I KNEW It Was CANCER! - Andrea | Colorectal Cancer | The Patient Story
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- Опубликовано: 6 июн 2024
- As a nurse practitioner, Andrea knew she had cancer. She had symptoms like blood in her stool and lower back pain. She just had a baby though, so doctors kept dismissing her symptoms as post-pregnancy problems.
Andrea finally found a doctor who was willing to schedule her in for a colonoscopy right away, and that’s when they found a large mass in her sigmoid colon. She was diagnosed with Stage 3b colorectal cancer where she would do chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery to remove the tumor.
In this cancer vlog, Andrea takes us through the anxiety that comes with cancer, how a temporary ileostomy bag works, and how important it is to self advocate.
#cancerstories #cancerpatient #cancersurvivor #patientstories #thepatientstory #colorectalcancer #radiation #chemotherapy #ileostomy #crcsm
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[Video Chapters]
00:00 Who I Am
00:24 My first symptoms
02:00 My symptoms were dismissed because I just had a baby
03:28 Finally someone got me in for a colonoscopy
04:15 I KNEW it was cancer
05:45 They found a large mass in my sigmoid colon
06:40 My treatment plan - Chemotherapy, radiation, surgery
08:07 Why I didn’t have surgery first
08:47 Side effects of radiation
10:08 The chemotherapy pump
10:40 Dealing with my mental health
11:55 They found a spot on my liver, but thankfully it was nothing
14:24 Surgery to remove the tumor
15:44 Getting a temporary ileostomy bag
17:30 Being in remission
18:32 I still feel like I have cancer
19:10 Self advocate!
21:07 My biggest advice
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The interview has only been edited for clarity. The interview has only been edited for clarity.
I KNEW It Was CANCER! - Andrea | Colorectal Cancer | The Patient Story
• I KNEW It Was CANCER! ...
So happy you are healthy and cancer free! my daughter in law was 27 years old a year ago 2023 and her symptoms were dismissed as she had just had a baby. Her cancer was very aggressive. She was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and passed away a month later. Please advocate for yourself.
🫶🏽
What's crazy is when, in our lifetime, have we known anyone in their 20s getting aggressive colon cancer... I'm not a conspiracy person - but something is very very wrong with this, and I do have to wonder what's behind this. I'm so sorry for your family's loss... heartbreaking.
@@JHall-jo9rm It's s absolutely horrific and there has been an uptick recently but aggressive CAs in younger adults has been perplexing scientists for several decades now. That being said, there are published studies citing elevated i g g 4 following several doses...this increases CA risk as well as CVD, ADs, etc. Sorry for all the medical abbreviations but attempting to avoid triggering the algorithm.
My condolences for the loss of your daughter-in-law, Diana. 💔
Patient advocacy can be difficult even for medical professionals. There should be training available to learn the necessary skills to initiate better diagnostic care for ourselves and family. Clinicians often forget we're the experts when it comes to our bodies.
I'm so sorry.
I have Stage IV colon cancer. I'm learning that the symptoms are very much ignored until they're so extreme that you end up in the ER. Originally, they sent me home and told me it was my gallbladder, to take Ibuprofen and see my primary. I got five minutes away and they called me back to the ER, because they'd gotten my CT results and I had a blockage/tumor. They hadn't even waited for the results of the CT before they discharged me. I've learned a LOT about self advocating for my medical care since then.
It's sick and sad they dismissed people all the time who know something is wrong, but to dismiss a person who works in the medical field is crazy. I am so so sorry this happened to you😢
in these series all i hear is these doctors who dont give a f about people. in every video. I wonder why they work with people if they dont even care for them or listen. i dont get it at what point these doctors lose their humanity or compassion. Doctors act like cancer cannot happen to any age person,aither they are lazy or just dont give a f. you cannot trust these doctors anymore. I hope these patients make a complaines about these doctors who dismissed them, because otherwise this situation will never change.
