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    I Have Colorectal Cancer: What Now?
    I Have Colorectal Cancer: What Now?
    I Have Colorectal Cancer: What Now?
    Ebook167 pages1 hour

    I Have Colorectal Cancer: What Now?

    By Donna M. Casey

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    About this ebook

    I am the poster child for what happens when you don’t heed the warning to get a colonoscopy done at age 50! I had all the usual excuses...I don’t have time; the prep drink is icky; the procedure is embarrassing; I’m afraid it will hurt, and I don’t want anything going up my backside. Trust me! All that goes out the window when you’re diagnosed with Stage 3 rectal cancer and you face radiation, chemo therapy and surgeries to rid yourself of it. The treatments typically drag on for over a year and the side effects can be debilitating.

    Colorectal cancer is ugly. It’s nasty to have, think about, talk about and see, up close and personal. I have not sugar-coated any of my experiences and I have included photos that are not pretty. If you have been diagnosed with CRC, it may benefit you greatly to come along on my journey and see what commonly happens to a typical CRC patient. If you love someone who has been diagnosed, you may gain a better understanding of what he or she is going through.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDonna M. Casey
    Release dateMar 28, 2015
    ISBN9781310386268
    I Have Colorectal Cancer: What Now?

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      Book preview

      I Have Colorectal Cancer - Donna M. Casey

      I HAVE COLORECTAL CANCER

      Donna M. Casey

      I HAVE COLORECTAL CANCER: WHAT NOW?

      Copyright © 2015 by Donna M. Casey

      All photos not credited are copyright © 2015 Donna M. Casey

      Smashwords Edition

      All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

      This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite e-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Formatted by IRONHORSE Formatting

      Praise for I Have Colorectal Cancer: What Now?

      "Donna’s book is an honest and heartfelt personal history of her journey through the intensive process of treating colon cancer. She writes about a grueling time period in her life devoted to ridding herself of a terrible disease, and her detailed and sincere account gives an accurate description of the physical and emotional difficulties that she suffered through, and ultimately overcame."

      - Keith Stuart, MD

      Chairman, Department of Hematology and Oncology

      Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, Burlington, MA

      Where other colorectal cancer books may sugar-coat or dance around the more squishy and unmentionable aspects of the topic, Donna Casey's book pulls no punches, and lets the reader face this disease head-on!

      - Christopher J. Lynch

      Author of Eddie: The life and times of America's preeminent bad boy

      "Donna's Journal is informative and honest. She records her formidable battle with colorectal cancer with an amazing sense of humor and gritty determination that helps temper fear...fear of the unknown that all of us have, battling cancer. Her journal is a great resource for colorectal cancer sufferers as well as an inspirational resource for all types of Cancer Warriors."

      - Patricia Darby Two Time Breast Cancer Survivor

      "I highly recommend the book, I Have Colorectal Cancer: What Now? Author Donna M. Casey, tells an honest, practical and compelling story that is not for the squeamish, she says. She wants to help others who are facing this disease and she succeeds. In her matter-of-fact style, Ms. Casey gives the reader detailed information and resources she wishes she had known when diagnosed. (The book could also be shared with those who care for those patients.) The light-hearted images and sometimes graphic photos give a human face to this story. She is very thorough, even including dealing with insurance. In addition to medical treatment, Ms. Casey used many kinds of self-care including massage, prayer, walks with her dog, trips to get away, healthy eating, probiotics, weight loss, family support, and an incredibly positive mental attitude. She is not fearful, but addresses her illness and treatment head-on with great determination and grace. She is grateful and good humored. I even laughed out loud sometimes. I have had cancer three times, though not of the colon. I’ve also had ongoing GI problems following chemotherapy and surgery. Donna Casey’s story resonated with my experiences and was directly useful to me. Everyone is different in how their cancer journey may unfold, but perhaps this book can support you too."

      Margaret Dubay Mikus, Ph.D., author of Thrown Again into the Frazzle Machine

      Dedication

      I dedicate this book to

      Martin J. Coleman III

      who encouraged me all the

      way through, while battling

      his own cancer demon.

      May he rest in peace.

