It all started so innocently - a couple rounds of food poisoning in July and August. As someone who has irritable bowel syndrome, when Laura and Anthony had them together, they just laughed and rolled off the back. Losing 20 pounds from July to October seemed a bit odd, but it was only 1.5 to 2 pounds per week. Anthony had just started a new job frequently being in meetings from 9-2 so he was eating odd. On top of that, Laura and Anthony are avid hikers, and had reduced their alcohol consumption so it was odd, but made sense. The week of October 22nd, Anthony's gut became a little more weary. It was at that point that Laura and Anthony were starting to get a bit concerned because it seemed like he was having more issues. Anthony went onto a mild diet that week and was getting better. In the meantime, he also made an appointment with a GI doctor to look for more answers. Throughout the week, on the mild diet, his gut improved and he was feeling better. To be on the safe side, Laura and Anthony visited a prompt care doctor on Thursday, October 26th, and were given a few ideas, encouraging us to watch it. On Friday, October 27th, Anthony decided to be "adventurous" and have three small pieces of candy plus a handful of goldfish as a deviation from the mild diet. On Saturday, October 28th, after morning coffee, Anthony was in doubled over pain in the gut. Laura knew something was wrong so she took Anthony to the ER. While in there, Anthony was given morphine and had a CT scan done of his gut. Most of it looked normal, but about six inches of his intestine was sliding over other intestine. Oddly, it was at the site of his former appendix. Most of the possibilities involved a build up of scar tissue or an infection that didn't leave. At 7pm on October 28th, Anthony was rolled into the Operating Room for emergency surgery to remove the blockage. He ended up having about a foot of intestine removed, the area with the issue plus some surrounding healthy tissue. The next few days were a bit of a blur with Anthony in the hospital. He was constantly impressing the nurses with his quick recovery and ability to communicate his needs. It seemed odd that pathology had not yet been received, but since the surgery happened on the weekend, they rolled with it. On October 31, 2023 Laura and Anthony received the results - 30 centimeters of Anthony's intestine was removed along with 21 lymph nodes. The issue from the blockage in Anthony's intestine was positive for colon cancer, along with two of the close by lymph nodes. Anthony officially has Stage 3 Colon Cancer at 43 years old. A follow up chest CT scan showed no additional issues. Unfortunately, because it did make it to the lymph nodes, Anthony will need chemotherapy. Anthony was released from the hospital on Wednesday November 1. Since then, he has been eating and actively working to get to his normal self. His first appointment with the oncologist is on Wednesday, November 15th. He's scared, but determined. More than anything, we are determined to fight this and want warrior thoughts. Neither one of us wants to be coddled. This is not an easy time for us but we are determined to do what is necessary to battle this monster. It will be a hard road, but we will do what is necessary to beat it. We thank you all for your love, support and prayers. Love, Laura and Anthony
Anthony has a tree nut allergy, and we try to avoid highly processed foods as it used to irritate his gut in normal times.