I'm the same right now not being listened to at all. I have severe swelling all on one side of my body (left side) foot, ankle, leg, arm, ear, face. I'm so sick of not being heard and I know there's something not right
@@karenmclaughlan9128 I'm so sorry🥺 And I know people will say "make them listen". I also know it isn't that simple and it is heartbreaking to know something is definitely wrong and not be able to get help 😔
@celticsunise4ever Unfortunately there's no other doctors nearby and because I am housebound I can't travel
@@karenmclaughlan9128 Is there pain? This may be related to a possible obstruction. Diagnostic imaging should be useful as well as an ER visit. What you've described sounds so stressful. If your symptoms don't seem to warrant a trip to the ER, seek another opinion until the provider listens and runs the appropriate tests. Or ask for a referral to see a specialist. Also, if you know which labs and imaging you need tell the physician to document your requests and his/her refusal in your chart. 🙏
My name is Andrea I turned 50 this year and a month later got diagnosed with colorectal cancer a month later. I passed out in Thailand at the end of my trip. I was told that trip and me passing out saved my life. I have 2 more doses before I get scanned again. I have two sons and I’m fighting my tail off. 🙏🏾🙏🏾
❤❤❤thank you for sharing your story sooo relieved you are great now..❤❤❤ enjoy your life with your young family.❤❤❤
Praying 🙏 for you love.❤❤❤
God please bless this precious mother to totally recover, bless Andrea to experience the joy of watching her children grow into adulthood and beyond. In Jesus name
Sending prayers for your healing. Jesus please heal this lady of cancer and remove every cancer cell in her body Lord.. give her strength, peace, and comfort as she fights this battle Lord.. in Jesus Name, Amen.🙏🏻💜
Girl you got this 😜😜...
Dismissed with 15-20 bloody bowel movements per day. And, this woman is a nurse!!!
maybe she wasn't initiated yet?
Nurses and doctors make the worse patients also the way women get dismissed is absolutely horrible and is what caused me to have to have a hysterectomy at 19!
I’m confused. When I began having that severe of symptoms I went and got help.. or I at least tried. So I’m not sure why my education and career is being questioned .
I’m questioning HER judgement …. Hello! Seriously… bring her in next week?
A nurse practitioner…. She should have known better … gone to the er and demanded a scope. PERIOD.
Yes she was awful. She had 1 star reviews when I looked bad. Also blamed me taking stool softeners during my pregnancy for my symptoms.
This type of “doctoring” is become more and more common. It’s as if doctors don’t want to be bothered anymore.
There are incompetent people in every field.
Unfortunately, more and more critical primary care physicians are being replaced by nurse practitioners who have very little nursing experience and no supervision. A first year primary care attending has 10,000 hours of training compared to the 500 hours of nurse practitioner training. The clinical time of NP training is shadowing, rather than supervised practice.
I write all this to help people understand that they may be seeing a midlevel provider who doesn't know what they don't know.
are amazing, and I am very grateful for all you have been through and shared with us ❤️
Not dismissing Drs, but its the Insurance Company Driving this… they are given a max # of mins per patient.
And to be fair, I believe that there are Drs who care very much for their Patients but also don’t want them to lose their Insurance… so in many Cases the Drs hands are tied and have no recourse. Also they fear being sued… their Insurance premiums are astronomical due and its due to Frivolous lawsuits, just as our Car insurance is raised and costly due to those who DONT follow the law and have No car insurance.
They really don't
@@VintageRed411, absolutely! This is exactly what happened to me. I was seeing a nurse practitioner for my primary care physician who took sometimes 2 months or more to get an appointment with. His practice encourages patients to see the NPs who work for him. This can be a deadly mistake if you have cancer or another serious health condition. My bloodwork had been off very slightly for a couple of years or more. I now know it was my ovarian cancer that the nurse practitioner completely missed. It never even entered her brain it could be cancer. She kept telling me the reason I felt the urge to pee all the time… and then felt I couldn’t empty my bladder completely was due to a condition women around perimenopause & menopause experienced… not realizing (due to lack of education & experience) that was a number one symptom of ovarian cancer! It went right over her head! Who knows if the primary care doctor would have caught it either. The reason I felt I needed to pee all the time was because I had a malignant 17.5 cm tumor on my right ovary putting pressure on my bladder. Finally this NP applied pressure around my abdomen and actually felt the tumor. Her eyes got wide as saucers! There it was. The thing she had missed for months & months. So upsetting…. then I had that horrible gyn oncologist who allowed my cancer to spread and a tumor grow right out of me! There’s simply no excuse for such negligence & incompetence.
I just turned 72. I had Breast cancer at 49. I have been having bleeding, excessive bowel movements, sometimes 12-20 times a day. It wakes me in the night. I have many accidents. It has been going on and off from constipation to diarrhea for over a year. And these symptoms with bleeding and diarrhea have been getting worse since Dec 2023. I takes months to go through the system. It took a month to see PCA. Weeks to get CT and blood work, another month for specialist, another to wait for colonoscopy. And still waiting!! I feel as if I have a demon growing inside me. I know I am much older than many but the fear is real.
