37 years old with bowel cancer

[Sarah1]

Hi, 

The last 3 weeks have been such a blur......

3 months ago I found out I was low in iron, since then I have had 2 iron infusions done, and still low, so the doctors sent me to go have a colonoscopy and endoscopy done, to see why I am so low in iron, where they found a 5cm tumor in my bowel.

(Two times in the last 3 months of the low iron I was constipated these are the only 2 symptoms I had, and i didnt think anything of it) 1 week later after having the colonoscopy I was in having surgery they took 50% of my large bowel, the tumor and 37 lymphnodes (which were all negative) 10 days in hospital now out and recovering... 

I'm still in denial.... and disbelief... as to what's happened in the last 3 weeks....

Any advice would be amazing and would love to hear what people have to say or talk to people who have had the same thing.

Sarah

[sch]

Hi Sarah,

It's all a bit of a shock, isn't it? One minute you might be realtively healthy, and the next your world has been turned up side down.

I had a week or two notice after the tumour was found during a colonscopy, before I had a total colectomy.

I was in a bit of shock and the waiting tends to play havoc with your emotions and whether you've made the right decision. 

Having lived without a large bowel for 6 months, I have no hesitation in saying that the decision to have a colectomy was the right decision for me.

I found something as simple as walking as much as I was able to, was key to me recovering physically as fast as I did.

Let me know if you have any questions!

-s