Rectal Cancer: My Story

Hi. My name is Mike, and I just overcame Rectal Cancer. I post this to bring about awareness—not just of the cancer itself, but the easiest way to prevent it.

No one likes colonoscopies. You have to spend the day before drinking laxatives and cleaning yourself out for the procedure. Then, the day of the procedure, you have to fast, and someone has to wait at the facility and drive you home.

But no matter the inconvenience, it's worth it. Here's my story…

Last year I had just turned 46 when my doctor advised me to have the procedure. This was due to the recommended age in the US recently being changed from 50 to 45. I did as he suggested, expecting a clean bill of health when I woke up. What the gastroenterologist had to tell me, however, shook my world. A tumor had been found. It turned out to be a T3b tumor putting me in Stage 2A rectal cancer. I had no symptoms; it was an incidental finding.

This was difficult news to take, and it took some time to process. Thankfully, my medical team worked quickly to put together a plan. This involved six cycles of chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, respectively. The chemo was rough. Progressively getting more difficult with each cycle. The chemo chosen was a combination of Oxaliplatin, Leucovorin, and Fluorouracil. Every two weeks I would go to the Zimmer Cancer Center and spend several hours receiving the oxaliplatin and leucovorin along with anti-nausea medicine. I would usually start in a pretty good mood, joking around and laughing with the friendly staff. By the end of the session, however, I would be in a very blah mood, unable to think clearly, not very energetic. They attached a pump to me which would continue feeding 5-FU chemo for the next 48 hours. At the end of this period, I would return to the cancer center, and they would remove it. Over the next couple of days, I would progressively feel worse until it finally began to wear off. Each cycle seemed to take an additional day to recover from the one before. By cycle 5 my immune system was so diminished they had to postpone it until the next week. I eventually got norovirus which lasted eight days. Eight days of misery. I recovered from it only for it to re-emerge on Cycle 6 for another eight days.

Throughout this process my hair thinned, I lost much of the physical fitness I had been proud of before, I vomited, I was out of breath often (even just walking up stairs), I had extreme cold sensitivity from the chemo (absolutely no cold drinks—they felt like ice shards going down my throat), I had oral thrush, I had intense salivary gland pain when I ate, I had blood clots from the port which required starting a blood thinner, I fought dehydration due to my body’s attempts at flushing out the ‘poison’ chemo, and I had to go to the emergency room several times due to the dehydration and norovirus. These were just some of the side effects from the chemotherapy. The chemo wrecked my body and brought my spirit to an all-time low. I prayed they would be worth it in the end.

When the last cycle was complete, they ran a new MRI. The tumor had in fact shrunk as hoped for. It had dwindled down to the point where it was no longer detectable! This was the best news I could hope for. It meant radiation was no longer needed and the surgery would, in theory, be easier. Plans were made for the surgery, and this was performed about six weeks after the end of the chemo.

As most major surgeries go, this one was rough. I was in the hospital for five days recovering. It took weeks to return to some semblance of normalcy physically. But that wasn’t the worst part. The surgery involved removal of most of my rectum and my lower colon. Therefore, I had an ileostomy bag attached to my side when it was done. For those not aware of what this is, it’s basically a bypass of your large intestines/colon. The bag fills up and has to be emptied. This was typically 3-5 times per day for me. It made everything more difficult—traveling, exercising, showering, and sleeping. The bulge of the bag under my shirt also made me self-conscious in public. Eventually, I got used to it. After three months, the time came for the “reversal” surgery. Again, this was a major surgery and took some time to recuperate. As I type this now, I have recently completed my final physical restrictions. I’m reflecting back on the difficult road it was and grateful that it wasn’t worse.

The purpose of this post is not to toot my own horn at surviving (though everyone who survives any cancer deserves a round of tooted horns!), but to bring awareness of what it can be like dealing with this disease. This is to emphasize the importance of getting routine colonoscopies. Do this as soon as your medical team recommends it. I’m considered young and yet I had cancer. If I hadn’t taken my doctor’s advice and if the recommendation hadn’t been lowered, we may have discovered the cancer too late—just as many people unfortunately do. My treatment was rough, but manageable. Many people do not have that good luck.

So please, please, please take care of your health—get the colonoscopy. If nothing is found, they will at least remove pre-cancerous polyps, buying you better health for the years to come. Do this for your family, friends, and yourself.

I also want to add—and this is very important—that the support of family, friends, and co-workers made all the difference in keeping a positive attitude through this process. The care packages, the meals, the offers to help with tasks and errands. And at work, my team at PPD / Thermo Fisher Scientific was so very understanding when I couldn’t be there due to appointments and sickness and when I was experiencing ‘chemo brain.’ I’m truly grateful for all of it. And it changed me for the better giving me a renewed sense of empathy for others who’ve gone through it. If you know anyone going through cancer or anything like it, please reach out to them and offer your help. It really does make a difference!!

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