That is terrible! What if you go to the ER? Would they run tests?
What country do you live in???!!
biofilm
Visit the ER asap, a colonscopy right away...
72 is not old nowadays. I'm over 70. Go to ER cause I've found a lot of doctors and PA's brush u off. You definitely have a serious need to get testing.
Im 37. I am a wife and mom of 4. I was diagnosed with stage 3b colon cancer just 2 months ago. I had to insist on getting a colonoscopy. Ridiculous!!! God is good though… He is opening so many doors for me!
praying for you ✨♥✞ God is always there for us!!!!
I had a colonoscopy last month and thank God I don’t have any cancer. I am doing research for my sister who has had colon cancer. She’s a survivor. I pray for those who have any type of cancer especially children. I pray for Andrea and family 🙏
This really makes me angry 😠 😡 why the hell are doctors so dam dismissive, nothing pisses me off more. Wishing you a complete recovery all the best.
Anyone with 15 bowel movements a day with bleeding & the s.o.b.s didn’t think anything was wrong?? That is CRAZY!😵💫
So sad... They did same to me..
I have a permanent ostomy. I had cancer so I have had it for 8 years. I will have it forever and I know it. It keeps you alive.
My fiance has a lileostomy so I sort of understand. I hope you stay well
I 100% agree that sometimes you need to exaggerate your symptoms in order to get the help you need!
Husband has stage 4 CC..was stage 3 but moved to his lungs. The cancer is growing steadily because there is nothing they can do for the lungs. Resection isn't an option. He's on his 3rd stage cancer treatment-Lonsurf and it's not doing anything. Glad you are in remission. Wish it was so for my husband.
All the best for your husband! Sending much love ❤
May you be helped & comforted at this time.
Praying for your husband, I have stage 4 lung cancer.....no cure,just living day by day,just wishing I had more time.❤
Thinking of you and your husband and sending love from England 🫂❤️
@@colleenbonamico9143thinking of you too and sending love from England 🫂❤️
I imagine that was the moment when you wanted go back with the doctor and yelled at him for treating you like you were crazy and exaggerating your symptoms.😢
I lost my sister because it was months getting the oncologist who was an hour away (there are no gynological oncologists where we live) took forever getting her in. The different doctors didn't communicate. Everything took ages took get set up due to insurance etc. It was awful, she was stage 4 uterine cancer. On top of that she had Cerebral Palsy and couldnt be cared for at because we couldnt even get home health workers to show up.Thank goodness for her excellent Palliative Care, they were wonderful. I am still really sad about it. It haunts me that I couldn't get her better care or do more to get her healed.
🙏🏻🩵🙏🏻
That happened to me too! My first diagnosis! The radiologist the oncologist sent me to was on vacation at the time.I didn’t know she was on vacation at the time,I was already to go with the chemo and the radiation treatment. I was diagnosed at stage 3 ,the GI doc who diagnosed told me time was now to start treatment!! I didn’t know anything then.I thought it was normal to take that long! But it wasn’t !The oncologist should of referred me to someone else!There were O other doctor’s in that office,that could of started radiation! I found out later that doctor was
His golfing buddy! Do your research!I wish I would of known then all I know now. Now Iam stage 4
I’m so sorry, I hope you get better soon 🥺
If a health care provider gets that dismissed, what is even the point for a non-practitioner of even trying. . . So sick of the medical system.
God bless you! Cancer has affected a lot of members of my family. I hate cancer. Wish
you all the best.
You are one strong mom!!! Grace and peace be with you!
Thank you for sharing your story. I am so sorry that your symptoms were dismissed for so long. Being so open about your journey and your symptoms will help so many others
The medical industry in America is making me very angry with all the dismissing and gaslighting! By the time people get diagnosed here it will be too late for many or has greatly spread! I have lived here not yet two years and have been going through the same since here with what I fear is cancer where as when I lived in Australia they ran tests within days of any concerns I had without guilt or gaslighting or drama. I am now starting to get a lot of pain in my brain area and ribs so I hope what may possibly has not yet been diagnosed hasnt spread. I am getting my large fixed lymph nodes finally checked in two weeks after having to push a few times plus so many other symptoms that I have been complaining about a year and a half from night sweats, rashes that lasted months, ongoing cough and pain, losing many pounds for no reason in short time frame and enlarged fixed lymph nodes and chest pain and extreme fatigue. I have 4 kids and am not trying to die and not taken seriously! sorry you had to go through this
biofilm biofilm biofilm, to be fair if they didn't dismiss symptoms there would be a lot less homeless people
@@Whyaretaxespayingforcorr-cc8sryou make no sense at all.
