Great questions

I have had some great questions from many of you so I am going to answer here just in case others are wondering.
Is it cancer then? Yes it is absolutely cancer, to be more precise it is a adenocarcinoma. This is the most common type of colon cancer.
Definitely no chemo or radiation? As Dr Wise said he is "cautiously optimistic" that once the lymph nodes are removed they will still show no cancer(he is leaning more towards optimistic but I realize he is trying to keep me prepared either way) The cancer definitely is thru the muscle wall which places it as Stage 1. The success rate after 5 years cancer free is 96%.
Why did they initially say the lymph node was cancerous? A CT scan is done to find if the cancer has moved to another organ. The fact that the lymph node was quite a bit larger would initially indicate it was cancerous, only the ultrasound biopsy can determine either way.
How much time will I be off work(rehab)? It will be 4-6wks, I plan on taking the time I need in order to ensure I am 100% when I go back to work. In my mind I will then be able to put this behind me and move on.
In closing I will say this is the importance of early detection. I myself cannot admit to getting this  immediately looked at when I first noticed something wasn't right. I can however be comforted in the belief that I may have been given a "gift" in the outcome. Going back to one of my earlier posts, I am not a patient person. I push myself more than anyone else ever could(I have wonderful bosses and they certainly don't expect it). I know MANY people that drive themselves just like me.So if there are a few of them that look at this and say it could be me, I really should slow down and listen to my body, then in the end this is all worth it. The emotional roller coaster plain and simply sucks, but it could be much worse. I am blessed.

And the good news keeps coming.

I know many of you have been wandering about by follow up appointment.  It was another day of  goods news amid the obvious "bad" situation. My surgeon informed me that the biopsy results show no cancer in my lymph node even though it is enlarged. In layman's terms I get to move forward with surgery on March 11. But here is the best news of all....once it is removed and they have an opportunity to check the entire node, if it is definitely negative for cancer I do not have to do the chemo and radiation! Yes I said it, NO chemo or radiation. As of right now he has classified it as Stage 1 cancer which has the highest statistical success. The surgery itself sounds pretty rough and I will be in the hospital for 5-8 days but I can honestly say I am thrilled, given the alternative. I do get an epidural for 3 days and those of you that have had them know I will be feeling no pain. :)
I did have another good thing happen. As some of you may know Katie Couric is an advocate for colon cancer (she lost her husband to it). Her show is doing a taping on colon cancer awareness on Thursday of next week. Tickets submissions had to include a paragraph on "why" you should participate and I am excited to say I received 3! I will be taking my best daughter ever, along with my dear friend Holly to New York next week to attend the taping. When someone from the show called to see if I would be attending I told her that unless I start treatment or have surgery I would be there.
I am absolutely convinced that this has to be some type of life lesson that I was meant to go thru. A month ago I would never have thought to just take a few days off to attend anything, now look at me.
I can't even begin to say how humbled I am by the support I have received from everyone. It is all of the positive energy and prayers that have made this so much easier for me to take. I once again find myself saying thank you for thinking of my family and I and know that we feel your support.

Just sharing.....

I wanted to share this email that Uncle Pete sent me. It is all the support I am getting that makes me feel like I am not alone.  I am looking forward to being the support others need once this is behind me. Thank you Uncle Pete & Aunt Kay

 

 

Dear Cathy and John and Christian and Haley,

We are holding you close to our hearts tonight and sending good thoughts, prayers.  Just remember, there are good cancer stories out there.  I have heard many of them in my travels as a myeloma patient ambassador/speaker, and I am one of those  stories myself. 

Yes, the  word stops you in your tracks and changes all sorts of things--mostly about what is really important in life.  The small stuff is consigned permanently to the  small stuff pile.   And while

no one probably needs that much improvement, the psychologist who interviewed me for my stem cell transplant told me that "cancer makes everyone better."  (I thought, wryly, at the time, that I had been working on the content of my character for long enough. maybe??)  But I will say
this:  it brought my brother and I back together in a way I wouldn't have thought.  I shall be eternally grateful for that.

We shall think of you every day.  And when things get the scariest, just imagine a whole circle of us standing around you.  You will not fall.  And if I can help you in any way, please let me know.

One of the educational outreach people from Millennium Pharmaceuticals (they fund my travels) is a colorectal cancer survivor.  I like her very much.

Our blessings and love,

Aunt Kay and Uncle Peter

A Post From The Blog Mistress.

You've all seen Cathy's TGIF post and we share her relief in getting over the ultrasound hurdle, especially after how her week started.

I'm Cathy's sister-in-law and am trying to help her navigate through the world of blogging. Just a few moments ago, I changed the settings so that any one of you can now post comments to her updates. Make sure you include your name at the end of the comment so she knows which cheerleader is cheering her on.

