Colorectal Cancer: Ed's Patient Story

What happened, in summary

Ed Godic, 60, first tried changing his diet after noticing blood in his stool. When 2 weeks without gluten and with healthier meals did not improve the bleeding, he saw his primary care doctor at Cleveland Clinic Beachcliff Family Medicine. His doctor advised colonoscopy to find the cause of the unexplained blood loss. When Ed woke up from the procedure, he learned he had rectal cancer. He then moved into treatment through Cleveland Clinic’s West Side facilities and main campus. At Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center at Fairview Hospital, Ed received 28 doses of radiation, which left him tired and weak. He tried to stay active even when he did not feel like it. After a short recovery from radiation, he saw a Cleveland Clinic colorectal surgeon. The surgeon performed a rectal resection and created a temporary ileostomy so digestive waste could bypass the healing surgical area. Ed spent 4 days in the hospital after surgery. A formal stage, chemotherapy, drug therapy and biomarker testing were not specified. As of April 2016, Ed still needed regular testing and medical care, but he was on the mend and wanted to volunteer with cancer patients.