Dad Has Rectal Cancer

  My dad found out he had rectal cancer this past July 3rd.  He has never been sick a day in his life.  Never been to the hospital.  But of course that has all changed.  for the last 5 weeks he has had chemoradation and now will take a month off.. Then surgery will be done that will be his deciding factor as to weither or not he will have a colostomy.  I have been told he has Stage 2 this was found out by the PET scan he had.  I guess I'm looking for any info on the surgery what he is going to go through what to expect.  He is 69yrs old but a very healthy man.  I love him so much and it's killing me to see him go throught this.  All the messages I've read through have been great any reply will be appreciated thanks and pray for us all.

K

On 8/8/2007 daddysgirl wrote:

  My dad found out he had rectal cancer this past July 3rd.  He has never been sick a day in his life.  Never been to the hospital.  But of course that has all changed.  for the last 5 weeks he has had chemoradation and now will take a month off.. Then surgery will be done that will be his deciding factor as to weither or not he will have a colostomy.  I have been told he has Stage 2 this was found out by the PET scan he had.  I guess I'm looking for any info on the surgery what he is going to go through what to expect.  He is 69yrs old but a very healthy man.  I love him so much and it's killing me to see him go throught this.  All the messages I've read through have been great any reply will be appreciated thanks and pray for us all.

 

K

Hi,

I too had preoperative chemoradiation (for stage 3) and this had the effect of reducing the tumor down to a small size prior to surgery. The effect of this was that i did not need a permanent stoma even though the cancer was close to the anus. I assume that this is one of the reasons why your father was given this treatment. (the other is that preoperative chemoradiotherapy can reduce the chances of recurrence post surgery.)

Even if your father responds well to the preoperative treatment, some surgeons still insist on using the orginal dimension of the cancer, which when you take into account the need for surgical margins, can still lead to permament stoma. If this is of concern to your father it is important that he is assertive as to his wishes, especially if his cancer has responded well to the preopartaive treatement.

The surgery itself is a major one and he will take some time to recover, and he may also end up with a temp ilestomy which is a stoma on the small bowel which is in place to allow the new colon to recover. It is then reversed at alter operation.

I hope this is all of some help, but please I encourage you to find out as much info as possible.

PS I am 10 months post surgery and so far all going well.

I have had a colostomy since 1999; I named him, claimed him, and determined that he would be my best friend.  I have never had any trouble managing "him."  My rectal cancer spread to my lungs, brain, and liver.  I had surgery to remove the brain tumor and have been on constant chemo for four years.  I teach every day, go to ballgames, speak to church groups, and lead a very full life.  I am almost 55, divorced, and thankful for every day of life.  God is my source of strength.  Make sure your dad keeps as normal a routine as possible.  I am in the last stage of cancer, but I've been there for four years.  I tell my students that I am playing in an overtime game.  God bless your dad, you and your family.

Charlotte Rich