People who got colon cancer in their 20s or 30s describe what it was like and the signs that were ignored
People who got colon cancer in their 20s or 30s describe what it was like and the signs that were ignored
Colorectal cancer rates have risen dramatically among young adults, but diagnosing patients in this group has proven difficult.
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tl;dr: “Listen to your body. If you see things like blood, if you feel pain in unusual places in your abdomen, your body, tell your family. Talk to your doctor. Have the examination.”
Exactly. And don’t let embarrassment stop you from discussing this with your doctor, and don’t underplay your symptoms. I had years of symptoms before they got bad enough for me to be honest with my doctor, and once I was, he scheduled me for a colonoscopy immediately. There was a 1.5” tumour. I was in my 30s and cancer never crossed my mind.
So glad when I saw blood once I scheduled an exam. Turned out to be dehydration related and not cancer. Yes it was embarrassing but had it been cancer there was a very good chance I could have survived it had it been caught early.
FYI to everyone, bright red blood in your stool is usually not dangerous and will be something like internal hemorrhoids bleeding or possibly an ulcer. The really concerning thing is when you have what looks like coffee grounds, which may be internal bleeding.
After you have the examination and they say it's nothing, don't belive them and continue to examine it until you get a doctor that cares