How could that even happen?”These were the words I uttered through my tears as I woke up from a colonoscopy, with my equally stunned husband holding my hand.I had been having symptoms of abdominal pain, irregular bowel movements, and bleeding for several months. I very seldom eat red meat (a good burger once in a while).
I asked one doctor for some reassurance, and he looked at me, stone-faced, and said, “A lot of this just depends on you.” I looked him square in the eye and told him, emphatically, “If it depends on me, then I am telling you that I am going to KICK ASS!”It was time to shift into “go" mode and prove everyone wrong … again.I teamed up with an awesome oncologist. You are free to copy, distribute, adapt, transmit, or make commercial use of this work as long as you attribute Michigan Medicine as the original creator and include a link to this article. I’ve benefited … “Cancer? The best tip I can offer is to focus on what you are living for and let that lift and push you further than you’ve ever gone before. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in late August 2013.. On September 4, 2013, I was scheduled for surgery to remove the large tumor in my lower colon. You’re telling me I have cancer? I read all about cancer-fighting foods (such as grapes, cruciferous vegetables, and flaxseed) and techniques in professional medical journals. Scamihorn was prescribed one year of maintenance therapy to ensure there was no evidence of disease.Part of trusting his care team included learning to control the things he could and leaving the rest to his doctors.
Colonoscopy can prevent cancer if precancerous polyps are discovered and removed.
Dr. Jamie Aten is a "Twitter friend" who I connected with first via social media. I was willing to try anything that had some basis in clinical evidence.Although I was following the traditional chemotherapy protocol, I wanted to offset side effects and fatigue with more natural remedies. You just have to dig your feet in, commit fully to your goal, and not accept "no" for an answer.The doctors didn’t hold out much hope for Emmett, and I’m sure they weren’t holding out much hope for me. And Scamihorn never missed an appointment, even when his final chemotherapy treatment coincided with a major snowstorm.Early in his cancer journey, Scamihorn decided to blog to keep friends and loved ones informed of his progress.Blogging, he says, revealed the power of a supportive community — benefits that came as word spread about the blog in the author’s small town of Marshall, Michigan.“The town was very helpful. I have two young sons: Griffin, 12, and Emmett, 10. There was no plausible answer. I just had to accept that it was “bad luck,” as myriad doctors told me.I knew all about bad luck. He didn’t like that his doctors in Battle Creek, Michigan, cracked open a book and read what his treatment plan should be.At Scamihorn’s job directing a team of business intelligence developers at the W.K. “The bottom line is the U-M oncologist won our confidence and trust.”Most important, the doctor told him that stage 4 colon cancer can be cured.Perhaps Scamihorn’s initial blog prediction could be reality.“The University of Michigan is a founding member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, which continuously updates guidelines consolidating all of the known treatment information regarding treatment of colon cancer,” says Scamihorn’s oncologist, After six surgeries and several rounds of chemotherapy, Scamihorn credits his team of doctors, including Krauss and surgeon Scamihorn says his doctors’ combined knowledge brought him to a major turning point in his road to becoming cancer-free.In response to a new tumor growth in Scamihorn’s liver, for instance, Krauss ordered aggressive chemotherapy to prove to Knol that another surgery was worth it.Notes Krauss: “Having the chemo first proved Phil’s disease was responsive to it.
For me, it has always been my precious sons who need their mother. Wanda's Testimonial : This is my experience in the last 12 months using Poly-MVA. What did I do wrong? I believe it takes a village,” he says. I consider it a privilege to work with them.