Prayers and positive thoughts needed. Got some bad news this week.

[Outnumbered]

John,
Shalee and I are pulling for you bud. When I got the news from you today I was relieved to hear the mass hadn't spread. We are praying your PET scan comes back clean. I know how stubborn you are and you really showed your strength by reaching out to the folks of RDP and telling your story. Asking for prayer from you I know was hard since you are a private man. May gods good graces bless you and your wife and girls. Stay strong the girls need you. i am always a phone call away and a 8 minute drive if you need some man support. If you are going to church at 6 pm on Saturday night then we will attend with you. Jackson has ice hockey from 3:45 to 4:45.

Right on bud, thanks:thumbup:

 

[Outnumbered]

Thought the ultrasound confirmed it didn't spread?

I was still pretty foggy when we talked. No local spread to lymph nodes. That is the good part. But there is a chance of a distant metastasis. That is the job of the PET scan, to find out.

 

[coz]

Coz, I'm adding you and your wife to my prayer list buddy. PM me if you need to talk. Maybe we can help each other out:thumbup:

Will do and you can do the same. Thanks everyone, didn't mean to step on the thread but maybe this will help others if they're in need :thumbup:

 

[havasu5150]

Thoughts and Prayers your way.

 

[Guest]

Best wishes..

 

[Dan Lorenze]

My thoughts are with you John.

 

[Outdrive1]

Hey everyone, got back around 4pm and took a nap to sleep off the anesthesia. Well, its a little good news, mixed with bad news, and some unknown.

The Doc got the pathology back and it is cancer. It was not a total shock but I was hoping he was wrong and the test would come back negative.

After the rectal ultrasound the current diagnosis is T2 N0 Mx. That is code for a few things. The good in that code is that it has not spread to the local lymph nodes:thumbup: The unknown is the "X". M0 means no distant spread (M=metastasis) to other parts of the body. M1 means there is a distant spread. Mx means that I need to get a PET CT Scan to check for spread, because M is unknown. Going to see an Oncologist and Colorectal surgeon next week to discuss taking out the tumor and getting the PET scan ASAP.

So, I'm going to step up the prayer pretty hard and concentrate on getting a clear PET CT. Please keep me with your thoughts and prayers, my girls are scared and they need me around. I need to do this for them.

I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again!!!

John

Sorry to read this John. Stay strong and positive. Hope everything works out as best it can for you.

 

[Keymyster]

Prayers sent. Good Luck.

I don't usually divulge too much of my personal life on the forums. I'm a pretty private and self-reliant person and don't get into sharing my personal stuff on Facebook and the like. So I really struggled with making this post but decided it is a good idea.

I was just hit with some pretty shocking news on Monday. My doctor found a 3cm mass in my colon/rectum while performing a colonoscopy. He said he is almost certain it is cancer based on its size and looks, but the official word is not back from the lab. This was a total shock at the age of 44.

I have been running the emotional roller coaster ride ever since. Waking up the last few mornings has been tough. The best way I can describe it is, surreal. It is very much like waking up from a terrible nightmare, but instead of that feeling of relief you get when you come to realize you were only dreaming, the feeling of dread comes over you when you know that it is really happening.

That leads me to the purpose of this post. I do believe in the power of prayer and positive thinking. I believe the more goodness you have on your side the better chance you have of fighting evil. It may sound totally silly to some, but I know a lot of you are with me on this.

Tomorrow I go in for a rectal ultrasound and likely get my pathology biopsy results back. After tomorrow I will have a much better understanding of what I am up against.

I'm not going to ramble on but I just want to ask that you keep me in your thoughts and prayers for the sake of my family, my girls. Let's hope and pray that this is something treatable and defeat able.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

John

 

[hulihan]

I don't usually divulge too much of my personal life on the forums. I'm a pretty private and self-reliant person and don't get into sharing my personal stuff on Facebook and the like. So I really struggled with making this post but decided it is a good idea.

I was just hit with some pretty shocking news on Monday. My doctor found a 3cm mass in my colon/rectum while performing a colonoscopy. He said he is almost certain it is cancer based on its size and looks, but the official word is not back from the lab. This was a total shock at the age of 44.

