Reading My Cancer Journal - Getting my Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis
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- čas přidán 12. 07. 2024
- I began keeping a journal after my colorectal cancer diagnosis to document the emotions, the appointments, and how quickly life changed. Take a peek into what the first week of a cancer diagnosis looks like in this video.
⏱️TIMESTAMPS⏱️
0:00 Intro
0:36 My colonoscopy
2:06 My first CT scan
5:01 My first oncologist appointment
7:58 Rectal Endoscopic Ultrasound
10:16 Telling my daughter and 2 friends about my cancer diagnosis
✅Click on this link to subscribe so you can hear more about what to expect after a cancer diagnosis: / @survivorjelena
😟Newly diagnosed and want to learn what it’s really like to go through treatment from a patient’s perspective? Check out my playlist What to Expect During Colorectal Cancer Treatment - • What To Expect During ...
My most popular videos
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😷My Colorectal Cancer Symptoms: • My Colorectal Cancer S...
💩My Ileostomy Reversal Experience: • My Ileostomy Reversal ...
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I survived colorectal cancer.
Awesome!
Your diary has brought back many memories of my cancer experiences. I wish I had written a journal. I have good recollection of the major events, but there are lots of details, especially emotions, that I know I’m forgetting. I think there are many benefits to having a journal. It’s good to have a written record of your medical experiences. But I also think there are many psychological benefits to recording your observations and emotions along your cancer journey and having access to these feelings months or years later is a good reminder of what you went through and the strength you mustered to get through it. Thanks for doing this.
Yeah, I had forgotten many of the smaller details and emotions that I was feeling at the time. Partially perhaps because it happened a few years ago, but also maybe my body tried to forget some of it since it was such an emotional time.
I agree! I have been finished with chemo for a bit over 3 years. I had stage 3 uterine cancer. I feel great now, ...but remember how scared I was when I was diagnosed. Thank you both!
@@jenniferjacobs663 I’m glad to hear you’re doing well three years later.
Thank you so much for all the info. Your presentation is excellent. I wish you well always.❤😊😊😊😊😊😊😊
Could you talk about the patients that do not qualify for ostomy bag due to liver and other metastasis. When the rectal cancer tumor cause obstruction, what intervention/surgery palliative is used???
Hey...so happy you are still here and you look healthy and great. Watched alot of your videos and helped me alot. I was diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer back last April and since then did 8 treatments of chemo and 25 treatments of radiation. I did have emergency surgery in May that left me with an ileostomy and a good chunk of my colon missing. Im up to the point now where I am getting second opinions on my mass being removed and possible reversal (most likely gonna be a permanent ileostomy) . Onocolgists suggests removal of my bladder prostate rectum and whats left of my large intestine. My surgeon however dosen't want to remove my bladder and prostate. My question to you is did you get surgery to remove the rest of your mass and if yes how was that recovery? Sorry for the long message but just exploring all advice and experiences from survivors like you.
Thank you, and happy to have helped you out with my videos 💙 So for the emergency surgery, they didn’t remove the tumor at all? I had surgery after I did chemo/radiation to have the tumor plus some lymph nodes removed. The first few days after surgery I was REALLY sore, but I was up and walking around each day starting on the day after surgery. 6 weeks after I jogged a 5k so after a very slow week or two recovery picked up.
@@SurvivorJelena they left tumor in during emergency surgery...had all my treatments but now they want to go in and cut out rest however they suggest removing my bladder and prostate as well as my rectum and whats left of my large intestine...cancer is localized in the tumor and seems excessive to have my bladder and prostate removed. Now been going around getting second opinions..surgery probably by end of April once I decide
That’s interesting they want to take so much out during surgery. I’m glad to hear you’re getting additional opinions so you can hear insight from other doctors on your specific case.
💙
Mam in. Colostomy reversal its same like a surgery or smal surgery without difficult ies??
If it’s a loop ostomy it’s a bit simpler, but there is always a chance of complications. For me, my reversal surgery was much easier than the initial LAR surgery.
Jelena, hope you are going to get successfully through the treatments! I believe you are already an inspiration for everyone going through similar.
Hi Jelena, did you have any neuropathy symptoms after your chemotherapy ?, if so how did you deal with it ?
I did, my finger tips are always cold and my feet are partially numb. It’s been about 7 months now. I just started gabapentin. Time will tell if it’s going to work.
Yes, I did, just in my feet. It really flared up 3-4 months after I finished. I bought a hand-held massager to use on them, used compression socks when I exercised, wore stiff, high-ankled boots when I went hiking, and tried acupuncture. Mentally it helped a little because I was trying a bunch of things to get rid of it, but I don’t know how much any of it contributed to it finally going away or if time just worked.
@@edgrabousky9995 FYI gabapentin addresses nerve pain associated with neuropathy, not numbness. That’s my understanding. I stopped taking gabapentin when my nerve pain seemed diminished. I still have random nerve pain mostly in feet. My finger tips are slightly numb. My feet are moderately numb. I have to be careful on stairs or slippery surfaces due to reduced sensations of foot placement.
Thank you very much, I have really bad neuropathy in my hands & feet I don't know how to deal with it everyday, doctors are not much help, it has really flared up 2 months after finishing treatment, any suggestions are welcome,
@@nollaigire2367 it can take a long time for neuropathy to fully or even partially resolve. I’ve been told by a cancer neurologist that it can take up to 18-24 months after the completion of chemo to get a sense for what your long term neuropathy situation will be. Some people have taken even longer. I’m approaching 24 months since my chemo/radiation ended. I’ve had improvements but I’m fairly certain I will have long term numbness in my feet, calves and finger tips. Most of my pain issues have resolved- though some days out of the blue I will have flashes of pain in my feet. You might want to consider acupuncture and see if that helps.