with your follow up appointment today, @ruthg. How is your recovery from surgery going?

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maya8238 | @maya8238 | Dec 21, 2022
In reply to @colleenyoung "@maya8238, I know this is of little reassurance, but remember colon cancers are very slow growing...." + (show)
@colleenyoung

@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.

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I had my pre op yesterday and they didn’t give me an ekg. Does that seem normal? I should have asked but didn’t think if it until after the fact

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nikodean | @nikodean | Dec 28, 2022

Why do some people get surgery before chemo, and some, many months after? Is there an answer to this other than “that’s what the doctor thinks is best?” Are there any rules that doctors follow when coming up with their approach that are evidence based? My cousin was diagnosed a few weeks ago and they want to do chemo pills for 3 months and radiation and then I believe 6 months later, do surgery. The tumor is ~5 centimeters (I think) and they say it’s stage 2. It just doesn’t make sense to me to wait to take it out, but hey, I’m not a doctor. Thanks.

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1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 4, 2023
In reply to @nikodean "Why do some people get surgery before chemo, and some, many months after? Is there an..." + (show)
@nikodean

Why do some people get surgery before chemo, and some, many months after? Is there an answer to this other than “that’s what the doctor thinks is best?” Are there any rules that doctors follow when coming up with their approach that are evidence based? My cousin was diagnosed a few weeks ago and they want to do chemo pills for 3 months and radiation and then I believe 6 months later, do surgery. The tumor is ~5 centimeters (I think) and they say it’s stage 2. It just doesn’t make sense to me to wait to take it out, but hey, I’m not a doctor. Thanks.

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@nikodean, there are guidelines that doctors follow to help with treatment decision-making. Chemo before surgery is called neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Chemo after surgery is adjuvant chemotherapy.

This article explains some of the reasons one may be used over the other for cancer like colon cancer, rectal cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and others.
- What's the difference: Adjuvant and neoadjuvant therapies https://www.cancercenter.com/community/blog/2019/01/whats-the-difference-adjuvant-and-neoadjuvant-therapies

Many stage 2 colon cancers have grown through the wall of the colon, and maybe into nearby tissue, but they have not spread to the lymph nodes. It is possible that they wish to shrink your cousin's tumor with chemo and radiation to make sure they can extract the tumor cleanly. This is a great question to ask the cancer team.

Has your cousin started treatment yet?

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tenpro | @tenpro | Mar 4, 2023
In reply to @lisag03 "I had my regular colonoscopy on 4/11 and I had a partially obstructing structure. There was..." + (show)
@lisag03

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!

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Hello
I've finished my colonoscopy and they found sections that I'm told should be removed. I am hesitant about surgery and want to find other options if available but not neglect the chance of cancer. does anyone have a suggestion as to the best place to go for a second opinion? My doctor has no problem with me getting any additional advice, I've known him for several years and he's taking good care of me and understands why I may want a second opinion.

thanks for your information, trying to stay calm and focused on what is next.
C

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1 reply
lisag03 | @lisag03 | Mar 4, 2023
In reply to @tenpro "Hello I've finished my colonoscopy and they found sections that I'm told should be removed. I..." + (show)
@tenpro

Hello
I've finished my colonoscopy and they found sections that I'm told should be removed. I am hesitant about surgery and want to find other options if available but not neglect the chance of cancer. does anyone have a suggestion as to the best place to go for a second opinion? My doctor has no problem with me getting any additional advice, I've known him for several years and he's taking good care of me and understands why I may want a second opinion.

thanks for your information, trying to stay calm and focused on what is next.
C

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Did they say why they recommend removing section? Is there suspicious tissue? A structure? When they say sections, that means they are recommending a bowel resection, not removal. So that’s a positive. Do you have access to a Mayo Clinic or MD Anderson? I saw both and had surgery at MD Anderson because our insurance did not cover Mayo. One thing I will say is having the surgery as a planned surgery is always better than waiting and doing it on an emergent basis. Because I had a partial obstruction, I could not edit long, but still had to wait almost a month. During that time, I had to live on a very soft diet. It was nerve wracking and stressful.
Surgery is never a fun option, but I’ve had multiple surgeries and the recovery from the planned ones has always been easier than the ones done as emergency.

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2 replies
johnclick | @johnclick | Mar 4, 2023
In reply to @lisag03 "Did they say why they recommend removing section? Is there suspicious tissue? A structure? When they..." + (show)
@lisag03

Did they say why they recommend removing section? Is there suspicious tissue? A structure? When they say sections, that means they are recommending a bowel resection, not removal. So that’s a positive. Do you have access to a Mayo Clinic or MD Anderson? I saw both and had surgery at MD Anderson because our insurance did not cover Mayo. One thing I will say is having the surgery as a planned surgery is always better than waiting and doing it on an emergent basis. Because I had a partial obstruction, I could not edit long, but still had to wait almost a month. During that time, I had to live on a very soft diet. It was nerve wracking and stressful.
Surgery is never a fun option, but I’ve had multiple surgeries and the recovery from the planned ones has always been easier than the ones done as emergency.

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no surgery. Just checking to see if I have cancer

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