@@cpg8000 stop gaslighting, makes 100% sense
@@cpg8000 you might be slow
@@cpg8000 in case you're being sincere what don't you understand, healthcare is intentionally sabotaging the USA and Americans while stealing taxes shamelessly, pretty simple, and people with autoimmune with limited finances led to many becoming homeless in the past example Skid Row California, even Canada
Andrea has a kind soul, thanks for posting
Andrea, thank you for sharing your journey! So much important information that you gave. You look and sound great! Happy Mother's Day!
You are amazing!!! Im so sorry you have to go through all of this. You have a beautiful family. You got this!!
You are the bravest woman I ever heard. You have been through so much.
Thank you so much for sharing your story! ❤ I hope you’re doing well.
It’s so refreshing to hear someone in the medical field say to advocate louder for ourselves and really push for tests. Thank you.
I hope she remains cancers free ❤
I so agree with advocating for yourself on everything. My 32-year-old daughter was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer when her daughter (my granddaughter) was 2 years old. She passed away on 01/08/2022 after fighting for four years. If there is cancer on both sides of your mother's and father's side, I would demand a colonoscopy just for your own piece of mind. My daughter was featured on King 5 news out of Seattle, WA telling her story and raising awareness. If anyone ever tells me they are having symptoms, I automatically tell them to get checked and don't take no for an answer. My daughter told me about a 14-year-old boy in her support group who was dealing with colon cancer. You are never too young!
thanks for being super honest with symptoms,
They had so many excuses. I am so sorry for what you had to go through.
You are so brave. My aunt died from colon cancer, and now that I feel any symptoms, I feel so scared. I am happy you are doing better. You are young, strong and have a beautiful family.
I recommend getting a colonoscopy even in your mid-thirties if you have any relative that has CRC. More and more young people are getting colon cancer and a colonoscopy is not a big deal. You're in and out in an hour and it's like the best sleep you've ever had. Why people make such a big deal out of it when you can't even feel any pain is ridiculous because it creates a false narrative.
You’re an ambitious person and no doubt an inspiration to others. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you so much for making this. You have helped inform and help us with easy to understand
I am in healthcare and kept going back to dr for a year because I was losing weight. Was told I look good; and don’t worry. Finally I found lump in breast myself; stage 2 bilateral breast cancer. (And I have history of that in family.) I was also finishing up MPH. Next was fighting them about late effects from chemo. Now it is dismissed for the long term health issues. It is ridiculous; be thankful you are in healthcare. At least you understand and can better how to advocate for yourself.
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Yes! I completely understand how horrible this experience was for you. I was diagnosed with stage 3 high grade endometrioid adenocarcinoma arising in endometriosis. A more rare subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer. My doctor removed a 17.5 cm tumor from my right ovary as well as doing a radical hysterectomy to try and prevent the cancer from spreading. I started chemo 8 weeks later. I couldn’t find anyone to drive me to have my port placed so that delayed things. Finally I just began chemo through my veins. During that time… who knows what happened!… scans were done without contrast. 😱😱😱 When I completed chemo I was told I was cancer free by my gyn oncologist. He even fist bumped me as it was during Covid so no hand shaking or hugs. Around that time… thinking I was cancer free… I noticed a little tender golf ball sized bump below the skin right next to my incision line. I brought it to my doctor’s attention twice. He told me we would just watch it as he thought it might be a hernia. I expressed my concern. In the weeks to follow I pleaded with his nurse via message by the patient portal. It was becoming more red and tender and growing in size. I was just kind of dismissed. Finally I showed the chemo nurse practitioner (head of the infusion department) and she didn’t like the looks of it one bit! She ** immediately** sent me for a biopsy. It came back positive for cancer. So my gyn oncologist (a well recognized women’s cancer specialist) let my cancer spread. They found 2 new tumors. My cancer had metastasized more. The tumors were inoperable. One of those tumors grew through my colon and lower intestine. I was told I would need a permanent ostomy. You can imagine my heartbreak and devastation… and sheer terror. My second opinion gyn oncologist told me my options were to try more chemotherapy (the chemo hadn’t worked at all so far)…. a clinical trial… or hospice. I felt like he didn’t have much hope for me. Meanwhile the clock was ticking and the tumors were growing and the cancer was spreading. I had no time to waste. I immediately went to MD Anderson in Houston, TX where they started me on radiation therapy immediately. It was successful. Both tumors were destroyed by the radiation… but not before the golf ball sized tumor got so big it literally grew right out of me. Literally. It looked like a big fluffy mushroom when it came through me. On the last radiation session… right after… it fell over and shriveled up. The tumor was finally dead. It was like a sci fi or horror movie. The darkest time of my life. It’s called a “fungated tumor.” It’s fairly rare and the prognosis is not good. Most oncologists might see one or two cases (if that) their entire career. I was only given about 6 months to live with that thing growing inside me so close to the skin’s surface. I am still so soooooo angry that my oncologist didn’t take me seriously and kept saying we will just keep an eye on it. Meanwhile cancer was spreading through my body.
