My name is Adam and I want cancer to go and get fcked
Hello, my name is Adam. I'm 36, like dogs, long walks on the beach, and I have cancer. Here's my story... so far.
I was diagnosed in early 2021 after initially presenting to my local doctor with a general feeling of tiredness. I was having chest pains and trouble breathing. My GP ordered a blood test. The results came back pretty quickly - it's anaemia and your iron levels are really low. You need to go to hospital. And so I did.
A few days in hospital - and a couple of blood transfusions and iron infusions later - I was discharged. Make sure you go home and eat a nice big steak - get your iron up! I was told. And so I did.
But things didn't feel right still. Sure the chest pains and breathing issues had subsided but I still had a general feeling of fatigue and stomach cramps had started to become more frequent.
A family friend, also a GP, recommended I go back to my GP and request a specific set of blood tests designed to eliminate anything else these feelings might be. You guessed it - so I did.
The results came back a little scary. But don't be alarmed just yet - my GP explained. Sometimes these tests can say something is wrong and it's fine. But - she conceded - sometimes it can be sinister.
A CT Scan booked in by her revealed something mysterious. Except I was kept in the dark (most likely not to make me freak out) by the scan operator. I remember him asking me, while I was splayed out on the table, do you feel any pains in your right side at all? No, I answered. It was the truth - I didn't have any pains in my right side. Mainly in my stomach and in my back. I would suggest going to your GP in the morning - she'll have these scans.
My GP didn't really shed much light on the situation except to say that a colonoscopy and gastroscopy would be well advised. I was booked in for that same week with a specialist.
The day surgery procedure revealed the truth after weeks of tests and mystery feelings. It's a tumour - about the size of a birds egg - and I suspect it's cancerous - the specialist told me. A meeting with my soon-to-be surgeon was the next step. Well, that escalated quickly.
Fast forward to a few weeks later and I'm sitting in a hospital bed writing this post. I've just had major surgery - a right hemicolectomy. The surgery ended up resulting in removing more than they had initially planned. Cancer had spread to my lymph nodes around the area too. It all had to go.
A meeting with my oncologist a few weeks later told me that it was Stage 4 cancer. It had spread to to the area around my colon and - even though it had all been removed in surgery - there was a very real risk that it would come back. So chemotherapy is the next step - 6 months of it to be exact.
I'm not sure what the rest of my journey has in store for me - but it'll be an interesting ride to say the least. I'll continue to keep this blog updated with my thoughts, feelings and experiences, but ultimately I have one aim - to fuck cancer right off. And so #FCKCNCR is born.
I know it's not a new movement, or a new term even, but for me there was a power in removing the vowels and instead of telling myself to be strong, or be happy, I decided to harness my energy into something that resonated with me more. So let's FCKCNCR together. I'd love to hear your story if you want to share it - send me an email and let's chat.
