Re: Sister-in-law diagnosised with colon cancer

From: Elsie (urmelii65_at_yahoo.com)
Date: 07/25/04

  • Next message: Howian: "Re: Lung Cancer (Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma)" 
    Date: 25 Jul 2004 06:28:19 -0700

    bobbi_h1960@hotmail.com (bobbi) wrote in message news:<5b1fbf5e.0407230545.21e239b@posting.google.com>...
    > This morning we were awaken to some shocking news: my sister-in-law
    > has been diagnosised with colon cancer. She is young - 35 - or I think
    > she's young to be battling disease, but then again I don't know
    > anything about colon cancer.
    >
    > We have some sketchy details, we haven't been able to talk to her or
    > her husband yet. All we know is that my husband needs to be testing
    > for the genetic form of this disease. What the heck is genetic testing
    > anyway?
    > It's all alittle overwhelming .. and I guess I don't need to tell this
    > group that eh? :-|
    >
    > I don't know why I'm writing, as I don't have a specific question yet.
    > I guess I just need to reach out ...
    >
    > Does anyone know of a good web site where we can read more about
    > genetic colon cancer? I guess we'd better start reading and educating
    > ourselves.
    >
    > I'll be back later today with more details ....
    >
    > bobbi

    By now J has already sent you a good website.

    Somebody else also said that your husband should have a colonoscopy.
    I'm actually not sure that the virtual colonoscopy is as good as the
    real thing. If you have a good doctor, the real thing is not so bad
    anyway.

    When they do a colonoscopy, they will be looking for polyps. Polyps
    don't have to lead to cancer, but they can so Doctors tend to remove
    them when they're found. Some family have a condition that makes them
    have lots of polyps. If that's the case your husband's risk is
    automatically greater than the average person's but normally, they
    will find none or a few polyps. If they find a polyp, they will
    probably remove it during the colonoscopy and that will be the end of
    it.

    About the familial thing, though. Sometimes the family history starts
    with you. As far as I knew, I had one uncle who died of colon cancer
    in his 60s. That does not constitute a family history. At the time,
    all my uncle's brothers were checked and nobody had a polyp. I was
    diagnosed with colon cancer at 38. NOW we have a family history. I
    made my brother get himself checked. They found a polyp and removed
    it. I am still working on my Mom to convince her to have my sister
    checked. (She's 10 years younger than I am and has Down syndrome) My
    kids will have to have a colonoscopy when they are about 28. Turns
    out, we actually did have a family history all along, we just didn't
    know that these people had cancer. There were just lots of cousins in
    earlier generations who died of "colon blockage" or other unspecified
    ailments having to do with the digestive system.

    Elsie

  • Next message: Howian: "Re: Lung Cancer (Bronchioloalveolar carcinoma)"

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