Diagnosed with stage 4 cancer - the long winding road it has become

[Frail. "Will forever remain "Frail"]

Praying for a full recovery.

Thank you for sharing your experience.

Take care

[lechatnoir]

All the best to you at this time. I believe that being fitter and stronger will give you a better chance at fighting this. Take the advice of the docs and do what you can to keep some kind of activity going. Again, all the best

[partydave]

No advice, just want to wish you the best and make sure that you know that everything will be a-ok. 

[Chingy182]

Thanks MadMarc

 

The symptoms was baffling.  Sorry for the overshare, but maybe it will help someone else to see the warning signs.

 

I had a prolonged time of stomach problems.  Runny stool, but I did account that to stress as I started a new job in April this year, and the problem started in July.

I took an antibiotic and that helped, but as soon as I stopped drinking the antibiotics it returned.  The other curve ball was that the city of Tshwane or (however you spell that) sent out a notice of problems with the water supply so that was a bit of false hope.  I started seeing some blood after cleaning, but with the amount of times that I had to visit the loo, bleeding was prone to happen.

 

I was feeling weak and at the height of it, I could not cycle more than 20 km without having to make a dash to the nearest loo.

 

I started showing blood and mucus in my stool, and that was when warning bells started sounding.  I could not get to a Dr as we were busy with a huge project at work, but the one Tuesday morning, I could not take the pain anymore.  We did not have water at the office, and I thought I injured my bladder holding out to take a wee, and then bumping into a table.

 

So on the visit the doctor pressed here and there, and I told him of the blood, and he pressed some more and I almost pooped his table from the pain.  He found some blood in my urine, but it was nominal.  Gave me some antibiotics and pain meds (the pain meds does not help for the pain) and off I went and was to see him on the Thursday.

 

So Thursday breaks and there is a crap load of blood in the loo.  So decided not to skip the doctors visit.

 

Get there, he asks me a few questions and gives me a letter to go for a colonoscopy.

 

Few other details that pissed me off at the doctor, but went for the colonoscopy last week.  While I was still in recovery the Dr spoke to my wife and scared the **** out of her (I do not have medical aid) and his first words were, "it is going to cost a lot of money"

 

So if you see any blood, where there is suppose to be no blood...  GO SEE A DOCTOR.  Do not take a chance with it!

Not a cure, but go read up on the Kefir thread here on Bikehub.

 

Some of your symptoms sounded frighteningly similar to what I experienced some time back, to the extent that I thought to get myself tested for Crohn's or had IBS or something.

 

I started drinking a Kefir mix on a daily basis and my gut health improved remarkably. 

 

Do some research on the topic, ask the specialist, but anything that could make the smallest difference should be an option.

 

Best of luck to you!!

[Spinnekop]

Sterkte Cois.

[shova1]

Hi Cois, 

 

Firstly, I had my own prostate cancer scare this year and as with colon cancer, these things detected early are treatable.

 

The biggest issue quite frankly is dealing with some unwelcome thoughts running through your head!

 

There's a fellow hubber Dazshell who has gone through the same experience as you. I see he is still active, so do give him a shout. 

[Rocket-Boy]

All the best to you at this time. I believe that being fitter and stronger will give you a better chance at fighting this. Take the advice of the docs and do what you can to keep some kind of activity going. Again, all the best

This^ being fitter and putting on some weight before any surgeries makes a big difference to recovery. 

My father in law went through this last year and he lost a ton of weight in the hospital during recovery so having a bit extra before going in helps!

[Dazshell]

Hi.  Tough news but stay positive and rely on the support of those around you.  I was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 41.  They were able to remove the entire tumour (I have the battle scars to prove it) and I went through 6 months of Chemo just to be safe.  Nearly 14 years later I am still around to tell the story and this year I will hit my target of 11111kms on the bike for the year!

 

Whatever treatment they propose, you need to just go with the flow and vasbyt.  If you do have to go through Chemo, the upside (if you can call it that) is that the side effects for this kind of Chemo are not as hectic as some of the others and other tan feeling tired for 2 or 3 days after the treatment, life will go on as normal but you will need to take it easy on the bike to save energy for your bloods to recover after each treatment.

 

Please feel free to call me on 0837776796 to chat through my experience in more detail once you know what they plan to do to you.

 

On a lighter note, did you enjoy prepping for the colonoscopy?