This was not the first awful experience I had with my cancer journey. Another medical professional (a male physician’s assistant) made light of my foot and ankle swelling and told me I was overreacting to the fluid that was accumulating in my body (a sign of ovarian cancer) when I pleaded for a diuretic. I was literally full of cancer and my feet & ankle swelling was a medical emergency. My tummy soon grew so big one nurse at the ER thought I was about 8-9 months pregnant. Another major sign of ovarian cancer. By the time I was taken into surgery for frontline debulking my first tumor (on my right ovary) weighed 15 lbs and I had 25 lbs of ascites (fluid ovarian cancer makes that is full of cancer cells).
Because of my decision to go to MD Anderson and my wonderful doctor, Dr Shannon Westin, I have been cancer free for 20 months. God is good. I will keep you in my prayers… 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 Stay strong, warrior!!!!!! God bless… 🩵
biofilm?
🫶🏽🤍
your cancer will come back. high grade carcinoma is tricky.. best of luck to you
@@MystikalWisdom shut up! 🤡
wonderful end to horrible doctors all around. im speechless at them all being so nonchalant !
Thank you for this video. May you be blessed with a long and healthy life 🙏🏼
Best wishes for your upcoming days sister .
So proud of you that you didn’t gave up.
Lots of love ❤️
Thank you so much for sharing your story… you are so brave and strong. I know your story will save alot of lives. Its so critical to stay on drs even when they brush you off- they are human and make Mistakes but no-one knows your body better than you! Your story shows how true that is! Your advice is invaluable to all of us! Thank you!!!
Thank you for sharing your story, I know you have helped many people. God Bless you as you journey onwards. 🙏🙏❤️❤️
I bow to you for your strength and perseverance. I nominate you for poster mom based on your level of determination to giving cancer a swift kick you know where! Best wishes for bright life ahead.
Thank you for sharing your story. You are one very brave incredible lady
Thanks for sharing your story. I'm praying for you.
So lucky you have such a supporting partner! Best of luck to you !
So appreciate your story, Thank you. Very best of luck.
You are a RockStar! Praying your treatments go well
Thank you for sharing! Important info. ☺️
Such a great story and so honest about it all.
Prayers and Hugs sent for you and your family...Thank you for sharing your story!
Your a strong beautiful woman to go through all this. Your husband was a blessing I'm sure. God Bless
I'm 65, and developed a severe case of anemia to the point I had to rush to the hospital for blood transfusions. Up to now, it was truly my only symptom that something was wrong. Next was a colonoscopy, and sure enough, they found a tumor on my right side. I was shocked! Tomorrow, I will be having surgery to remove the right side of my colon, and of course, I'm a nervous wreck. But my doctors are moving fast on this, and I'm pleased about that! All of this has just been in about 6 weeks time from start to tomorrow. After, I will see an oncologist to determine if I should have chemo. Thanks for your story! You are young to have gone through so much! But I think you will and have this beat! Bless ya!
You are absolutely correct about advocating for yourself and also for family. My cousin was in her early 40's and they kept brushing her off and she had a baseball size tumor stage 4 by the time they listened. She chose not to do chemo after having one round. She unfortunately did not make it for very long.
Thank you so very much for sharing your story.
