Diagnosed with colon cancer: Nervous..Help!

Thinking about you @bravesfan, as you prepare to meet with doctors tomorrow and Thursday to talk about your treatment plan and more.
On this page near the bottom (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/colon-cancer/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20353674), Mayo Clinic provides questions to prepare to ask your doctors, like
Some basic questions to ask your doctor include:

Where is my colon cancer located in my colon?
What is the stage of my colon cancer?
Can you explain my pathology report to me?
Can I have a copy of my pathology report?
Has my colon cancer spread to other parts of my body?
Will I need more tests?
What are the treatment options for my colon cancer?
Will any of the treatments cure my colon cancer?
What is the chance that my colon cancer will be cured?
How much does each treatment increase my chances that my colon cancer will be cured?
What are the potential side effects of each treatment?
How will each treatment affect my daily life?
Is there one treatment you feel is best for me?
What would you recommend to a family member or friend in my same situation?
How much time can I take to make my decision about treatment?
Should I seek a second opinion?
Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you recommend?
Do my siblings or my children have an increased risk of colon cancer?

As for foods after surgery, you might be interested in this related discussion:
– What is a good diet after colon surgery? Are probiotics good? https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/diet-after-total-colectomy/

I imagine that being organic makes all things better ? .....
Egg yolks are high in cholesterol and a source of saturated fatty acids and as such are not heart healthy.
Cardiologists have written about egg yolks as being a heart disease risk.
My latest research is the health dangers of artificial sweeteners.
Sucralose and Aspertame are best avoided. Stevia or stevia leaf by Truvia seems to be the only natural sweetener not related to bad things.
I have eliminated a hundred things from my grocery cart.
Cancer patients and especially those of us with bowel cancers, need to be reading the nutrition labels on everything we buy and know the meaning of it all.

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.

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

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!!

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

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

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.

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!

Thank you I really appreciate it