In the year two thousand I self-administered a colo-rectal cancer test kit. It was as the result of a free program sponsored by Medicine Shoppes. A nice, pink postcard greeted me a few days later in my mail.
It was very matter of fact. It read...Your test came out positive;please see your local doctor...
I couldn't believe it. Not me! Healthy as a horse, full of energy and vitality, viral and robust there was no way I could have colon cancer.
Colon Rectal Cancer
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I wrestled with it for two more weeks and reason again raised its unwelcome head. I went to my own doctor and he gave me two alternatives, either of which should give me a definitive answer. A sigmoidiscopic examination (the sigmoid is the lower part of the large intestine) was cheaper (I had no insurance) and less invasive than a colonoscopy so I opted for it.
They gave me a happy shot and I laughed myself into la-la land.
Later. when I could focus, my doctor consulted my chart. He was short and to the point. "You have a tumor in the bend of the sigmoid (that's your large lower bowel)."
He paused and I waited...too stunned to ask the dreaded question. He said, "I have sent tissue to the lab but I can tell you right now it is malignant and needs your attention immediately."
To foreshorten this article I am a veteran of World WarII and Korea so I ended that day being accepted under the care of the Veteran's Administration.
The information from the medical team there was decisive and needed a no-nonsense answer now! I was informed I could take chemo and radiology which would force the tumor into remission but with no guarantee of terminating the murderous culprit. Or, I could let them use the knife and 'probably' forget the problem for the rest of my life.
I opted for the knife.
When I woke my Doctor happily informed me we had caught the tumor early enough so there was no further contamination in the lymph system. Chemo and radiology were unnecessary. They had taken a piece out of my colon about the length of my forearm and stitched me back together and I was good to go.
That was in 1988. I was free of cancer until the year 2000 when I again harbored the brutal cells...this time in my Prostate. And that lays the foundation for the second installment of the saga of a two-time cancer survivor. Look for the second half of this article within the next week or go to my website minischnauzersx2.com
Beat The Odds On Cancer - Two Time Survivor Tells You How Part One
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