Thank you for sharing your story, to raise awareness that colorectal cancer is being found in far too many younger people! My sister was diagnosed in her 40's, and we had lost some relatives on my maternal grandfather's side (2 of his brothers, and quite a few of my mom's cousins passed away from it), so we were all advised to have regular checks. They've found pre cancerous polyps in my niece, who was in her 30's at the time. The sister with the cancer was able to have a resection and it has not recurred, but she has had many pre-cancerous polyps removed, as well as my other sister. Most shocking is I lost a sweet Godson to stage 4 colorectal cancer at SEVENTEEN yrs old! He was diagnosed at 15! His mother was a nurse and had taken him for checks because she suspected something was wrong. They told her to have him eat more fiber in his diet and wrote it off to constipation. A few days later, he was rushed to the hospital in agony with abdominal pain and vomiting up dark contents. They did testing and discovered a blockage in his colon and operated immediately. He was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer and it is almost unheard of in someone so young! No family history in either of his parents, his twin brother or his many siblings. He underwent grueling chemo that made him so sick. They thought it was gone, but more was discovered and it was stage 4 and terminal at that point. He had his whole life ahead of him. A popular and kind young man, with a pretty girlfriend and studying to get his permit and making life plans. Only to be struck down by something that was once mainly seen in older people. We know our own bodies better than anyone else. If you feel something is not right, don't allow doctors to brush it off. Insist on having additional testing. Blood in the stool was the first sign my sister experienced, too, and a colonoscopy saved her life.
So happy that you are doing better! It makes me so mad when doctors dismiss patients like that. I am going through something a bit similar right now, with swollen lymph nodes for months that keep growing and no explanation, but apparently they are not "big enough yet" to warrant a biopsy. So frustrating.
Push for a biopsy. It could be lymphoma.
@@HopeofGlory-qx4lk Yes, I am going to try to be more assertive.
@@LykaLo 🫶🏽
U are amazing, strong woman. Wish u healthy life my dear❤
Thank you for sharing your experience. Wishing the best for you. From Maui, Hawaii.
Bless your heart!!🤎✌️
I’m so sorry darling, this is happening way too much. I am a nurse too and dedicated over 20 years of my life to my profession. I am very sorry that you were not listened too, that you felt that frustrated and ignored. You have been through so much you poor wee thing. What a horrible experience, especially with two little ones. I thank you for sharing your story, you really are such an inspiration dear! My thoughts are with you darling. Hang in there and continue being you, your a beautful soul. ❤I was in an accident a few years back and as you know, we may not be doctors, but we are not stupid and we know a lot about human biology and disease. We also know our own bodies, and I have gone to specialists time after time and been dismissed so many times, I expressed that my pain was not improving and my spinal fusion had failed, I said this for 4 years, a surgeon finally listened and a PET/CT showed my spine had collapsed and my screws were in my intercostal ligaments. I now have 90 degree hyperkyphosis. My condition has worsened over time and my pain is unbearable.
Thanks for sharing your story
I am praying for you that the cancer do not come back. God bless.
We literally almost have the same exact story except I was 39 with 3 yr old twins. But I went through the same treatment plan and the two surgeries. It has been a wild ride and I agree the reversal surgery was so much more painful than the resection. I am still recovering from the reversal. Many prayers to you!!! I wish you were my nurse practitioner because no one really understands this journey unless you have traveled it.
I was diagnosed with stage 3C rectal sigmoid cancer. It was in 9 lymph nodes but hadn’t spread anywhere else. I had a neoadjuvant treatment plan somewhat like yours, but the order flipped. I had 4 months of FOLFOX chemo, then 6 weeks of recovery, then 28 days of chemo and radiation, 6 weeks of recovery. 0: 0:15 Then a low anterior resection of the tumor with a temporary ileostomy for 9 months. Then an ileostomy reversal. I’ve been cancer free for almost 4 years. From the chemo I have permanent chemo induced neuropathy in my feet and some in my fingers. From the surgery, on a daily basis, I’m challenged with multiple daily bowel movements (6-8 per day) as well as urgency challenges which makes it difficult to be away from a bathroom during certain times of the day. How did you do post ostomy reversal? Are your bowel habits fairly normal? I had a very good response to the chemo and radiation. The tumor had pretty much just turned into scar tissue. I wasn’t offered watch and wait as an option, possibly because that option was pretty new a few years ago. I wish I had been offered it knowing now the daily challenges I experience. But ultimately I’ve done very well with my treatments. I’ve followed a few cancer patients on you tube and a good number of them haven’t survived. So I feel fortunate. I think most cancer patients always have a fear of recurrence, even many years after treatment. I think it’s virtually impossible to eliminate that thought, even when it’s buried deep in your mind. I’m glad you’ve had a good response to your treatment. It’s always beneficial when clinical people experience a significant health event. It’s too easy as a clinical person to loose appreciation for the patient experience.
can you share your symptoms please?
@@user-wm1pi1ix2i symptoms were:
Frequent bowel movements
Stools became narrow in shape due to constrictions in the colon caused by the tumor
Anemia due to blood loss from the tumor
Blood in the stool
Shortness of breath when exercising due to anemia. Which I attributed to asthma.
