In late 2010, I started having a sharp pain in my lower left abdomen. It got to the point that I was waking up during the night because of the pain. My doctor performed an exam and suspected diverticulitis...A CT scan two days later supported that possibility so we treated my symptoms with antibiotics and they seemed to improve. To be safe, my doctor also ordered a colonoscopy that I would need to have three months later. When the time came, the colonoscopy couldn't be fully completed because of a tumor that had grown and was partially blocking my sigmoid colon.
This was our first step into the rabbit hole.
Things happened quickly. I learned of the diagnosis on a Thursday afternoon and we met with a recommended surgeon the following day. She ordered pre-operative CT scans and scheduled the surgery for one week later. Reviewing the CT scans provided our second step into the rabbit hole. The cancer had continued to grow in my colon, but it had also metastasized to my liver as well.
This was our first freak out moment and it was complicated by the fact that we were about to get 20 inches of snow dumped on us. I started questioning what the correct way to handle all of this new news was. More scans needed to be done quickly and there was likelihood that the clinics (and all of Madison) would be closed the following day due to weather. My colon surgeon postponed the surgery by one week and coordinated a next day visit for me with an oncologist and liver surgeon so that we could explore the situation.
Living near Madison has been a blessing for a number of reasons. We have family and friends close-by. We have an amazing group of doctors and nurses with great skills and communication between disciplines. We are home to the UW Carbone Cancer Center. We have access to research facilities leading the path in cancer treatment. Bottom line, we have a home-field advantage.
Our home team began with Dr. Anne Eglash, my primary care physician; Dr. Susan Toth performing my colon resection; Dr. Michael Huie coordinating my oncology care and Dr. Emily Winslow performing my liver resection. All of the "original plan" was to happen (and did) between February and November 2011.
Since then, I've enjoyed periods of time without treatment but I have come to terms with the fact that my long-term prognosis is akin to a game of cat and mouse. We can't cure my disease, but we can continue to fight it and hopefully kick it back into the shadows for a bit.