      Photo credit:

      © Can Stock Photo Inc. / cammep

      Table of Contents

      Introduction

      Preparing To Do Battle

      Surgery

      Recuperating at Home

      Round Two: Chemo Infusions

      Wigged Out

      More Chemo

      Coming Down The Home Stretch

      Rest and Recovery

      The Coconut Caper

      Post Chemo Rehab

      Reversal Surgery

      The New Normal

      Side Effects and After Effects

      Easy Colonoscopy Prep

      About the Author

      Serendipity

      Helpful Websites

      Introduction

      You have recently been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. What do you do now? That was my immediate reaction to the doctor telling me that I had this miserable disease. I accepted it and wanted to get on with the treatments and things I had to do to get past it. I didn’t feel sorry for myself; I didn’t even cry. My attitude from the start was; ‘This is a nasty inconvenience in my life and I want to get through it as soon as possible. And I KNOW that I will beat it.’

      I’m not going to bore you with my life history, suffice to say that I have not always eaten a healthy diet. When this nightmare began, I weighed 252 lbs. I was not a little person. I am 5 feet, 9 inches tall and always enjoyed my own cooking (even though I hate to cook!)

      This book is a journal that I kept during my whole ordeal in order that I might remember everything that happened to me and maybe help someone else. I have not sugar-coated the information, nor have I pulled any punches. If you’re squeamish, this book may not be for you. Some of the things that I describe are disgusting, but if you are embarking on this journey, you need to be aware of some things that the doctors, nurses and handbooks just don’t tell you. In this way, you can avoid some of the mistakes that I made and have a much better experience during your battle.

      I have included photos of everything from my tumor to the people who cared for me. This is a journal in the strict sense, with events noted by dates.

      My colorectal cancer journey began at the Lahey Hospital and Medical Center, in Burlington, Massachusetts in 2013.

      Bird Poop

      I don’t feel

      that I have cancer:

      not just physically,

      that surgery

      successfully removed

      abnormal cells…

      but mentally; I am not

      a person with cancer.

      Cancer is something that

      is happening to me.

      If a pigeon poops on your head

      you don’t become

      a person with bird poop.

      It’s just something that happened to you.

      You clean up,

      tell your tale

      and move on.

      Margaret Dubay Mikus

      Copyright © 1996

      www.FullBlooming.com

      The Dreaded News

      May 26, 2013

      I noticed that I had a lot of flatulence. It went on for over a week. It was very unusual for me; I hardly ever have gas.

      June 1

      Change in bowel movements; going more frequently and passing blood. Did not look normal; mushy instead of solid. Did a lot of research on the internet to see what might be the problem. Thought it was irritable bowel syndrome or some such. Of course, I ruled out colon or rectal cancer. I thought it couldn’t be those; it must be some other disorder. Wrong!

      June 8

      During my searches, I discovered that probiotics are good for an ailing digestive system. Began taking probiotics – Ultra Flora 30 billion count. Using Beano before meals, stools began looking normal again, began a low residue diet, used peppermint oil capsules to soothe the colon. Things began to look better. Then, everything went back to bloody mush.

      July 1

      Bowel movements still abnormal, going back and forth from somewhat normal to bloody mush, depending on what I eat.

      July 5

      Made an appointment with my PCP, Dr. Winger. When I told her about my condition, she said, You just bought yourself a colonoscopy.

      July 10

      I had never had a colonoscopy before, (my bad) so I didn’t know what to expect. I had conscious sedation. They told me that I would probably drift in and out of consciousness and not feel anything. That’s how it went until the attending doc began taking tissue samples for biopsy (32 to be exact). That part was very painful. I was wide awake and feeling everything at that point and I begged him to stop, but he went on for what felt like hours. When it was finished, they wheeled me out to the recovery area where they encouraged me to break wind to get rid of the air that was injected during the procedure. I got dressed and went home, feeling relieved to be done with the procedure.

      July 12

      Tonight, the doc called to tell me the results and he hemmed and hawed until I finally asked, Is it cancer? and he said, Yes. I wasn’t all that surprised, and I said, Okay, what do I have to do? He said he would set up an appointment with the best colorectal surgeon at Lahey for me and he would take it from there. Dr. Thomas Read is by all accounts, the best. So I was lucky to get him. He also set me up with the best oncologist at Lahey, Dr. Keith Stuart.

      Most people react with shock, distress, anxiety, depression, fear and/or anger. I felt none of these things when I was diagnosed. I can't explain why. I just knew, somehow that I didn’t need to worry.

      July 19

      Dr. Stuart ordered a CT scan (which found 3 dark spots on my liver); three gallstones; not causing problems, so

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