@@roch145 thanks for sharing I think its Important people know all of the different symptoms people endure
@@user-wm1pi1ix2i those were my symptoms. Other colon cancer patients have other symptoms such as back pain, nausea, vomiting, constipation, diarrhea. Colon cancer is frequently misdiagnosed as irritable bowel syndrome, or Chron’s. So don’t ignore symptoms. Get your first colonoscopy at 45. Colon cancer is one of the easier cancers to prevent if you get your screening colonoscopy on time.
What a story you are telling to help others. What I don't understand is after all these years why they can't find better treatments for cancers.
God bless you. Thank you for helping others.
God bless you and prayers for a beautiful long life! ❤
Stay positive and feel happy and bless ❤❤ 🙏🏼✨
Thank you for sharing your experience. It’s so scary. My dad died 3 months after the scope.
Thank you for sharing this. It is very sad that the medical field does not realize that younger people are suseptible to colon cancer. You are a very strong beautiful person. Just manifest that you are free. Do not think it will come back. Think it is gone. xoxox
You are correct about being your own advocate! My sister was told it was most likely hemorrhoids it was stage three cancer. Follow through is key to possibly saving your life.
Thank you and God Bless you.❤❤❤
Prayers for you Andrea.🙏🏽 Love from NJ. 💜
Hope you had a conversation with your original doctor. They need to know how deadly it is to be dismissive. Good on you for being brave enough to persist. Those who aren't in the medical profession may be too timid to second guess physicians. Good work!
So brave❤
I lost a Friend due to canser on Monday 13th Of may . My Prayer is that it would come a Cure that can hjelp. You are a sutch a strong woman and i am so touched by you’re story.
Absolutely maddening and frightening how long it took for the medical community to respond to her and her symptoms and how MRIs are withheld/delayed from patients.
God bless you… you are extremely brave & beautiful… I’m so glad you are feeling well ♥️🙏♥️
You are healed you have a guardian Angel 👼
I am very moved by your story and want to thank you so much for living on and help many more people who will definitely benefit greatly from your strength and compassion.
🙏🏻 Nam-Myoho-Renge-kyo 🙏🏻
you are an amazing success story
So happy that you fought for yourself! I had to do the same thing 5 years ago. I was dismissed for my symptoms and I pushed for a referral to see a specialist and I ended up having thyroid cancer and had to have a thyroidectomy. If I would have listened to the Drs and ignore my symptoms who knows what would have happened. And I too work in the medical field. Can I ask how was it that you did not lose your hair during chemo?
Recently, I got another PCP. During my initial visit I asked him a question and he answered, he didn't know. Immediately, I thanked him and told him that he would be my new PCP. Why? Because he was honest enough to say he didn't know instead of doing as most doctors do, play down the seriousness or make you believe it's all in your mind.
God be with you.
I’m so glad she said to exaggerate your symptoms because I tell people that same thing and they look at me like I’m insane lol
This story makes me hate the medical field even more!!! I'm so sorry this happened to you.
Hate to say it but if a female goes in with exact same symptoms, the female is brushed off as if she's just a hypochondriac. The male is taken seriously. I've been thru that.
My sister tried for 10 years with symptoms to get a colonoscopy. She had blood etc and because there was a history in our family we told her to push hard and exaggerate symptoms. After 10 years her dr “reluctantly” did it. Make hand stage 4 and it had been growing for all of those 10 years. She fought to stay for her 17 year old dd but sadly passed away after a 3 year battle. Miss her so bad! So happy you had some connections. Women are much more overlooked with screening for this as they chalk it up to IBS in r women’s issues!
I so understand the mind set thing. I was dx’d with breast cancer in June of ‘22. It was stage 1 grade 1A. I had a double mastectomy because there was a 2nd spot found in the same breast. After my last visit, I was moved to every 6 month visits. It’s so scary! I don’t get any scans, like you do, which also causes anxiety. People say to me all the time that I’m so lucky it was caught early and that I had the mastectomy, etc. So many do mot realize that a mastectomy does not mean you can’t still get BC again. Also, women with early caught, low grade BC have a 30-40% chance of reoccurrence within 10 years and it is often metastatic at that point. It’s a lot mentally to deal with. Yes, I know I am lucky compared to many women with BC but I still have to be very aware of my body and pay attention to any pain that may not go away, etc. Just after my dx I found out my bio father has colon cancer. So I still need to get in and get my colonoscopy done, too. I’m so glad you are doing well and I pray you continue to be healthy and cancer free for many years to come.
