Dawn's Profile

Type of Cancer: Anal Cancer

Medical Term for the Type of Cancer: squamous cell carcinoma

Diagnosis Date: April 1, 2018

Stage of Cancer: Stage 1

Tumor Size: 0.1 - 1.0 cm

Grade of Tumor: Grade 1

Lymph Node Involvement: No

Surgery: Colorectal Surgery

Radiation: Radiation Therapy

Chemotherapy: Fluorouracil (5-FU)

What I Hate Most About Cancer: It consumes my thoughts, thinking every bump on me is cancer!

What I Have Learned From Cancer: to be more compassionate!

Things My Supporters Can Do To Help: patience while i'm feeling sorry for myself!

Cancer Drugs Positives & Negatives: positives: it cures people. negatives: everything else

Gift Friends or Family Could Give You: chocolate!

Cancer Center: Seattle cancer care alliance, Summit cancer center

Tips for others on how to deal with the physical side effects of chemo/cancer: try to get up and move a little even if your body says no thank you!

End of Treatment Date: July 17, 2018

Anal Cancer symptoms: Bleeding and my anus started to feel swollen at times

Surgery Description, Dates & Side Effects: After a negative biopsy during a colonoscopy (3-2018), went in for surgery to have the lesion removed...another biopsy of the removed tissue showed it was cancer. I bounced back from the lesion removal surgery pretty quick.

Chemotherapy Description, Dates & Side Effects: 5-21-18 thru 7-18-18. started with xeloda pills but could not keep them down. Switched to 5fU pump 24/7 for 8 weeks. Mostly tired, diarrhea during radiation but got better after. good days, bad days.

Radiation or Proton Therapy Description, Dates & Side Effects: finished on 7-5-2018. 31 days of radiation was brutal! I was offered a break with 7 treatments to go but choose to power through. the burns were terrible, but the itching messes with your sanity!