Chemotherapy for Colorectal Cancer: 310 Real Stories

310 stories match colorectal cancer and chemotherapy. 274 of them mention surgery.

  1. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Rachael’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    Rachael Marie was 34 and raising 3 children when sudden worsening symptoms led her to the ER. She had bloating, severe abdominal pain, fatigue, trouble drinking water, and a swollen stomach. A CT scan led doctors to tell her she had Stage IV colon cancer with…

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  2. Stage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Jennifer’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · BRAF Mutation · Chemotherapy · FOLFIRI

    Jennifer was 23 when a blood test showed extremely low iron and led to a colonoscopy. The scope found a tumor that blocked the camera, and she was diagnosed with colon cancer in December 2017. Surgery on December 29 used an open approach because doctors were…

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  3. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Roshonda’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    Roshonda was diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2022 after symptoms that began with blood in her stool and a feeling that bowel movements were incomplete. As symptoms worsened, including blood after sexual activity and increasing discomfort, she changed…

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  4. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Roshonda’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    Roshonda Clark was 40 when she was diagnosed with rectal cancer in March 2022. Doctors first thought it was Stage III, but she later learned it was Stage IV. Her symptoms had started earlier with blood in her stool and a feeling that bowel movements were…

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  5. Stage II Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Carmen’s Patient Story

    Stage 2 · Chemotherapy · colectomy

    Carmen noticed blood in the urine and stool in January 2025 and sought medical attention within a few days. A family doctor referred Carmen to a specialist, and colonoscopy confirmed Stage II colon adenocarcinoma. Carmen describes being in the 40s at…

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  6. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Shayla’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · Surgery

    Shayla was 33 when years of stomach problems turned into a Stage IV colorectal cancer diagnosis. She had dealt with a sensitive stomach since high school, later received an uncertain celiac diagnosis, and continued to feel unwell despite cutting out gluten…

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  7. Stage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Lindy’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · oxaliplatin

    Lindy Avalos was 34 and 2.5 months postpartum when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon adenocarcinoma. During her first pregnancy, she had severe abdominal pain, changes in bowel movements, blood in her stool, poor appetite and worsening pain. Because…

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  8. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kate’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy

    Kate was 36 when a bowel obstruction led to her Stage IV colon cancer diagnosis in July 2024. For about a year before that, she had bloating, severe fatigue, constipation and cramping that she attributed to diet changes, work stress, young children and…

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  9. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Jose’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · capecitabine · Chemotherapy

    Jose Santos lived with severe ulcerative colitis for 16 years before his Stage III colorectal cancer diagnosis in 2022. The autoimmune disease had caused abdominal pain, bleeding, urgency, weakness, and a major loss of quality of life since his 20s. When…

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  10. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Monica’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · Surgery

    Monica was 32, from Australia and living in Croatia, when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. She had stomach pain that was initially brushed off as possible IBS or a gynecologic issue. When she ended up in the hospital, imaging showed a tumor…

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  11. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Jazz’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    Jazz, a Texas resident, began having frequent bowel movements, discomfort, and rectal bleeding during a vacation in Hawaii. He first thought the symptoms were hemorrhoids and delayed getting checked, but his girlfriend noticed his weight loss and pushed him…

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  12. Stage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Casandra’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · Chemotherapy · Immunotherapy

    Casandra was 38 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer. For years, she had rectal bleeding and fatigue that she attributed to hemorrhoids, interstitial cystitis, and later recovery after gastric sleeve surgery. When the bleeding and fatigue…

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  13. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Jazz’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    Jazz Page was diagnosed with Stage III, borderline Stage IV rectal cancer after months of symptoms that he first tried to explain away. During a vacation, he felt the urge to use the bathroom 8 to 10 times a day and never felt fully emptied. He assumed it…

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  14. Stage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jess’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · Exact Mutation · Chemotherapy · Surgery

    Jess Thompson was diagnosed with Stage IV bowel cancer at 26 after months of severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, fatigue, and anemia. The cramping came in sudden episodes that lasted 2 to 3 days, then eased. She also noticed she could no longer climb…

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  15. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Paul’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · capecitabine · CAPOX

    Paul Klug was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer after more than a year of bowel changes. He first noticed frequent bowel movements and loose stools that did not improve. His family doctor and gastroenterologist initially monitored the symptoms…

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  16. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Paul’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · CAPOX · Chemotherapy

    Paul was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer in early 2024 after more than 1 year of bowel changes. He had frequent bowel movements and loose stools, but during a routine physical in late 2023, the symptoms were first thought to be inflammation or…

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  17. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Jessenia’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    Jessenia was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer at age 35 after years of symptoms she had linked to hemorrhoids after pregnancy. She had constipation, bloating, rectal bleeding, and severe pressure that eventually became so painful she could not sit. In…

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  18. Stage IV KRAS Colorectal Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · KRAS Mutation · Chemotherapy · Complementary Therapy

    Lauren Bimage was 29 when she first noticed a breast lump after breastfeeding. It was initially thought to be a fibroadenoma, but years later pain and nipple changes led to mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy. She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer…

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  19. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Alicia’s Patient Story

    Stage 3 · Chemotherapy · FOLFOX

    Alicia Blakey was being evaluated for a large fibroid when CT imaging unexpectedly showed a colon polyp. A follow-up colonoscopy found a tumor that could not be removed during the procedure. The next day, Alicia underwent laparoscopic surgery to remove part…

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  20. Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story

    Stage 3 · capecitabine · Chemotherapy

    Stephanie was 32 when an emergency CT scan found a mass after about 2 years of stomach pain, bloating, fatigue and low iron. Her symptoms had repeatedly been attributed to diet, birth control or her age. By the time she reached hospital, the tumor was…

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  21. Stage 0 Colorectal Cancer: Tracy’s Survivor Story

    Stage 0 · Chemotherapy · colostomy

    Tracy Robert was diagnosed with low rectal/colorectal cancer after years of bowel changes, bloating, painful gas, and intermittent bright red blood that had been treated as hemorrhoids, IBS, or other benign problems. A colonoscopy finally found what was…

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  22. Stage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Sophie’s Survivor Story

    Stage 4 · BRAF Mutation · Chemotherapy · colectomy

    Sophie was diagnosed with Stage IV bowel cancer in 2018 after nearly a year of unexplained symptoms. Vomiting, anemia, pain, diarrhea, and inability to keep food down were first investigated as possible Crohn’s disease. Colonoscopy, MRI, and CT then showed a…

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  23. Stage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Nick’s Patient Story

    Stage 4 · bevacizumab · capecitabine

    Nick Sprague, a firefighter and critical care paramedic, was diagnosed with colorectal adenocarcinoma at age 48 after 1 to 2 years of bowel changes, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, reflux-like symptoms, and fatigue. An emergency visit first led to a…

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  24. Colorectal Cancer: Jay’s Patient Story

    Lynch Syndrome · Chemotherapy · colectomy

    Jay Reese was 36 in 1987 when abdominal pain, bloody stool, and edema led to a colon cancer diagnosis. He underwent surgery, followed by 6 weeks of radiation and 1 year of chemotherapy. After treatment, he had annual colonoscopies and went nearly 25 years…

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