Blood pressure: 129/83
Heart rate: 58


   Yesterday, I had my first follow-up appointment with my surgical oncologist since my release from the hospital on Christmas Eve. Although I'll know more tomorrow when I see my medical oncologist, I did learn the following. I have been diagnosed with stage 4 rectal cancer and as my daughter put it, "Well, that's not good." I, of course, couldn't disagree, but do feel it may not be as hopeless as it would appear with a few quick internet searches. Am not even sure yet if it is A, B, or C as I didn't know enough to ask that question yet, or for the T, N, or M information. And, that answer may very well depend on the results of my next MRI. I had been under the assumption it was colon cancer and had been researching as such while I awaited my follow-ups. That and colorectal cancer as a whole. Perhaps studying the following two diagnoses from my medical records would have helped: Primary malignant neoplasm of rectosigmoid junction and metastatic malignant neoplasm to intrahepatic bile ducts.

The other main thing I learned is that I'm a candidate for an experimental ablation technique for the liver metastasis. Not sure what that means, or what all it entails, but because of my cardiac stents and the need to stay on anticoagulants, this procedure can be administered during chemotherapy without needing to either stop those treatments or my current cardiac prescriptions. Being experimental, it may only buy time until I can stop the anticoagulants long enough for surgery, at least, as there is no long-term study on the effectiveness of the ablation so far. At best, I'll live to be a much older man. Either way I expect to get more time so, yay, me!

Anywho, just wanted to node a quick update on my journey, on this great adventure of diagnosis, treatment, and recovery from Stage 4 rectal cancer, to paraphrase a blurb from a book I'm considering acquiring to help me find hope, laughter, and gratitude for, as of right now, all I can do is learn while staying as healthy, physically and mentally, as possible as I may or may not have mentioned on January 8th. I'll end this writeup with a pertinent quote from the Texas Oncology website:

By proactively understanding and managing aspects of your treatment, you can help ensure the best possible outcome from treatment and maintain some degree of control in your life. Things you can do to optimize treatment of cancer are:
  • Get informed

  • Stay organized

  • Discuss the effectiveness of treatment

  • Work with your physician to select the best treatment for you
Don’t forget that fighting cancer is not a challenge you should face alone. It is a team effort that involves family, friends, and your healthcare team. Don’t overlook the strength that can come from having your support network by your side.


posted this Sweetmorn, the 16th day of Chaos, YOLD 3191