I have been running the emotional roller coaster ride ever since. Waking up the last few mornings has been tough. The best way I can describe it is, surreal. It is very much like waking up from a terrible nightmare, but instead of that feeling of relief you get when you come to realize you were only dreaming, the feeling of dread comes over you when you know that it is really happening.

That leads me to the purpose of this post. I do believe in the power of prayer and positive thinking. I believe the more goodness you have on your side the better chance you have of fighting evil. It may sound totally silly to some, but I know a lot of you are with me on this.

Tomorrow I go in for a rectal ultrasound and likely get my pathology biopsy results back. After tomorrow I will have a much better understanding of what I am up against.

I'm not going to ramble on but I just want to ask that you keep me in your thoughts and prayers for the sake of my family, my girls. Let's hope and pray that this is something treatable and defeat able.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

John

You are in our prayers, had the same scare at about your age, and it all worked out and I am fine now, I am praying you get to the same point, hang in there, so many advancements in medical, hopefully you will be fine, you mind will play games, you will be ok !:thumbup:

 

[Outnumbered]

Got a little good news today after a few tests yesterday showed I have a very low CEA blood count which is a tumor marker. Mine is actually in the normal range. I had two CEA tests done a week apart and my CEA actually dropped from 1.9 to 1.6. :thumbup: That number is so low that it registers as a person without cancer. And, the CEA typically only drops when your body is fighting off the tumor due to chemo or rad treatment. I have had neither yet and hope I wont have to but time will tell. The doctors say the CEA is a good indicator that the cancer has not spread in my body but not a guarantee. The CT scan they ran also confirmed this locally in my torso area. However, they still have not run a PET scan which is the full body scan with a radioactive tracer.

I'm confident that this is a sign that the prayers and my positive outlook are working. I've also gone to an all natural diet and stopped all sugar, caffeine, coffee, soda, beer , red meat, etc. Wow, it was hard the first 3 days but I feel so much better already. I know, it does not sound like much fun but when it may help save your life it can be exciting to think that it is helping boost your natural immune.


Anyway, I am due to talk to several specialists next week at Mayo and should know much more detail about my situation and staging by then. I lost a week in the progress of seeing the specialists when I decided to change my hospital from Thunderbird to Mayo Clinic. But my experience there so far has me assured I made the right choice in doing so:thumbup:.



Thanks again for your support and prayers. Keep them coming



John

 

[jayboat]

The smartest thing you ever did was to get a colonoscopy. You may have saved your own life. I beat prostate cancer a few years and if you catch it early, colon cancer is highly curable. Keep us posted and pray, we'll be praying for you too.

What he said. Your actions are the most important part of this.

Best of luck going forward, positive thoughts.

 

[RitcheyRch]

I will keep you in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[coz]

Got a little good news today after a few tests yesterday showed I have a very low CEA blood count which is a tumor marker. Mine is actually in the normal range. I had two CEA tests done a week apart and my CEA actually dropped from 1.9 to 1.6. :thumbup: That number is so low that it registers as a person without cancer. And, the CEA typically only drops when your body is fighting off the tumor due to chemo or rad treatment. I have had neither yet and hope I wont have to but time will tell. The doctors say the CEA is a good indicator that the cancer has not spread in my body but not a guarantee. The CT scan they ran also confirmed this locally in my torso area. However, they still have not run a PET scan which is the full body scan with a radioactive tracer.

I'm confident that this is a sign that the prayers and my positive outlook are working. I've also gone to an all natural diet and stopped all sugar, caffeine, coffee, soda, beer , red meat, etc. Wow, it was hard the first 3 days but I feel so much better already. I know, it does not sound like much fun but when it may help save your life it can be exciting to think that it is helping boost your natural immune.


Anyway, I am due to talk to several specialists next week at Mayo and should know much more detail about my situation and staging by then. I lost a week in the progress of seeing the specialists when I decided to change my hospital from Thunderbird to Mayo Clinic. But my experience there so far has me assured I made the right choice in doing so:thumbup:.