Keep her posted if you're still having issues after this fix. I'll dive back in to see what I can do.

And what she said - go do something fun this weekend!

TGIF

Ultrasound went well, bonus was that I was put under and don't remember any of it! Some good news to report, if the biopsy results show the cancer is not in the muscle wall then I may be able to have surgery first. I will find out on Tuesday either way, I'll be holding my breath till then. I really can't say enough about how wonderful the medical professionals have been. I am learning so much about all of the support available for cancer patients, it is overwhelming. I received an invitation for a celebration at Riverside hospital on 2/28 for Colon cancer awareness month (March). I'm really looking forward to attending if possible. I realize I haven't mentioned John and the kids much, they seem to be doing pretty good. John has been a big help with everything, I'm sure you would all expect that knowing him...... I have to keep top of mind that even though they put up a good front this is not easy for them.
I am absolutely addicted to Pinterest (along w/ many of my friends), I find so many inspirational quotes that I just have to start sharing. This is the one I found the day after hearing my diagnosis, seemed perfect.
Have a great weekend everyone, do something fun.

 

Miracles do happen

Amazing how things can change in 3 days. I received a call yesterday from the gastric Dr saying that they could get me in tomorrow for my ultrasound. So I go from feeling devastated on Monday to elated on Wednesday. Little did I know that the best family Dr in the world (Dr Butcher) made a follow up call to see if they could get me in any earlier. Let me just put this out there now that she is the best! Her concern and follow up since my initial diagnosis has been humbling to say the least, she has been on top of everything. Including my emotional support. I am certain the prayers of my family and friends also played a huge part in my appointment getting moved up. Thank you all! So one of my bff's Holly came down from Toledo tonight to take me to my procedure, I really am blessed. So to wrap it up, once the ultrasound is done I can start chemo/radiation. I say bring it on, let's get this going in order to get it done. Keep the prayers coming, they are working already!

Patience

I'm learning very quickly that my lack of patience is going to be one of my biggest challenges. Finally spoke to my Gastric specialist today and it looks like they can't get me in for my ultrasound until March 6th. That was a bit of a tough one for me. I guess I was really hoping to get this started so that I could get it over with. I can't start chemo and radiation until that is done, so I wait. Once I get the ultrasound done Dr. says I will start both right away. It's going to be a 6 week cycle then I will get 6 weeks off for what he jokingly referred to as "vacation"(no treatment for 6 weeks). Okay.....I can think of many other things to consider vacation and none of then involve my colon!  After roughly 12 weeks I will get surgery to remove what I confident will be a cancer free portion of my colon. I really need to get used to the fact that I'm not in control on this one, and those of you who know me well know that it's not going to be easy.
The good news is that I feel pretty good, aside from the usual symptoms that led me to the Dr in the first place.  So I wait, and while I'm waiting I will be working on my patience.
Thank you all for the support, I really am blessed with family & friends.

The beginning

I have a creative sister in law Heather (aka Bob).She started a blog to when in the process of adopting an angel from China. It kept everyone up to date on what was going on in a interesting, funny and sometimes heart wrenching detail.  (And great pictures!)
I on the other hand am not creative, lack a lot when it comes to the writing details that make people smile, and picture taking is not my forte. No worries, my purpose of starting this blog is to merely keep my wonderful family and friends up to speed on what is going on with my Cancer. Yeah I said it cancer, colon cancer to be specific, well actually to be even more specific colorectal cancer. First time I said it out loud it seemed so surreal, like it wasn't really me saying it. Not for a second did I ever think that talking about my colon would be in my day to day conversation, but it is, and it will be for at least the next 5 months. I have to say I've moved on past the "shock & awe" as I call it. In the words of a good friend of mine (who incidentally has a 2 yr old going thru brain cancer) , "no day will be as bad as that first day". She didn't know if it would make me feel any better, it did. Thanks Amy.
My biggest concern was my kids Haley (16) and Christian (20), I was initially so worried about how to tell them and how they would process it. Let's just say they made their momma proud. And my husband John, who comes from a long, long line of criers has been doing great. Guess maybe they are worried for me. No need to be, I just know everything will be just fine. So as I head in to next week to get an ultrasound I begin what I have lovingly named My Beautiful Struggle. I will be starting radiation and chemo in the very near future so I have a feeling this blog will come in handy, because as much as I LOVE talking on the phone to update everyone on whats going on I just may not feel up to it.
In closing I will not lecture and you will only hear me say this one time (can't promise that), but....colonoscopy. Get one if you are due, if your not (like me) and are having problems just get it over with, it's worth your life. I have no family history and am way under the standard for getting one and look at me. :)