 

Cheers

Daryl

Edited November 28, 2018 by Dazshell

[Escapee..]

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Edited November 28, 2018 by Escapee..

[Escapee..]

Sterkte Cois.

I

No advice, only wishes that you knock this one out of the park.

 

This + 1 000 000

[madmarc]

Thanks MadMarc

 

The symptoms was baffling.  Sorry for the overshare, but maybe it will help someone else to see the warning signs.

 

I had a prolonged time of stomach problems.  Runny stool, but I did account that to stress as I started a new job in April this year, and the problem started in July.

I took an antibiotic and that helped, but as soon as I stopped drinking the antibiotics it returned.  The other curve ball was that the city of Tshwane or (however you spell that) sent out a notice of problems with the water supply so that was a bit of false hope.  I started seeing some blood after cleaning, but with the amount of times that I had to visit the loo, bleeding was prone to happen.

 

I was feeling weak and at the height of it, I could not cycle more than 20 km without having to make a dash to the nearest loo.

 

I started showing blood and mucus in my stool, and that was when warning bells started sounding.  I could not get to a Dr as we were busy with a huge project at work, but the one Tuesday morning, I could not take the pain anymore.  We did not have water at the office, and I thought I injured my bladder holding out to take a wee, and then bumping into a table.

 

So on the visit the doctor pressed here and there, and I told him of the blood, and he pressed some more and I almost pooped his table from the pain.  He found some blood in my urine, but it was nominal.  Gave me some antibiotics and pain meds (the pain meds does not help for the pain) and off I went and was to see him on the Thursday.

 

So Thursday breaks and there is a crap load of blood in the loo.  So decided not to skip the doctors visit.

 

Get there, he asks me a few questions and gives me a letter to go for a colonoscopy.

 

Few other details that pissed me off at the doctor, but went for the colonoscopy last week.  While I was still in recovery the Dr spoke to my wife and scared the **** out of her (I do not have medical aid) and his first words were, "it is going to cost a lot of money"

 

So if you see any blood, where there is suppose to be no blood...  GO SEE A DOCTOR.  Do not take a chance with it!

 

Thanks for sharing that with us - 

[MarcBurger]

Sorry to hear. Please keep us all up to date.

If one positive from all your hardship is that someone recognises your symptoms and gets tested. I'd say that'd be huge.

 

I for one am absolutely terrified of cancer. As mentioned before, you could be the fittest and healthiest oke around and bam!

I have a number of lipomas that I got checked a while back. After a bit of prodding, the GP said it's all good and if any cancerous ones appear that it would show signs in my blood tests? This is the part I'm not sure of. How does one do a hypochondriac-style test for cancer? Do general blood tests work? or do you just have to be lucky/smart enough to act early on warning signs?

[V12man]

Good luck with this - you have a long road ahead, and many hubbers will be supporting you and sharing their experiences - reach out to them and you will get more value than you think possible.

 

My only thoughts on treatment are:

 

1 - Go early and:

2 - Go big, and

3 - Do not economize on treatment - see (1 and 2) Broke and well is better than mostly broke and ill...

 

As to training - there are only upsides if you do not overdo it - remember to rest and recover fully.

 

Good luck

[PhilipV]

(I do not have medical aid)

It might look bleak now, but the state has very good doctors, you'll probably wait, you won't sleep in the holiday inn, and no one will wipe your number for you, but you will receive good care.

 

Vasbyt Cois.

[gogo@]

It might look bleak now, but the state has very good doctors, you'll probably wait, you won't sleep in the holiday inn, and no one will wipe your number for you, but you will receive good care.

 

Vasbyt Cois.

I can second this, having seen a friend go through treatment in the Eastern Cape where some things might not have been working but the drugs were there and the doctors excellent.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, any help, should you need it. Hospice for example was an excellent source of support for my friend and his wife when things got a bit rough.

He has been in good health for 5 years now.

Wishing you and your family all the best!

[gtr1]

Sorry to hear. I am glad that you have such a positive attitude about it. LA came back a lot stronger after he finished treatment. Sure, he doped but that aside(he would probably still have won if he didn't) he stayed positive and that enabled him to stay motivated. All the best with the treatment and keep us posted.

I asked Dr if I could win Tour de Franc now once treatments done. He said " you're not Lance Armstrong ".