Thanks again for your support and prayers. Keep them coming



John

This is a good thing :thumbup::thumbup: I got your PM and sounds like some positive results for you. Hope all goes well with the new hospital, you're in our thoughts :thumbup:

 

[Stainless]

This is great news for you, hope we get to read more of the same in the future.

 

[TITTIES AND BEER]

Best of luck on this prayers sent

 

[rivrrts429]

Awesome news Outnumbered :thumbup:

 

[Joker]

Excellent news John. We will keep you in our prayers. :thumbup:

 

[FreeBird236]

Hope all news continues to be good news....:thumbup:

 

[wsuwrhr]

Keep your head up, we are all friends here.

My family will be thinking of you and yours.

 

[westair]

Great news!:thumbup: .... best of luck, we'll be with you the whole way!

 

[Outnumbered]

Well, that MRI did not show the results we thought it would and revealed a faint image of inflamed lymph nodes near my tumor. The CT scan, prior ultrasound, and blood work did not show anything. Needless to say, this was a blow to the positive momentum I was building. So, they are doing another ultrasound colonoscopy today and taking biopsies of the lymph nodes just to be 100% sure that the MRI was not giving a false positive. Probably will not know the results until tomorrow at the earliest. After this test I will know what the staging and treatment plan will be. If it is in the lymphs then they are wanting to do Chemo and Radiation prior to my resection surgery. The resection surgery in itself if a major deal that involves a temporary colostomy bag for 2-3 months, so I really hope I don't get hit with the 1-2 punch by adding Chemo/Rad to the mix. Its going to be pretty tough to keep working with all that shit going on.

Thanks again for the support and prayers,

John <-----trying to keep a positive attitude

 

[lake p.a.l.]

Find a way to keep your chin up and spend as much time as possible with your loved ones. Our thoughts & prayers to you

 

[NdaWind]

Keeping the positive thoughts for you and your family.

 

[DaytonaBabe]

Continued prayers for you... You can do this. :thumbup:

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Still pulling for you, and will redouble our prayers.

 

[C-2]

Aww man, keep your chin up and let's hope for the best. Beat this thing down, and will also send more prayers tonight for you :thumbup:

 

[Outnumbered]

Lab results show negative for cancer in the sampled node. :thumbup: :champagne:

Still waiting to hear from the doctor to see what the next step is. I'm fairly certain it will be surgery. Not 100% sure if they will now hold off on Chemo/Rad since they were not able to sample more than one node. Hope to find out soon. Thanks for all the support.:thumbup:

 

[OutCole'd]

Good luck!!!

 

[Stainless]

We are all pulling for you Outnumbered.

 

[Joker]

This is great news!!!! Keep thinking positively and things will work out and Thank you for the update. :thumbup:

 

[AMBUSHER]

Good news bossman, keep it up!:thumbup:

 

[RLJ676]

That's great.

Hopefully the good news keeps coming.

 

[460]

Awesome news.

 

[C-2]

Hellz yes, keep the good news coming. :thumbup:

 

[JBS]

Great news John.


Sent from my iPhone

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Well that is the kind of news we were all pulling for. I am a big believer in the power of prayer and positive thinking, both have made a difference in my life.
We will keep both going and flowing in your direction John.

All of you people reading this in your late 40's early 50's who have procrastinated, consider this another hint to get a colonoscopy.
In my case, the life that was saved was mine.
It is sounding like we have another case for that here.

 

[poncho]

Just did a 3 month run on the Bering Sea, while I was out there 2 friends passed and another 2 were diagnosed. I haven't seen a doctor in 25 years outside of the E/R, told the wife to find me a general qwack in the area.
Your post and what has happened to my friends has opened my eyes a bunch.
I wish you the best possible.

 

[Outnumbered]

Thanks for the support everyone. Yes, I do believe in the power of prayer and positive attitude. Any shadow of a doubt I may have had has been overwhelmingly put to rest over the past few weeks. It is hard to comprehend for anyone not having gone through something like this but there have been so many things that have happened to me in the past few weeks that I cannot explain in any other way except answered prayers.

