Routine Colonoscopy revealed a 2nd cancer

My sidekick Winston :)

I get anxious over test results on a regular basis but I wasn't concerned over my routine colonoscopy. Now that the Covid-19 pandemic is easing up I decided to catch up on things that had been postponed. I had my eyes checked recently and updated my glasses prescription. I scheduled my colonoscopy and took care of it. The doctor told me after I woke up from the procedure that he removed only one polyp, it was on the large side, but there was only one. I knew they would send it to pathology to get checked out but I never expected my gastroenterologist to call me the very next afternoon to tell me they found cancer cells in that polyp.

It was such a weird phone call. I talked to the doctor as if I was on a work call, completely calm. My first question: "Is he sure it's colon cancer cells and not breast cancer cells that have recurred in my colon?" He assured me it is colon cancer cells. Oddly I felt relief as I know an early colon cancer is not as life threatening as a recurrence of breast cancer. I'll take a win anytime I can get it.

As soon as I hung up the phone, I allowed myself to take in the news and I gasped for air the way a person does when they get terrible shocking news. My husband was home and I ran to him and broke down for a while but then I was calm again. I've been here before, I don't know for sure but it seems this won't be as bad as breast cancer treatment. I can do this.

The Doctor said there's a 95% change he got it all but the margin is only 1mm and that is too close for comfort. It's too risky to wait and see because the cancer could spread. If I have surgery soon, I'll lost a few inches of my Sigmoid Colon, be in the hospital a few days, then home to recover and that will hopefully be the extent of the treatment.

The next Tuesday, I was back at the hospital for the doctor to tattoo the exact location of the polyp he removed, so the surgeon can be as precise as possible when he removes that section of my colon. I officially have many more medical tattoos than regular tattoos. 2 I chose to get, 7 dots from radiation treatment and now this new temporary tattoo in my colon that will be cut out.

Three days later, on Friday, I was meeting my surgeon for the first time and his office will be scheduling my surgery for about 3 weeks out, in early June. I have time to go on our upcoming weekend trip to Sedona, Arizona and enjoy the great outdoors before surgery that will take me about a month to recover from. Sedona is so beautiful, it always puts me in a positive frame of mind.