10 hours of lectures today; so much for believing that part of my life was over (or at the very least, diminished!). We ended today with a lecture on colorectal cancer. We even learned, in a small amount of detail, HNPCC. We were even told that it can predispose you to cancers other than GI! With my experience, it seemed like physicians were not given so much as a mention of HNPCC, much less understand that it can affect organs outside of the GI system. So I'm happy to know that my classmates will know a little bit about what my family and I have.
"HNPCC has a poor prognosis, but thankfully it is relatively rare." uhm, not too reassuring for me, but I guess the truth must be told. I now realize that if I get cancer, even if it is contained in the wall, it will be a lifelong struggle. It's almost funny how surgeons suggest to handle HNPCC patients. Simply stated, in bold, black print, "a colectomy should be strongly considered", as if it wasn't a big deal to cut out someone's colon, put in a colostomy bag for a while, then eventually attach the small intestine to the rectum. Also suggested: "pan hysterectomy in women not wishing to pursue reproduction". Why don't we just take off the breasts, gut the entire GI system, and remove the GU system and go on lifelong dialysis while we're at it...! *ugh* Its discouraging. Something so near and dear to my heart put in to simple and straight-forward treatment options is quite hard to swallow (pardon the pun!) But enough about me!
Enjoyed a nice walk around the estate with Mike, Marley, and Andrea, and we had sonic for dinner. Yum! I just LOVE this hot, sunny, summer weather!!! :)
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