Life Takes Less Guts

I’m a little uncomfortable making my condition the focus of too many blog posts. But several people have asked that I keep the blog updated periodically so they can know how to pray, etc. I have appreciated those encouraging words and prayers so I suppose in the short-term, as things are more urgent, I’ll post on my condition more often than usual. This means the content of Nothing New will be taking a detour from normal content more frequently.

This week has been chaotic, to say the least. Please read my last post and the comments that follow to get up to speed. After that, here’s the latest: The preliminary results are in from the colonoscopy biopsies. I do have a tumor that is cancerous. It is not the “normal” type of colon cancer, however. It is a lymphoma. Lymphomas can occur just about anywhere in the body, really. Mine just happened to show up in the colon. It is rare to occur this way, though. From what Shanda and I can tell from a little research, only about 0.5% of all colon cancers are lymphomas.

As such, things are a little up in the air about what is the standard treatment procedure. I will very likely undergo surgery to remove the part of my colon with the tumor – early next week. Then I will likely receive chemotherapy after that. This is all just a bit tentative, though, as my GI doctor and my surgeon have asked that I see an oncologist this week to get his opinion on the best course of treatment.

That’s the short story. Thanks for all who have offered kind and encouraging words the last week. And thank you for your prayers. They are much appreciated. I’ll update again as it seems appropriate.