At the beginning of December 2024, I started experiencing abdominal discomfort when going to the bathroom. When I mentioned it at home, my wife went ahead and scheduled an appointment with a gastroenterology specialist. I ended up canceling the appointment because the discomfort was relatively mild, and I preferred to have a "calm" holiday season.
Coincidentally, in mid-December, I suffered a kidney stone episode (renal colic). Although extremely painful, it passed within three days. However, following the advice of the urologist who treated me, and just to rule out future issues, I underwent a UROTAC scan. The results were published in my health insurance app at the beginning of January. The report included images and an associated summary, but I didn't read the latter.
During the holidays and early January, the abdominal discomfort continued and gradually worsened. It reached the point where I finally visited the gastroenterology specialist. They performed a full set of tests, including stool analysis, which already detected hidden blood. After these tests, they scheduled a colonoscopy for January 29.
On January 28, the day before the colonoscopy, I had my final appointment with the urologist to review the UROTAC scan. I attended the visit thinking it was just a formality.
It turned out not to be. The report associated with the UROTAC, which I had not read due to oversight, stated it clearly:
Conclusion: Tumoral thickening of the sigmoid colon wall, with multiple adjacent nodular implants and focal hepatic lesions suggestive of metastases.
The rest of the report:
Significant thickening of the sigmoid colon wall over a segment approximately 7 cm long. Multiple nodules in the adjacent mesosigmoid, forming a conglomerate measuring 33x17 mm in diameter. Multiple hypodense focal hepatic lesions in both lobes, the largest in the hepatic dome measuring 31x27 mm, suggestive of metastases. Lymphadenopathy in the left common iliac chain measuring 9 mm. Small amount of free fluid in the pelvis. Nodule in the lateral portion of the left gluteus maximus, measuring 20x14 mm in diameter. Nodule in the outer leg of the left adrenal gland, measuring 12 mm, suggestive of adenoma.
I called my wife, who was in a taxi on her way to the AVE train station to travel to Madrid for a work matter. I told her I had bad news. She canceled the trip and came to pick me up.
We both cried.
The next day, I underwent the colonoscopy, already knowing the result in advance. We informed the gastroenterologist beforehand about what she was about to find.
During the procedure, biopsies were taken from the affected tissue. Additionally, it was discovered that my intestine was partially obstructed, preventing the complete colonoscopy. They could only examine 25 cm, just enough to collect samples for analysis.
That same night, we went to the emergency room due to intense abdominal pain, and I was admitted to the hospital.
Things were about to get even worse.