"Bowel cancer diagnosis, op, care & recovery"

I was diagnosed with a cancerous tumour in the stigmoid area of the bowel in December 2020 having mentioned to my GP that streaks of blood had appeared in my stools. A rectal exam hadn't  found anything and that was followed by a colonoscopy which revealed the tumour. I was assigned 2 wonderful support nurses, Claire and Chrissie who were my 'go to'for any information and concerns. A colonography revealed that, thankfully, there was only one tumour which was still contained in the bowel and was operable. 

My op took place in January 2021 and was successful (yay!). I met my surgeon and anaesthatist beforehand who fully explained what would happen. I should add that I recieved information at every point of my journey, I never felt ignored or under-valued but fully supported, no question was ever considered to be unnecessary. 

I had a fast-track recovery in hospital, again the staff were so supportive and helpful and was back home 4 days after a major operation. I had been told that it would be a 4 to 6 week recovery and was contacted by someone on the oncology team every day for the first 2 weeks. I was encouraged to be active, slowly with small steps to begin with. I enjoy walking so that wasn't a problem and each day I gave myself a goal of walking a little further. It was tiring and frustrating but eventually I got used to the "no bending, no stretching " rule! 

4 weeks into my recovery and I was starting to feel so much better and more positive mentally too. I recieved a phone call from one of my support nurses who gave me a round-up of the histology report. As well as removing the tumour. They had removed 22 lymph nodes, 2 if which showed signs of cancerous cells, so the news was that I was to go onto 3 months of chemotherapy, 4 cycles in total just to make sure they got it all. In an instant I had gone from recovery mode back to preparation mode. I knew it was another step forward to full recovery but in my heart I felt I'd taken several steps back. 

I met my oncologist, who fully explained the chemical combination I would be taking and a whole range of potential side effects (some were scary, but you do need to have all the information). It was a lot to take in, but it made me feel better...I prefer working on facts rather than 'if, buts and maybe. Plus there was always Claire or Chrissie to talk to if I had any concerns. I also had a 24 hour emergency phone number that I could ring if I had any concerns regarding side effects I was experiencing and yes, I have used it and yes, they too were wonderfully understanding and supportive. 

I have been fortunate enough to experience the lesser of the side effects (I have wondered if that is because the cancer was caught early), including pins and needles in my fingertips and throat cramps, both resulting from a sensitivity to temperature changes. Easily coped with if you remember to wear gloves when handling cold things like metal pans and cutlery or going into the fridge or freezer. Oh, and run the hot tap when you go to the loo at 3am! You only forget to do that once! The only pain I experienced was a reaction to the drug which is the one you get through the drip at the start of each cycle. This was relieved by the insertion of a PICC line which fed the drug directly into my larger vein. 

My only other problem was that my bone marrow reacted badly to the chemo and a couple of times I had to wait a week to two longer to enable my white cell count to recover so I could begin the next cycle.  Frustrating but nothing to be done,  it was explained to me that it wasnt anything I was or wasn't doing.

Now I'm in my final cycle. I have spent 2 hours at the Headlands Unit at Treliske (again,  brilliantly supportive,  friendly staff) on the drip and have rung the bell that celebrates your last visit and recovery. I am on my last 2 weeks of chemo tablets at home. Its tiring for the first week but each day it becomes a little easier and I'm looking forward to a camping trip with the family at the end if June, something I wasn't sure I was going to be able to attend.  

I look back at the last 5 months and it all feels a little surreal. The one thing that does feel real is all the help and support I have had from every member of staff at Treliske who has been on my journey with me. It doesnt finish now either; I will go onto a 5 year surveillance program which includes further CT scans and a colonoscopy. In the meantime I'm looking forward to enjoying new things in my life as well as getting out to meet up with family and friends eventually...pandemic permitting of course!