I’m going thru this right now. My cervical nodes swelled 13 mo’s ago. I’m so sick now it’s not even funny. Protein in my urine high white count my jaws have knots growing on them I developed knots & swelling on my collarbone, right shoulder, palate, buccal mucosa, right breast & the muscle above it. My faces now swelling & my tmj joints bone on bone. I’ve had a few CT’s that confirmed multiple swollen cervical nodes. It’s gotten so bad I recently wrote my 4 boys letters in case I don’t make it b4 this’s diagnosed but I do think it’s cancer. It gets to a point it’s unmistakable. I recently developed neuropathy & now I’m having probs w/my spine & some neurological symptoms. I’ve seen 5 docs & they blame inflammation & treat me like im anxious or exaggerating. My hubby’s livid. This isn’t the 1st time I’ve been dismissed. I had 4 pelvic reconstructive surgeries to fix my insides bc I was downplayed & dismissed for yrs. They need to criminally charge docs who dismiss/downplay patients. It’s a huge issue in the field.
I’m an NP too and having the same issue of feeling as no one is listening to me. We know our bodies! 🙏🏽😢❤️
Thank you for making that comment about GI being overwhelmed. We truly are. I can guarantee you if we could scope everyone we would. I always tell my patients and their family members guidelines mean nothing. The age for colonoscopy was moved from 50 to 45. If you have a first degree relative with a cancer your imaging starts 10 years before their diagnosis age. My youngest patient died at 28 from colon CA. Her daughter will start being scoped at 18.
Guidelines mean nothing to me. Living in Memphis, I kindly remind my patients and their family members that St. Jude is downtown. What’s the age guideline for pediatric cancers.
Here in The north east, it’s next to impossible to even get an appointment with a gastroenterologist! I’ve been having troublesome symptoms including pain but can’t get an appointment for several months! Our medical system is so broken in so many ways
I agree 100% with exaggeration of symptoms! 100% I agree! Yes!
Wishing all the best ❤️🩹
Why me? I’ve asked that question for the last 14 years. My husband died of a brain aneurysm 14 years ago. He was my soulmate my best friend. And after a week by his beside I watched him die.
I almost wish it had been cancer so I could talk to him and comfort him.
You are very brave. And lucky. Be well.
Thank you
Another young person with colon cancer. This seems like it's getting more and more common.
Yes I just heard my nieces friend has stage 4 colon cancer at 26!
Yeah, "doctors are baffled", right?
The poison in the food supply
@@kelvinmorris1991that and the vaccine
@@squirrellvr79 This is tragic! 🙏🏻
Lynch syndrome affects between 1 in 280 - 300 in the US. Colon CA is more common in those under 30 with certain mutations. Another concern... numerous published studies have demonstrated elevated levels of i g g 4 following several doses... it increases risk for malignancies, CVD, ADs, etc.
If your niece is open to an Integrative approach have her look into metabolic targeted treatment. Glucose and various AAs fuel these cells and blocking these pathways can starve the tissue. Prof T Seyfried PhD has a phenomenal channel. Research has been published discussing what fuels various malignancies as well as the benefit of fasting during chemo. There are off label meds that are used synergistically as well with this approach.
As a critical RN for 40+ yrs.. this makes me so ANGRY! I'm recovering from a near life ending emergency because my sx's were marked up to "getting older"! Grrrr!!... I work prn in ER in retirement ... the day I woke up & couldn't walk I FINALLY got to see a Dr by way of the "back door"..a Tx to higher care... my spinal cord was almost pinched in half at C1-C2! Thank God I knew to lay on the couch doing NOTHING trying to see a neuro surgeon! Please in your practice LISTEN to your pts! ... it was subtle sx's.. dropping everything, I had no neck pain! Fatigue, walking funny when tired, loosing grip... numbness in fingers! I couldn't connect iv tubing.. it was blamed on the locks?..
I understand your fear of the future! Lean on your faith!! It has saved me in those dark times! ❤️👍🏻🙏
🙏 ❤️ 🙏
For You
Always & Forever
Thank you for your story. Hopefully you can advocate for the younger generations to follow. I believe all the messing around with our food is causing all the new cancer diagnosis in the younger generation.
Cancer sucks there's no other way to put it.I lost my bladder and prostate do to cancer 2022, Allow the Lord into your life,. Wishing you a very speedy recovery.🙏
My colon resection to remove cancer is this Thursday, 5/16/24.
I hope it went well 🫂
Blessings
God Bless You