In May 2015, my daughter suggested I see a dermatologist about a spot on my forehead. It was diagnosed as pleomorphic t-cell lymphoma. After being diagnosed my dermatologist sent me to a lymphoma oncologist. I completed 15 rounds of radiation, and the lymphoma oncologist ordered a CT. Before I was two blocks away from that appointment, he called my cell phone saying I had a tumor in my colon. He asked when I had my last colonoscopy. I am a “rule follower”, so I had mine done at the age of 50* with “all clear”. My doctor told me I would have my next colonoscopy before I turned 60.
I then started seeing a GI oncologist. He sent me to a GI oncology surgeon who laparoscopically removed a little over a foot of my colon and 39 lymph nodes. My colon had two tumors. The largest was golf ball size. 20 of my lymph nodes were cancerous. I did six months of chemo, because I was not able to do all 12 rounds due to low blood counts and extreme difficulty with Oxaliplatin. CTs were every three months, due to a spot in my lung that had been 0.4 cm and grew to 0.9 cm. 10 months after this all I had completed chemo. I went to a cardiovascular surgeon who specializes in cancer. He removed the top lobe of my left lung & some lymph nodes. The pathology report found the spot to be colon cancer, and my lymph nodes were clear. I had the choice of doing chemo or not, and I chose to go with chemo for another six months. This time I did not do Oxaliplatin because my medical team feared it would kill me. My response to that was, “Doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of chemo?”(Have to have a sense of humor with my team).
On May 7, 2017 I had completed all 12 rounds of chemo, so I have had 20 rounds total when combining them all. CTs have been stable since June, 2018. Now I have no evidence of disease. My team will continue to keep an eye on me with annual visits and labs, and I will let them know if there are symptoms that need to be checked.
Both of my children have had colonoscopies because of my history. My husband’s parents both died from colon cancer, so it is also on his side of the family. There has not been any colon cancer in my family until now. Now I am a colon cancer ambassador to fight colorectal cancer. I am extremely grateful for that spot on my forehead in May of 2015, that probably saved my life! Prayers, support, encouragement, and research have helped me with this challenge. I always end my social media posts/updates with faith, family, friends, and with appreciation to my medical team!
*Since Alice was diagnosed the recommended screening age has been lowered to 45*
