Sitting here it seems like a long time ago. But, it was December 31. Thirty five days ago after I had previously had a yearly Fecal Occult Blood Test. I was contacted that my test was positive for blood in my stool & I would be contacted by a surgeon.
It took a month to see the surgeon, but he arranged a date for me to have a Colonoscopy. I arrived at the hospital on Decemeber 31 & had the test, which by the way is highly uncomfortable. I told them I wouldn't have the drug that reduces the discomfort, I didn't want to be in a drug induced fog for hours after. I would advise anyone to take the drug if offered, unless you can withstand a lot of pain.
The Colonoscopy took roughly 30 minutes after which I was told by the Dr. that he found polyps as well as a tumor bigger than my fist. He showed me on the screen.
He made arrangements for me to have a CT Scan which took place 10 days later. No discomfort from this test.
Yesterday, February 2, I met with the surgeon again & he told me he would have to cut part of my bowel out as well as several lymph nodes in order to find out how far the cancer has spread & that I would be in hospital for roughly 5 days. From there, he said it would take roughly one week to get the results.
If you've ever been through the detection of cancer personally, you already know the emotional toll it takes on you & family, friends etc. I consider myself fortunate that I've been practicing Mindfulness/Meditation for the past year. It allows me to live in the moment & to quickly notice when my mind begins to wander to places we all spend too much time. For instance, the past or future, instead of being here right now in the present. If you haven't already tried Mindfulness, I would ask you to give it a try for a few months, it is one of the most healthy & positive things I've experienced in my life.
As you can guess, I'm not looking forward to the surgery & if I dwell on it, the future could be a scary place to live. Thank goodness none of us lives there, this moment in time is it, it's all any of us has.
I'll continue with updates on how my experience with cancer unfolds. If nothing else, I hope my experiences will help even one person see that living life one moment at a time is the healthiest & happiest ways to live, regardless of how much time each of us has in life.
Love others without judgements, give of yourself to others regardless of who they are without expectations of gain of any kind, love & be very kind to yourself, if you're not, you can't love others. Be at peace with whatever comes along, allow negative thoughts to be noticed but let them move along like the waters of a brook. Most of all, live every moment.
Thanks for reading & I hope you continue to visit to catch up on my thoughts & opinions.
For more information on Colorectal Cancer & the importance of screening.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/colorectal-screening
PS, this is my first attempt at a blog. If you have experience with blogging please share tips & constructive criticism, they will always be welcome.
Again, thanks for taking the time from your day to read, it's appreciated more than you know.
It took a month to see the surgeon, but he arranged a date for me to have a Colonoscopy. I arrived at the hospital on Decemeber 31 & had the test, which by the way is highly uncomfortable. I told them I wouldn't have the drug that reduces the discomfort, I didn't want to be in a drug induced fog for hours after. I would advise anyone to take the drug if offered, unless you can withstand a lot of pain.
The Colonoscopy took roughly 30 minutes after which I was told by the Dr. that he found polyps as well as a tumor bigger than my fist. He showed me on the screen.
He made arrangements for me to have a CT Scan which took place 10 days later. No discomfort from this test.
Yesterday, February 2, I met with the surgeon again & he told me he would have to cut part of my bowel out as well as several lymph nodes in order to find out how far the cancer has spread & that I would be in hospital for roughly 5 days. From there, he said it would take roughly one week to get the results.
If you've ever been through the detection of cancer personally, you already know the emotional toll it takes on you & family, friends etc. I consider myself fortunate that I've been practicing Mindfulness/Meditation for the past year. It allows me to live in the moment & to quickly notice when my mind begins to wander to places we all spend too much time. For instance, the past or future, instead of being here right now in the present. If you haven't already tried Mindfulness, I would ask you to give it a try for a few months, it is one of the most healthy & positive things I've experienced in my life.
As you can guess, I'm not looking forward to the surgery & if I dwell on it, the future could be a scary place to live. Thank goodness none of us lives there, this moment in time is it, it's all any of us has.
I'll continue with updates on how my experience with cancer unfolds. If nothing else, I hope my experiences will help even one person see that living life one moment at a time is the healthiest & happiest ways to live, regardless of how much time each of us has in life.
Love others without judgements, give of yourself to others regardless of who they are without expectations of gain of any kind, love & be very kind to yourself, if you're not, you can't love others. Be at peace with whatever comes along, allow negative thoughts to be noticed but let them move along like the waters of a brook. Most of all, live every moment.
Thanks for reading & I hope you continue to visit to catch up on my thoughts & opinions.
For more information on Colorectal Cancer & the importance of screening.
http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/detection/colorectal-screening
PS, this is my first attempt at a blog. If you have experience with blogging please share tips & constructive criticism, they will always be welcome.
Again, thanks for taking the time from your day to read, it's appreciated more than you know.
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