Has anyone had stage 2-3 colorectal cancer with bowel surgery waiting?

I hope you have family to comfort you. There are protocols in place depending on thr type of cancer . Positive thougts Sending your way. If you work be careful! My employer refuses to engage with me by phone or in person AND refuses yo being me back after medical notes for 6 months of leave . Be careful tho health is priority .

The waiting period between procedures can feel overwhelming, especially when seeking clear answers about next steps. Many community members have shared similar experiences with staged surgeries and the uncertainty that comes with waiting for treatment plans to unfold. Consider reaching out to your medical team's nurse navigator or patient coordinator who may be able to provide more specific timeline information and help you understand what to expect during recovery and potential follow-up care.

Ellen, I am going to gather a team of family and friends to support me thru this. Everyone just seems to be scared or just doesn't want to be involved period. It is sad when you need someone they are not around.

Right -

I too was diagnosed with adenocarcinoma rectal cancer. . My mass is both external and internal with the rectum/sphincter involved making like an open door to where diapers have become my new norm. The problem I have is my oncology group/doctor is too slow. I have been told my mass is inoperable at this point, they can't get clean margins due to the tumor size. I was diagnosed at end of July, saw oncologist two weeks later and chemo didn't start until yesterday , over four months post diagnosis and the mass has grown, it is so painful. Was started in Oxaliplatin yesterday with an oral chemo that starts with a C also. He was going to start with FOLFOX first but I had my DNA done four years ago and the FOLFOX due to my DNA has to be cut by 50% which he was unhappy with so he is ordering a DNA test to confirm. All cancer patients should be DNA tested before chemo is started, that's common in Europe and other countries. The ingredient in FOLFOX can be neurotoxic and fatal to me

Seems we are sort of in a similar situation. My doctors never are 100% about anything. I had a tumor removed but the margins were not clear. I am waiting for a second surgery. It will be over 2 months since my first one. Again, my doctor couldn't do it until that date. In the mean time, I feel awful physically, very depressed, and just not functioning normally. I hope this ends soon. And I hope your's do too. Seems like we are just numbers to everyone. I wish you a good outcome and stay strong.

My oncologist is Very evasive like yours, he hasn't even told me what stage my rectal cancer is. It is frustrating.

Rochelle, we are in the same boat. You know what? This ship will not go down. We just have to keep ourselves straight even if our doctors don't. I am here with you!!

From what I understand,The only way for them to stage cancer is to examine lymph nodes removed during surgery (unless it's matasticized and it's stage 4). So if they haven't removed lymph nodes yet then they can't tell you if it's stage 2 or 3. At least that's how it was explained to me.

I had the bowel resection and then diagnosed as stage 3b. Adenocarcinoma. The mass/tumor had penetrated the colon wall and there are some tumor deposits in the fatty tissue surrounding the colon. Unfortunately. You won’t know about what stage you are until after the surgery. I lost a lot of sleep waiting. Don’t be afraid to ask for something to treat anxiety. You are facing a real threat to your health and anxiety is reasonable. But, I found that surgery was no big deal. Very little pain and discomfort. My problem was waiting for the intestines to become active again and that took a week. Probably because I’m old.

Having a team is important. You need at least one person to be your advocate. Someone who is not afraid to ask questions. Introduce key members to your treating team