What I learned from being diagnosed with colon cancer at age 47
Being diagnosed with cancer in my 40s made me think about how I would have handled a cancer diagnosis a few decades earlier, or how my outlook may have been different if I’d been older.
So often, we associate cancer with old age. I did, too, until I was diagnosed with FAP colorectal cancer at age 47.
Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a rare, inherited condition that causes polyps to develop in the large intestine and can lead to colorectal cancer if untreated. In up to 30% of cases, including mine, the gene mutation is spontaneous, meaning it’s not inherited from a parent.
Being diagnosed with cancer in my 40s was a shock. But colorectal cancer is increasingly affecting younger and younger people. Lately, I have been thinking about how I would have handled a cancer diagnosis a few decades earlier, or how my outlook may have been different if I’d been older.
In my 20s, I was strong-willed and impulsive. I probably would have been angry and defiant with doctors. I don’t think my support system of friends and family would have been sturdy or steady enough to support a cancer diagnosis at that time in my life. Twenty-year-old Denise was planning trips with friends, planning nights out dancing, not emotionally equipped to manage scheduling chemo treatments. The friends I’d have wanted to lean on were equally on the go.
And financially, geez — I worked full time while attending college and didn’t have much spare income or medical insurance. Honestly, I don’t know how I would have coped with the medical bills.
What if I’d gotten my diagnosis later in life, in my 70s? I may have accepted the diagnosis, followed doctor’s orders, and pushed through. I’d probably do a lot of research and question the treatments to be certain it was the best option for me — prolonged results with best quality-of-life return.
My life would be stable and full of happiness from my family, friends, pets, exercise, gardening, pickleball, the great outdoors. But perhaps age would affect the treatment doctors recommended and my prognosis.
I’m thankful that I got the diagnosis of FAP colorectal cancer at the age I did. I was young enough to plow through the treatment and meet the challenges, which included inoperable, painful abdominal desmoid tumors and fistulas.
During chemo and radiation treatments, I still walked my 110-pound dog, Charlie, every day — even though snow felt like little daggers on my cheeks due to the chemo in my body. I was able to attend all my daughter’s sporting events. We still had Sunday dinners with my mother, though I reluctantly took a back seat to the meal prep. I was mature enough to realize that I might not survive the cancer and wise enough to know not to share that thought.
Living as a survivor of FAP colorectal cancer brings a new normal to my life. My doctors are constantly on watch for new tumors, and I think way more about how much water I’m drinking than I ever did. (Dehydration is common when you don’t have a colon.)
I still enjoy walking, gardening, swimming, skiing, and now pickleball. Sure, there are days when my body says “slow down and rest,” and I do. Most days I keep busy because each dawn brings a new adventure, and no matter the nature of the journey, I’m going to take it.
Denise Teter lives in Kimberton, Chester County, with her family. She can be contacted at deniseteter5@gmail.com.