I have colon cancer. How do I take care of myself?
Self-care is an important part of living with colon cancer, but everyone’s situation is different. People treated for early-stage colon cancer may become cancer-free. They’re cancer survivors, but they may worry that their colon cancer will come back.
People who have advanced colon cancer have different concerns. They’re also cancer survivors. But for them, living with colon cancer may mean treatment that eases symptoms but doesn’t cure colon cancer. They may benefit from having palliative care. Palliative care helps people manage cancer symptoms and treatment side effects.
When should I see my healthcare provider?
Follow-up colon cancer care varies depending on the cancer stage. For example, people who have surgery for Stage 0 or Stage I colon cancer may have a colonoscopy one year after surgery, another colonoscopy three years after surgery and a third five years after surgery.
Unless the follow-up colonoscopies find signs of cancer, someone with Stage 0 or Stage 1 colon cancer may be able to wait several more years before having another colonoscopy.
People successfully treated for Stage II or Stage III colon cancer will need to see their healthcare provider every three to six months for the first two years after treatment and are typically followed for five years from surgery. They may have tests including colonoscopies, CEA blood tests and imaging tests.
Anyone recovering from colon cancer treatment should contact their healthcare provider if they notice changes that may indicate the cancer has come back or is spreading.
When should I go to the emergency room?
If you’re receiving colon cancer treatment, ask your healthcare provider about symptoms that may be signs you should go to the emergency room. You may need to go to the emergency room if you have:
- Side effects that are more intense than you expected.
- A fever higher than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius).
- Chills that don’t go away.
- Severe abdominal pain.
- Persistent diarrhea that causes dehydration.
What questions should I ask my doctor?
Most people have heard of colon cancer, which is the third most common cancer diagnosed in the U.S. If you have colon cancer, you probably want to know more about your specific situation. Here are some questions you may want to ask your healthcare provider:
- What kind of colon cancer do I have?
- Can you cure this kind of colon cancer?
- What is the cancer stage?
- What are effective colon cancer treatments?
- If I need surgery, what kind of surgery do you recommend?
- Will I need a colostomy?
- Will I need other kinds of cancer treatments?
- What are those treatment side effects?
- Is a clinical trial an option for me?
- What is the chance my colon cancer could come back?
- If you can’t cure the cancer, can you keep it from spreading?
- If you can’t stop the cancer, should I have palliative care?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Thanks to more people taking time for colon cancer screening, healthcare providers are able to catch and treat colon cancer before it causes symptoms, much less spreads. Recent survival rate data show that more than 90% of people treated for early-stage colon cancer were alive five years after diagnosis. People with colon cancer also benefit from having newer treatments that target cancer. If you have colon cancer, ask your healthcare provider about newer treatments that may be appropriate for your situation.
