Cjo-
You have my utmost empathy…Surely your doctor’s quick diagnosis must
have caused you some upset! You ask if you are kidding yourself. Who
amongst us, upon being presented with an inconclusive diagnosis such
as yours, would not feel a degree of denial? You must not, however,
allow the denial to linger.....don't let it interfere with obtaining
the best medical diagnosis and treatment you can get. Don't let
denial allow you to delay treatment. Prompt diagnosis and treatment
can save your life.
I am not sure if being told that you may have cancer before any
diagnostic work up is better or worse than waiting for the results. In
your case, if testing determines a malignant (cancerous) condition,
the doctor proved correct, and you have been somewhat prepared for the
news. Should you receive the diagnosis of a benign condition
(non-cancerous), then the news will be more positive!
( My own husband went through a somewhat similar situation…the doctor
told him he was sure he had prostate cancer. It took 6 weeks waiting
for all the test results to come in and be reviewed. It was agony for
my husband, and he wished the doctor had not told him ahead of the
results. I on the other hand, preferred to be forewarned. It made it
easier for me to prepare for what could come, and gave me ample time
to read up and become more knowledgeable on the topic. Yes, it turned
out to be prostate cancer, he had a radical retropubic prostatectomy,
and two years later he is cancer free.)
Since you don’t yet have a definitive diagnosis, I hesitated in
posting a lot of information on colorectal cancer. At the end of the
post, I have several excellent, informative sites, which I hope you
won’t be needing at all. In the end, I decided that it would be
beneficial for you to become familiar with this information, no matter
what your final diagnosis.
Please visit this site, where two doctors from Memorial
Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center discuss the diagnosis of cancer. Scroll
down to the list below the sixth paragraph:
http://www.theinfinitemind.com/mind0028.htm
I’d like to clarify several points.
1)Neither Google Answers nor myself are making a medical diagnosis,
nor are we making any medical/treatment decisions. Any information I
post to you is for informational purposes only.
2) Your doctor apparently told you she believes you may have colon
cancer with metastases to the coccyx. This is still not a definitive
diagnosis. While I believe you must be prepared that this COULD be so,
you will be needing a diagnostic work up, which will include one, some
or all of the following:bone scan, flexible sigmoidoscopy, barium
enema, colonoscopy, MRI and biopsy.
3) A CBC (Complete blood count) can be normal in disease states and
should never be solely relied upon for a diagnosis, especially one as
serious as this. There are many parameters that make up a CBC: white
blood cells, red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrit, platelets, and
RBC indices (measurements of red blood cells, their volume of
hemoglobin, and a rough estimate of their shape), plus a slide
differential in most cases.(A slide differential is a glass slide,
upon which a very small amount of your blood is carefully smeared,
allowed to dry and then stained with special hematologic stains. The
different cell lines can then been seen, allowing a medical
technologist to examine the health of the blood cells. I have caught
malignant cells, in an early stage on a differential, when the CBC
results were textbook normal.)
The “protein” you described probably is blood. (A person who is
consuming a normal diet will always have protein and/or its byproducts
in a stool sample) When you get a digital rectal exam, it should
include a test for occult blood (Occult blood is blood that is not
visible). The procedure is thus; the doctor performs the exam, with
gloved finger. The doctor them smears residual fecal matter on a
cardboard test card. Several drops of a reagent are dropped on the
card to test for blood. IF it is positive, a blue-green ring appears.
The rate of false positives can be 5-10 percent. (Diet of the patient
and freshness of test cards and reagents can be factors)
http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/amnews/pick_00/hll11113.htm
This test should be performed on all rectal exams, especially when, as
in your case, the patient presents with pain. Bright red blood in your
stool indicates fresh blood, and could come from a variety of
sources….hemorrhoids, constipation, or disease.
The following could be symptoms of colorectal cancer:
-a change in bowel habits
-diarrhea or constipation
-feeling as if the bowel is not emptying completely
-vomiting
-blood in the stool
-gas, bloating, or cramps
-unexplained weight loss
-tiredness
-unexplained anemia
http://www.ccalliance.org/connect/screening/symptoms.html
This site delivers an excellent timeline of diagnosis and treatment:
http://www.cancer.gov/cancer_information/doc_wyntk.aspx?viewid=b5ecd606-69f5-4e0b-87a7-20c8b9d8172d#9
More on colo-rectal cancer
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1994.htm
A video discussing medical breathroughs in cancer. (You will need
RealPlayer if you don’t have it. There is a link on this page to
obtain it for free:)
http://www.healthanswers.com/patco/videos_topic.asp?tBase=Video&tName=Cancer&topicname=cancer
A very nice glossary of cancer terms from the Mayo Clinic:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/findinformation/conditioncenters/invoke.cfm?objectid=EA5CA19E-A541-4677-A215C7CB4BF633AC
More from the good people at Mayo
http://www.mayoclinic.com/findinformation/conditioncenters/invoke.cfm?objectid=2BF3382A-7E4A-4E2C-A4EB121130B93FEA
Finally, let me remind you to be careful when evaluating health
information online.Visit these sites for tips on determining reliable
information:
http://www.quackwatch.com
http://www.healthtalk.com/ctalk/edition18/02.html
I could find no mention online of cancer metastases to the coccyx.
(Not to say it is impossible). I am hoping the mass may turn out to
be a pilonidal cyst, or some other benign mass!
Best to you- If my answer did not satisfy your question, please
request a clarification, and I will attempt to shed more light on the
topic.
All the best to you-
-crabcakes |
Clarification of Answer by
crabcakes-ga
on
16 Aug 2002 20:06 PDT
cjo-
As I am not a medical doctor, nor do I have your test results, it
would be impossible to say your pain is due to your fall on the ice.
Of course, the pain COULD be from the fall. IT could be from the mass,
or it could be from the mass AND the fall. Without a biopsy, x-rays,
etc.it would also be impossible to know the cause of the mass.I am
speculating here, but perhaps it is possible that the fall caused an
improperly healed fracture, which gave rise to a cyst/mass. Earlier I
posted in the comment section,three sites that refer to coccyx
injuries. The first states that some people experience pain from an
injury to their tailbone for 4-6 weeks, and often longer. The second
site, mentions that some people do unfortunatly suffer chronic pain in
the "rear" , for long periods of time. On rare occasion, surgical
removal of the coccyx is performed.
The pain that you refer to is called coccydynia (-dynia refers to
pain, -coccy, obviously refers to the coccyx), and this site explains
some of the causes and treatment. Does your pain subside when standing
or walking?
http://www.spinesolver.com/coccydynia.htm
Below is a site than outlines a case of a woman who had a mass on her
coccyx, due to unknown causes.
http://www.sma.org/smj1999/aprsmj99/gorski.pdf
Please ask for further clarification if needed. -crabcakes
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