Episode 314 – My Colon Cancer Journey – Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month – March 2022

I do very few monologue style episodes, but once a year, as a colon cancer survivor myself. I share my journey, hoping it will get at least one person to get screened. Let's start with a resource that helped me and one I support. The Colorectal Cancer Alliance can be found at CCA.comDONATE HEREThe Mission of the Colorectal Cancer AllianceTo empower a nation of allies who work with us to provide support for patients and families, caregivers, and survivors; to raise awareness of preventive measures; and inspire efforts to fund critical research.Provide access this MarchCelebrate National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month by making a gift to provide access to high-quality screenings, care for patients and families navigating their colorectal cancer journeys and research to find a cure to end this disease in our lifetime.Your gift will be matched by a generous corporate partner, so you can make twice the difference this month!Insert Episodes3 words you don't want to hear? - It is cancer.Three words. Three life changing words.According to the American Cancer Society, there will be 1,638,910 new cancer cases in 2012. Break that down daily, and 4552 people each and every day will hear those three words.Wednesday, August 22nd was my day to hear those three words.Here is a look at my week:On Monday, I visited a gastroenterologist for my first colonoscopy. I turned 50 last year, so I knew this screening was necessary. I had put it off, but at my annual physical a couple months ago, Dr. D chided me for not getting it done. He gave me a couple referrals. I picked one and set up the exam for the first day of my vacation. I had heard all the horror stories about the prep work necessary, and I was not looking forward to it. Much to my surprise, the toughest part of the prep was no solid food the day before. I opted for Osmoprep pills, rather than the chalky drinks no one seemed to like. 32 pills and a few trips to the bathroom and I was ready for my appointment.Other than the IV insertion (I’m a bit of a needle-phobe), the appointment was simple. I was sedated just prior to the exam and woke up quickly in the recovery area. Propofol is an incredible drug.Dr T. came in to discuss what he found. Two polyps were removed and an “ulcer” was found in the sigmoid colon. He didn’t think it was serious, but he grabbed tissue samples and wanted them checked at the lab. He told Cindy and I he would call with the test results in a couple days.Everyone can remember where they were when major events occurred in the world. Reagan’s shooting, the Challenger explosion or the Twin Towers falling all bring back vivid memories of where you were or what you are doing. On a personal scale, the same thing happens. I will never forget answering the phone as I drove up the Gilbert Rd off-ramp from the southern Loop 202. It was Dr T.“We have the test results back” said Dr. T. I replied “OK”. After a slight pause, he said, “It is cancer”.For me, there was no wave of fear, no feeling of nausea, no flood of tears. It was a desire to ask questions and find out what I had to do next. Fortunately, Dr T. did not feel I needed immediate treatment. His office would schedule a CT Scan (Monday ”“ 8/27). This is important as it will determine what stage my cancer is in, or to put it another way, if it is localized or has spread. Then, his office would schedule a surgery consult with a colorectal surgeon (Wednesday ”“ 9/5). There definitely will be surgery.I mentioned my upcoming trip next week with Cindy to New York for the U.S. Open. He insisted we go. “Let’s get the scan done before you leave and we’ll get you in with the surgeon when you get back.” The lack of a sense of urgency was calming.I sat for a moment, deciding who to call first. My wife or my son. I opted to call Kev first since I wasn’t totally sure how I would handle myself during the call and I wanted to “practice” with Kev before I called Cindy. It went very well, and Kev, much like his old man, wanted the facts and details.The call to Cindy was just as smooth. What do we do next and let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Let’s follow the plan, stay positive, and get to the other side. She left work to come be with me the rest of the day. I told her she didn’t need to, but I’m really glad she did.So, why this post on TPREG? One, I know Jay. He likes stories about life as much as he likes posts about escrow. He also hates cancer with a passion and I like riling him up. Secondly, this is a great platform to get the message out to all of you over 50 that have put off getting “scoped”. Why wait? Colon cancer, when detected early, has one of the highest cure rates. I’ve heard this many times, and I know you have as well, but I still waited over a year to get my colonoscopy done. If you are reading this and under 50, think of family and friends that need to get screened. Ask them to go get it done.Finally, I would like to let everyone out there know one more thing. The three words that matter most to me right now?I will win.Episode 2 - Top 10 Takeaways from Colon Cancer Surgery - Sep 26, 2012In last month’s post, I described my feelings and experience when you hear the news that the diagnosis is cancer. Since then, I have had a colon resection, or in regular speak, they cut out about 5 inches of my colon to remove the affected area, and then re-attached the two ends. Colon is good as new.Below is my top ten list of takeaways as a surgery noob. Yep, 51 years old and I had never been admitted to a hospital before. When looking for clinics treat various conditions,For some of you, my list may seem obvious. For any surgery virgins out there, keep this handy for your inevitable first time.10. The surgical staff at Banner Desert Hospital is awesome!I have no other staff to compare my surgery and recovery crew to, but I can’t imagine there is a better team out there. From check-in to pre-op to recovery, they were amazing.9. Let the student nurse insert your IVWhile getting prepped for surgery, the nurse introduced me to Melanie, a nursing student from ASU (Go Devils!) The nurse asked me if I minded if Melanie inserted my IV. I hate needles as much as anyone, but I figured why not get a little good Karma working my way and let her practice on me? Other than a little blood that spurted on her and the floor, she did a great job.8. Phlebotomists are modern day vampiresNo one told me how much blood is drawn during a hospital stay and recovery. I made it to my hospital room at 8pm on Friday and by midnight Monday, no less than 12 blood draws were taken. Worst of all, it seems that most draws occurred between 10pm and 4am. Why that time? Easy. The phlebotomists are vampires. A vial for the lab, a vial for them. Combine that with the insane number of draws and it makes perfect sense.7. Hyperextending your elbow during a blood draw makes it way easierWhile I’m on the topic, one kind, gentle, middle aged, non-vampire phlebotomist gave me a great tip about keeping my arm as straight as possible during the draw. It was amazing how much it helped. I will forever remember her tip and attempt to hyper-extend my elbow every time a vampire phlebotomist comes near me.6. Walks around the nurses station can get competitiveRegardless of how much you hurt, if another patient is taking a walk at the same time, you become possessed to complete your lap faster than them. It just happens.5. Time can stand still the first few days after surgeryThis one is unreal. A large clock is across the room from your bed. It is not your friend. I would wake up, look at the clock and the time was 1:15. I would fall back asleep, into what felt like a deep sleep and then wake up, look at the clock, and the time was 1:20. This happened more times than I can remember.4. Hospitals are for sick people. Get out and recuperate ASAPEnough said.3. Much like building a business relationship, create bonds with the nursing staff. It helps.Why wouldn’t you want a good working relationship with the people that can make you more comfortable? Banner Desert nurses were incredible.2. Pain pumps rock!As soon as I was able to understand how the pain pump worked, it became my little friend. When the light turned green, all I had to do was push it for a little morphine in the drip. If offered, always accept the pain pump.1. There is nothing better than seeing your spouse come through the door.I told my wife prior to surgery that I did not want her holding a vigil in my hospital room. If I was sleeping, take advantage of the time to get home and get some rest or take care of things she needed to do. I told her I had around the clock care so I would be...