We know it could be worse...

I just had to say it: We know it could be worse so please, please, please don't let those words come out of your mouths or leap off your keyboards. Ok?.. Ok.

This morning was a case of not very good news and a bit worse news. See, there is almost always a choice.
The good news is that the tumor we saw back in June is now just a bump on the inside of my rectum; a bump connected to a red line marking where the whole ugly thing used to live.  The bump we saw today is actually kind of a two- headed bump. So, the chemo/radiation did do something good. The tumor is still so very low the chances of getting a good resection are not very good. There may not be enough healthy tissue below the tumor to allow reattachment to the rest of the rectum.

Dr. Madoff is still leaning toward a permanent ileostomy. He sees the removal of my colon as one of the best surgical options.  That means I wouldn't have hemorrhoids anymore because the rectum and sphincter would be removed as well. There are some options which are more a matter of degree.  The choice is ours, or mine, and we are still in shock and still trying to learn what we can.

This is complicated, or simplified, depending on your point of view, by the introduction of a possible genetic factor.  I am going to be a bit confused here, because that is how I am right now but, they looked at my old tumor from 1991 and found that there is a genetic thing missing and this thing tends to make it look like I have Lynch Syndrome.  This is found in a small portion of the general population but people with Lynch syndrome have a greater risk (60 to 80%) of getting a colon cancer, than the general population.  I think I will try to get a copy of that report to study it and we may be pursuing testing for confirmation.

So, with the real possibility of having Lynch Syndrome, which means I have a greater liklihood of getting more colon cancer again later, we have some difficult choices to make. Karen found more about Lynch Syndrome on the Mayo Clinic website and you can go there too.

Surgery is still scheduled for October 20th and we have a fair idea of what has to happen between now and then. And we made reservations at the Radisson for Karen and Nelson. We are still waiting for the definitive results from yesterday's MRI and I will be having a chest/pelvic CT scan too.

SO, Give Us a Break- for a few days. We need time to process this. Pretend it is Sunday till we tell you it is Monday. Just keep us in your prayers and thoughts and we will keep you in ours.  We are in this together though I do not want all of you in my room in October. It will be too damn crowded.

Peace and love,
Mike and Karen