Time Schedule For Surgery And Pre Testing Etc.

I will be having this bottom section all removed including the rectum area. It will be sewn shut permanently.

Here's my schedule for next month.

November 10, 2010:
Pre Administration Testing at Oneida Healthcare. Lab work etc. 9:30 am. Will take about an hour and a half. Then over to Dr. Delpino's office next door to the hospital to talk to Sharon, his nurse about where the 'Stoma" will be coming out of my belly and whatever else she has to tell me about it. And to mark the spot. That's at 1:00 pm. I will drive myself up there that day.

November 15, 2010:
Appointment with my primary doctor, Christina Aranda in Herkimer for an EKG and Pre-Op clearance.

November 21, 2010:
Start taking antibiotics all day and prepping to clean out bowels for surgery the next day.
I will start eating only broths and soft foods about three days before.

November 22, 2010:
Surgery. I have to be at the hospital at 9:30 am. I'm hoping Nina will take me. But if she can't then I'll have to ask Jeanne. Jane will be in Myrtle Beach at that time.

I will be in the hospital for up to a week, depending on how it goes. Maybe my brother, Rich will be able to bring me home that day. He lives near there. I'll worry about that later. Then six weeks of healing and learning to take care of my stoma and bag emptying. I will already know about that stuff before I leave the hospital.
I probably won't feel good till after New years but you never know.
If the cancer has spread to other organs then I can expect to live only another 7 months or so. If it hasn't then maybe more time. Maybe I won't die in my 64th year like I've always thought I would. Time will tell. I turn 64 on November 1st so it can happen any time after that. I'm shooting for 65 now though!

So that is my schedule as of now.

Some information about Colo-rectal Cancer and the stages of it. Last year I was in stage three. I have no idea where I'm at now but I'm not going to worry about that. The main thing is to relieve this ache and pain in my rectum so I can live a bit better for whatever time I might have left. I will not be having any Chemo or Radiation after this surgery. Never!

When rectal cancer has penetrated the rectal wall and spread to a very limited number of nearby lymph nodes, chemotherapy after surgical removal of all visible cancer may lengthen survival time. Also, radiation therapy after surgical removal of visible rectal cancer may help control the growth of any residual tumors, delay a recurrence, and lengthen survival time.

When cancer has spread to lymph nodes far from the colon or rectum, to the lining of the abdominal cavity, or to other organs, the cancer cannot be cured by surgery alone. Survival time is typically only about 7 months. Chemotherapy with fluorouracil
(sometimes also with another drug) may be given after surgery as part of the treatment for colorectal cancer that has spread widely, but the chemotherapy usually has little effect on how long the person survives. The doctor usually discusses end-of-life care with the person, the family, and other health care practitioners . Even when the cancer has spread widely, surgery is sometimes performed to relieve the intestinal obstruction and ease symptoms.



Staging Colon Cancer

* STAGE 0: Cancer is limited to the inner layer (lining) of the large intestine (colon) covering the polyp. More than 95% of people with cancer at this stage survive at least 5 years.
* STAGE 1: Cancer spreads to the space between the inner layer and muscle layer of the large intestine. (This space contains blood vessels, nerves, and lymph vessels.) More than 90% of people with cancer at this stage survive at least 5 years.
* STAGE 2: Cancer invades the muscle layer and outer layer of the colon. About 55 to 85% of people with cancer at this stage survive at least 5 years.
* STAGE 3: Cancer extends through the outer layer of the colon into nearby lymph nodes. About 20 to 55% of people with cancer at this stage survive at least 5 years.
* STAGE 4 : Cancer spreads to other organs, such as the liver, lungs, or ovaries, or to the lining of the abdominal cavity (peritoneum). Fewer than 1% of people with cancer at this stage survive at least 5 years.