ileostomy: 67 Real Stories
67 stories match ileostomy. 66 of them mention surgery.
Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Jelena’s Survivor Story
Jelena was 34, healthy, and running half marathons when she began noticing unusual digestive changes. Her gas smelled different, then she saw blood in her stool. Because colorectal cancer did not run in her family and she felt otherwise well, she first…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Kara’s Patient Story
Kara Wutzke considered herself to be in the best shape of her life when persistent gas, bloating, abdominal discomfort, and irregular bowel movements began to interfere with how she felt. As a health and fitness professional, she first examined her diet and…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Allison’s Patient Story
Allison Rosen was 32 when concerning symptoms led her doctor to refer her to a gastroenterologist. An X-ray showed a blockage, and a colonoscopy confirmed that a 13-centimeter tumor in her colon was causing it. She was diagnosed with early-onset colorectal…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer Survivor Story
J. Mark Brown was working as a research scientist when a colonoscopy in 2013 found a large, fast-growing tumor in his colon. He also had ulcerative colitis. Surgery removed his colon and the tumor, and pathology established Stage III colorectal cancer. Mark…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Danielle’s Patient Story
Danielle Archer was 40 when worsening constipation, abdominal pain, and a feeling that something was off led to a colonoscopy and endoscopy on December 31, 2018. During the colonoscopy, doctors found a bleeding 7-centimeter mass in the upper sigmoid area…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jason’s Survivor Story
Jason Randall was diagnosed with Stage IV sigmoid colon cancer on July 17, 2018, after severe abdominal pain and bowel obstruction symptoms led to imaging. About 80% of his liver was covered with metastatic disease, and his sigmoid colon was fully blocked, so…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Amy’s Survivor Story
Amy was 34 when she was diagnosed with Stage IIIB colorectal cancer associated with Lynch syndrome. Treatment was described as a marathon in 3 legs. The first leg was 6 weeks of chemotherapy plus radiation. After a break, she underwent a 9.5-hour operation…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Carmen’s Survivor Story
Carmen Susman was active and felt healthy when urinary symptoms unexpectedly led to a Stage IV colorectal cancer diagnosis. In November 2021, he had a renal ultrasound to check for kidney stones. Instead, the test found a mass on his liver. Follow-up tests…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Xue’s Patient Story
Xue Ming was 26 when diarrhea that lasted more than 10 days led him to seek medical care. A doctor felt what seemed to be a tumor, and he was referred from a town hospital to larger hospitals. Colonoscopy and biopsy confirmed middle-stage rectal cancer. The…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Elizabeth’s Survivor Story
Elizabeth was living in Canada when blood in her stool led her to seek medical care in December 2022. Testing showed Stage III rectal adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis left her angry, frightened, and worried about dying and leaving her children without their…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Barbara’s Survivor Story
Barbara was 42, raising 3 children and going through a difficult divorce, when digestive symptoms kept being dismissed. She had trouble eating because food felt like it sat in her gut, and she repeatedly sought help. She had also documented that her father…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Amanda’s Patient Story
Amanda was 34 when she was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in April 2021. Her family history included an uncle, aunt and grandfather with colon cancer. The diagnosis of colon adenocarcinoma came as a shock, especially because she had a young son and…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Allison’s Survivor Story
Allison was 32 and already familiar with bowel symptoms because of Crohn’s disease, so subtle changes caught her attention. She noticed weight loss, severe fatigue, more blood in her stool, and a feeling that food was getting stuck. Her gastroenterologist…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Annie’s Patient Story
Annie Schreiber, a 36-year-old mother of 3, first noticed blood in her stool in August 2017 and thought it was probably hemorrhoids. She was young and healthy, and even her first doctor recommended more fiber and water. When symptoms persisted, she was…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Anne’s Survivor Story
Anne developed persistent diarrhea with blood and later unexplained weight loss. After several months, a primary-care physician referred Anne to a gastroenterologist, and testing confirmed Stage III rectal adenocarcinoma in February 2017. Anne was 39 at…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Steve’s Survivor Story
Steve B., a 30-year-old computer programmer, noticed intermittent rectal bleeding and the feeling that he needed to use the bathroom but could not. His family physician knew Steve had a family history of colon cancer and recommended colonoscopy. The test…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kim’s Survivor Story
Kim Austin, 53, initially connected urgent bowel changes and traces of blood in her stool to stress. She also had a dull pelvic ache. After discussing the symptoms with her primary care physician, CT and MRI imaging showed a questionable liver mass. A…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Ed’s Patient Story
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…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Dawn’s Survivor Story
Dawn Eicher had intermittent bleeding from age 21, but for years she was told she was too young for cancer. In 2012, while pregnant at 35, she developed worsening bleeding, mucus, narrowing stools, and pain. Her symptoms continued after the birth of her son…
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