A week ago I had a mass removed from my colon.

[Delmette2.0]

It's going to be another week+ for my first oncologist visit.
This is when I find out what stage I'm at (hopefully stage 2) and the recommended treatment.

I know I don't know enough to ask important questions, so I am hoping a few folks here can offer up suggestions.
Anything at all would be helpful. Thanks.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

1. Wishing you all the best... please let it be good news!!

[Delmette2.0]

14. Thank you.

No chemo at all would be great.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

19. Fingers crossed!! 🤞🤞 Keep us posted.

[Ohiogal]

2. When I had cancer

It was incredibly helpful to have my husband come with me to my first few appointments, because I was so shell shocked I would have never absorbed all the information the doctors were throwing at me. My best advice is to have a spouse, family member, or good friend go with you for moral support and to help you keep track of everything they are telling you.

Good luck! I’ll keep good thoughts for you.

[Timewas]

5. Also

Along with that just record all of it and then you can go over it when you are more settled and can listen..I did that and was damn glad I did as I had missed some important info..

[Delmette2.0]

8. My son is coming with me.

He records doctor visits like this. His wife has had her own medical issues and listening again later is helpful.
Shell shocked is exactly how I feel. The terminology is so confusing and decisions need to be made.

[Ohiogal]

12. That's great that your son is coming with you.

Try not to be too scared - many people get through this. If I can get through chemo and radiation, anyone can. Just follow your orders and speak up if something doesn’t seem right.
Be good to yourself and let others take care of you for a while. Wishing you all the best!

[Delmette2.0]

16. It's good to hear about successful treatment.

There has been no cancer is my huge family so I have only heard about the failures of coworkers and people in the news.
I guess the family history is a plus for me.

[Ohiogal]

18. I had no cancer in my family history either

When I was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer 12 years ago. Hence I was like a walking zombie when they told me they found it on a routine mammogram. I just couldn’t believe it.

I Don’t know why others think it’s okay to tell you stories about their family members who didn’t make it. That’s about the stupidest most inconsiderate thing I can think of.

Treatments are even better now than when I had mine. They are discovering new drugs and therapies all the time. Side effects are minimized more so than even 5 years ago. Don’t be afraid of the scary terminology and the huge amount of information they will be imparting. If I ever had to go through with it again, I would in a heartbeat. Beats the alternative!

[marble falls]

3. "Did you get all of it" and "what do we do next."

[Delmette2.0]

13. The surgeon took care of all that.

She removed several inches of colon on both sides to keep the mass intact. She also got lymph nodes to be examined. The oncologist will tell me what he found in his pathology.

[Croney]

4. Here is a very helpful forum you might check out.

When my sister had colon cancer, we found this site to be informative and supportive. She was Stage 4 at diagnosis and died in 2011, but I still follow the stories here. Many members are long-term survivors. Good luck!

http://coloncancersupport.colonclub.com/viewforum.php?f=1

[Delmette2.0]

9. Thank you! I will check it out.

[wendyb-NC]

6. I'm holding in the healing light, through prayer.

I hope it is very positive news.

[Delmette2.0]

11. Thank you

[Lithos]

7. Not a doctor

But, some general questions come to mind:

1) Will I need more evaluations before treatment begins?
2) Who will I need to see (any other specialists?)
3) Where was it discovered - exactly
4) What can I do now while waiting? (Examples below)
- Should I be taking particular vitamins? Some treatments exhaust a body's supply.
- Should I lose weight, or exercise more?
- Stop certain medications?
5) Where can I go to get more information - I assume you are not wanting to let Dr. Google inform you. Dr. Google is a quack.

This is not in my personal experience - just a set of notes I have done when I was helping my dad go through this.

[Delmette2.0]

10. These are great! Thank you.

I need to worry about gaining weight before treatment. I have always been very thin.

[Atticus]

15. Not a doctor or nurse, but these are my thoughts:

I'd want to know what TYPE cancer they found. What is its name? How is it spelled?

I'd ask how my cancer is characterized as to how likely it is to have metasticized or spread. Are any other organs involved? Am I now cancer free?

What type of screening tests have been done to determine if cancer has spread? Will I have scheduled follow-up screenings to insure I'm cancer free?

What are the treatment options? Pros and cons of each including success rate or effectiveness and side effects.

Finally, I would take a family member or trusted friend with me if at all possible to be another pair of ears listening to the answers to all the above. If the doctor is agreeable, use a small recorder to tape what is said so don't have to memorize unfamiliar terms and exactly what was said. If doctor does not want to be recorded, take the recorder anyway and dictate a summary of what was just said ad soon as you leave doctor's office.

Best of luck.

[Delmette2.0]

17. Thank you.

This is all a big help. I'm a planner. Plan for the worst and hope for the best is my motto. Questions is the only plan I have.

[MLAA]

20. a Whole Foods plant based diet can help

You can simply google vegan or plant based diet and colon cancer or if you’d like a few resources send me a direct message. Best of luck!

[Delmette2.0]

21. Thanks for the tip.