Diagnosed with colon cancer: Nervous..Help!

Hello. I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis and the worries you are experiencing. Many of us have been through this and have come out the other end smiling. It sounds like you're in very good hands and that you will soon hear what treatment is in store. If surgery is planned you will certainly need a bit of help for a few days when you get home. In my case I was diagnosed last October, had an operation in November and was discharged from hospital after 4 days and cared for by my wife, who deserves a medal. After a few days I was able to generally look after myself and prepare meals etc. and get exercise. Then followed 3 months of chemo which was a bit tough at times but didn't stop me getting around and doing near-normal activities.
Best of luck - I'm sure you'll get through it.

I'm sorry about your diagnosis. You'll know a lot more after the test results come in and you meet with your doctors. I was diagnosed in April 2022 with very early stage rectal cancer. They took out polyps in April and July last year but they returned by November, so I had colostomy surgery in mid February. I arranged for friends to help at home a couple hours in the mornings and afternoons and someone overnights for 4 days after I was discharged. I was able to fend for myself pretty well by the 2nd day home. I had people I could call for car rides/grocery runs (couldn't drive for a couple weeks) and since I live alone, I qualified for home health care visits 2x/week for 3 weeks and 1x/week for another 3 weeks to get me comfortable with my ostomy and make sure things were healing as they should. I didn't need chemo or radiation. The going back to work after surgery depends on what you do - I'm an accountant and was working from home for a couple hours/day the week after my surgery. I went back to the office once/week for just a couple hours at 4 weeks, then for 1/2 days after 6 weeks and added an hour/day each week until I was back in the office full time. I work for very small companies, so I told them about my diagnosis the same week I got it. They were very supportive - a few folks I work with even helped with the shifts at home after I got out of the hospital. There are lifting restrictions for 6 weeks after abdominal surgery, so if you have a job with lifting, you might be out longer or be limited longer until you get strength back. For me the whole experience has been more of an inconvenience than anything else - a lot of doc visits, surgery, etc but I'm pretty close to my normal activites just 3.5 months after my surgery. The Lord does have you and He'll help you get through this!

Thank you I really appreciate it

I was found to have colon cancer a year ago at 72yo. I was stage 4 as the cancer was also found in a lymph node. Scans also showed a lung nodule that was suspected to be metastasized cancer from the colon.
I went straight to colon resection surgery. I was very hopeful that I would not be in need of a bag afterwards or even a temporary one. My doctor was confident that one would not be needed which proved to be the case.
I recovered best possible at home with no help whatsoever for seven weeks and then returned for Lung wedge resection of my right lower lung area.
I will say that colon resection is a far easier recovery as compared to the lung. The majority of pain in both was during the hospital stay, not so much after coming home. You lay down, nap, sleep, eat, go to the bathroom and repeat.
Plan to go nowhere except for your follow-up appointment. No house chores or grocery shopping. Get everything you need before going to the hospital for your surgery. Stock up and be prepared to rest. Clear your mind of everything else that may be going on and concentrate on only you.
That's it.
My concerns and worry over doing this alone, totally alone, not even a visitor was unfounded. I got along just fine.
You will be eating different so pre-plan for that. You won't be cooking as normal. Talk to your doctor about meals after surgery and research online.
We are always more resilient in adversity than we give ourselves credit for. Be strong. Be determined. Best wishes to you!

Dang. You have been thru the ringer! Thank you for the advice! Funny you mentioned food. I was wondering what I need to be eating after surgery.

The first 2 days in the hospital , I drank beef , chicken broth eating jello. After that , chicken noodle soup , rice noodle soup, any soft food . I also drink fresh squeezed juice from vegetables, avocado, eggs .I had my surgery on 5/30 , stay 3 nights in the hospital. Today , I just walked around my neighborhood.. :)I am 50

So can you go back to eating whatever when all healed? Or after surgery is there foods that will always be a no

I suppose that there are people who over time return to eating as they did before .... but not a good plan as diet is directly related to colon health.
You need to look at foods said to be beneficial in combating cancer.
I have eliminated more from my diet than I have added.
I no longer eat any red meat products. No soda, no coffee, no high fructose corn syrup, avoid gluten, eggs, chocolate, baked goods, no fried foods and no deli meats or packaged meals for starters.
The idea is to protect your colon and gastrointestinal system from cancer recurrence as long as possible.
Forget food that is hard to digest. What you do eat, salads for instance, cut it up well to make digestion easier.
You have many questions to ask of doctors/ nutritionists perhaps but there is a wealth of information online with this subject.
I think for most, diarrhea and/or constipation after colon surgery can be expected. So that has to be taken seriously when planning what to eat.
It's just something else to think about and will become a major part of the healing process.
Prepare now for what is to come and all things later will be easier to deal with.
Best wishes to you always!!

Hello Bravefan. My name is Merry (@merpreb), and I am a Mentor for the Lung Cancer group. The reason that I'm answering your post is that I just went through something similar to your situation. I just lost my husband not 2 months ago. We had been married for 45 years. But during my care for him, I broke my back. I also needed supplemental oxygen due to a reaction that I had to radiation for lung cancer. My lungs are super sensitive. During the night when there was no one here to help me, I had to care for him. I had no choice. I had no one to care for me because David wasn't capable of it.

I think that we do what we have to do. By posting here you have made the first step in preparation for whatever treatments you will have. Everyone is different in their reactions to treatments, but just know that Connect will help as much as we can!

Best of luck. I'm sorry for your loss and hopefully, this past year has given you strength that you didn't know that you had! Best of luck!

Merry

Can I ask why you eliminated eggs? I’ve been vegan for almost 9 years, and since my resection I’ve started eating organic chicken and eggs.