As far as you 40+ guys (and gals too) getting checked out let me climb on my soap box for a minute. I am kicking myself in the ass for not going in sooner. I have been fighting IBS type symptoms for about a year. Thinking it was due to "just stress" I never got checked out. Well, when I started seeing a little blood it freaked me the hell out so I went in and they ordered the colonoscopy. My advice is that if you have chronic IBS symptoms, tell your doc you saw a little blood so they can order the colonoscopy and have it covered by your insurance. It is not a big deal and it may just save your life. Don't be a wuss and say "no way I'm getting that prod up my ass", just do it. I so regret not doing it sooner. If you ever see even a little blood in your stool and have not had a colonoscopy, you should be very worried. It is a very common symptom of a more advanced tumor.

I hope that little lecture may save a life. If anyone wants to ask me any questions about the procedure etc, feel free to PM or post up. :thumbup:

 

[Outnumbered]

Morning crew bump to get you 40+ crowd into the doctor and get checked out. Poncho has the right idea:thumbup:

 

[SBMech]

Great news John! Keep that positive ball rolling man! :thumbup:

 

[Flyinbowtie]

Morning crew bump to get you 40+ crowd into the doctor and get checked out. Poncho has the right idea:thumbup:

I started at 45 getting, "the big look" because we have always suspected that a missed call by the lab on a polyp my Dad had removed(they said no cancer) was where the cancer started that went to his liver, metastasized and ultimately killed him at 56.
He was diagnosed Thanksgiving Day and dead December 19, 1983, 5 months before his first grandson was born.
We think they missed the call because we never got a bill for the procedure. It was done in LB.
So my sis and I both started getting the big look early, and when they found my tumor it was still very small, encapsulated, and hadn't penetrated the cell wall. It was a very, very slow growing cancer...I was 50...so it is easy to make the leap and believe that I had the same deal going as Dad did, we just caught it very early.
So get this procedure done. Just do it.
And if you are in your 30's, but have a family member who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, start early. I think 40ish wouldn't be out of the question in those circumstances.
It really isn't a big deal, you are going to spend some time on the toilet one evening, but by the time you are on your way to get it done your work, and the worst part for you, is over. You go to sleep and wake up, no pain, no nothing, and the doc tells you your results. You are back to work the next day.
Just do it.

 

[Wicky]

Well, that MRI did not show the results we thought it would and revealed a faint image of inflamed lymph nodes near my tumor. The CT scan, prior ultrasound, and blood work did not show anything. Needless to say, this was a blow to the positive momentum I was building. So, they are doing another ultrasound colonoscopy today and taking biopsies of the lymph nodes just to be 100% sure that the MRI was not giving a false positive. Probably will not know the results until tomorrow at the earliest. After this test I will know what the staging and treatment plan will be. If it is in the lymphs then they are wanting to do Chemo and Radiation prior to my resection surgery. The resection surgery in itself if a major deal that involves a temporary colostomy bag for 2-3 months, so I really hope I don't get hit with the 1-2 punch by adding Chemo/Rad to the mix. Its going to be pretty tough to keep working with all that shit going on.

Thanks again for the support and prayers,

John <-----trying to keep a positive attitude

Posititive Vibes sent from the red team in Idaho!!

 

[Havasu Home]

I started at 45 getting, "the big look" because we have always suspected that a missed call by the lab on a polyp my Dad had removed(they said no cancer) was where the cancer started that went to his liver, metastasized and ultimately killed him at 56.
He was diagnosed Thanksgiving Day and dead December 19, 1983, 5 months before his first grandson was born.
We think they missed the call because we never got a bill for the procedure. It was done in LB.
So my sis and I both started getting the big look early, and when they found my tumor it was still very small, encapsulated, and hadn't penetrated the cell wall. It was a very, very slow growing cancer...I was 50...so it is easy to make the leap and believe that I had the same deal going as Dad did, we just caught it very early.
So get this procedure done. Just do it.
And if you are in your 30's, but have a family member who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, start early. I think 40ish wouldn't be out of the question in those circumstances.
It really isn't a big deal, you are going to spend some time on the toilet one evening, but by the time you are on your way to get it done your work, and the worst part for you, is over. You go to sleep and wake up, no pain, no nothing, and the doc tells you your results. You are back to work the next day.
Just do it.

:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[Wicky]

Thanks for the support everyone. Yes, I do believe in the power of prayer and positive attitude. Any shadow of a doubt I may have had has been overwhelmingly put to rest over the past few weeks. It is hard to comprehend for anyone not having gone through something like this but there have been so many things that have happened to me in the past few weeks that I cannot explain in any other way except answered prayers.

As far as you 40+ guys (and gals too) getting checked out let me climb on my soap box for a minute. I am kicking myself in the ass for not going in sooner. I have been fighting IBS type symptoms for about a year. Thinking it was due to "just stress" I never got checked out. Well, when I started seeing a little blood it freaked me the hell out so I went in and they ordered the colonoscopy. My advice is that if you have chronic IBS symptoms, tell your doc you saw a little blood so they can order the colonoscopy and have it covered by your insurance. It is not a big deal and it may just save your life. Don't be a wuss and say "no way I'm getting that prod up my ass", just do it. I so regret not doing it sooner. If you ever see even a little blood in your stool and have not had a colonoscopy, you should be very worried. It is a very common symptom of a more advanced tumor.

I hope that little lecture may save a life. If anyone wants to ask me any questions about the procedure etc, feel free to PM or post up. :thumbup:

My wife had it done due to family history and bingo, they found polyps. They snipped them out and she has been free of any other polyps since the first colonoscopy. Last time around(her 4th one) they told her she wouldn't need another for 5 more years.

 

[Wicky]

Lab results show negative for cancer in the sampled node. :thumbup: :champagne:

Still waiting to hear from the doctor to see what the next step is. I'm fairly certain it will be surgery. Not 100% sure if they will now hold off on Chemo/Rad since they were not able to sample more than one node. Hope to find out soon. Thanks for all the support.:thumbup:

:thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[Enen]

Going to the doc today for a physical, and to be referred out for a colonoscopy.

 

[FreeBird236]

I'll have my second one sometime this year, first one was good.

Glad to hear your latest news..:thumbup:

 

[Loelco]

Keep the faith! I gotta get in for mine.

 

[Stainless]

Bump,
Outnumbered hope things are going well for you.
The other reason I bumped was I just left my Drs office to get scheduled for Colonoscopy and she said it is only needed every 10 years. I thought it was every 2 years. I have UHC, so wondering if they are just cheap bastards?

 

[Flying_Lavey]

I know I'm getting into this thread pretty late but I think I may have some insight to add and help you out Outnumbered. My mom was diagnosed with colon cancer about 7 years ago. She wasn't quiet as lucky as you seem to be getting so far. She had to have a few feet of her colon removed, the temporary colostomy bag, and chemo and radiation all at once. She was damn near bed ridden for about 2 months in our living room at home. But, nobody was ever in low spirits around her. We acted like it was nothing wrong and my mom brought her slight twisted sense of humor into to help by naming her bag Tami, after her sister (as a joke of course which kinda bugged my aunt but thats how they are), cause the stoma would make noises fairly commonly due to digestion and instead of getting embarrassed, she would just say "Shut up Tami!". That put everybody around her at ease and made it a lot easier to stay in high spirits. She ended up going through all the treatments and beating it and has been cancer free for 7 years now. My grandfather on the other side of my family (my Dad's father) was also diagnosed with it but his was much milder. They were able to remove the tumor without affecting his intestines and he did not have to have a bag. Although he did get radiation as a precautionary measure. And yes, I will be getting a colonoscopy at 35 cause Im pretty sure its just a matter of time for me since cancer has been so prevalent on both sides of my family.

Moral of the story is, LISTEN TO YOUR DOCTORS! All of them. COMMUNICATE EVERYTHING with all of them as to ensure they are all on the same page. KEEP HIGH HOPES, make the situation as light as possible for yourself and everybody around you. DON'T INVOLVE YOURSELF WITH NEGATIVE PEOPLE, keep them at arms reach for this point. Bring them back in when you've kicked cancer's ass.

If you would ever like to talk about it from my perspective or if you'd like to talk to my Mom to get some support as well, feel free to shoot me a PM and we can get you in touch. We are both more than happy and willing to help out fellow cancer ass kickers!