Colonoscopies are essential because they actually prevent colon cancer! And although the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute recommend colonoscopies for everyone starting at age 50, and for those at high risk even younger, there is no Federal legislation requiring health insurers to cover this procedure for anyone. If you are on Medicare and 65 and older, you are covered, otherwise, not necessarily. As documented by EIF in their Colorectal Cancer Legislative Report Card, half the states in the country do not require coverage by law. And it’s been proven that when covered, more people will get screened which in turn decreases incidence of the disease. New York State is one of the states that DOES NOT require this of insurers. What you can do is take action and visit the Colorectal Cancer Coalition’s (C3) CoverYourButt.org which monitors Congress and lobbies for a Federal law.
I May Have Lynch Syndrome
Because of my somewhat young age (39) as it relates to incidence of colorectal cancer, there is a suspicion that it may be inherited, or genetic in cause. Specifically, they are looking at Lynch Syndrome which means there are mutations in one of three specific genes that would indicate the chance of getting colorectal cancer in my lifetime is 82% vs 2% for the general population. more…
The Surgery
UPDATED: new incision photo
The procedure I had was a right (my right) hemicolectomy. The idea was to remove the tumor, the section of the large intestine it was in along with associated lymph nodes, and any other tissue they could visibly see was cancerous. more…
How Aydin Discovered My Cancer
Early in the morning on July 12 Aydin and I were waking up, lying in bed together on our backs. Aydin lifted up his left leg high into the air and brought it down heel-first on me. more…
I’m home from the hospital!
I’ve been sent home after only 4 days post-surgery. The worst of my surgery recovery is now over. I’m really going to miss: being hooked up to an epidural, IV, urinary catheter, and NG tube, taking morphine (not really), eating liquid diets, getting CAT scans, needles for blood work, sleep interrupted every hour, the smells, the tastes, the sounds. In other words, it’s good to be home.
I Have Cancer
Tomorrow I will be having a cancerous tumor removed from my colon. The hope is that it has not spread and that the surgery alone will solve the problem. And to know that, we will have to wait until the pathology comes back on what they remove. So for now, I am focused on getting through the surgery and recovering as quickly as I can. I am grateful for all of the kind words from so many over the last few days. Vassar Hospital will be my home for the next week or so. I’ll keep you posted.
