Current Events > Colorectal cancer diagnosis - stage IIA

(+) Yeah! (+)

...at only 35 years old. Lucky me.

Get your colonoscopies boys.

What tipped you/your doctor off to it?

I'll have one scheduled the latter half of this year.

Stay strong man.

radical_rhino posted...

What tipped you/your doctor off to it?

Wanting to know this too. Stay strong dude.

radical_rhino posted...

What tipped you/your doctor off to it?

Yeah this has always been my question too. Like the young people who get cancer, what is their trigger to get tested if its not something they would ordinarily do.

radical_rhino posted...

What tipped you/your doctor off to it?

I had been having lower abdominal pain for the past 4-5 months and a pretty noticeable change in bowel habits (usually only go once a day in the morning, but I started needing to go several times a day the consistency would range from loose to just straight up diarrhea). Despite all of this and several trips to the doctor they still wouldn't schedule me for a colonoscopy until I started losing weight for no apparent reason which I guess is a huge red flag for cancer. They scoped me and found a few polpys with the largest being 40mm and showing abnormal qualities - they biopsied it and it came back carcinogenic. Now I'm looking at probably needing my colon to be taken out (colectomy), then potentially chemo beyond that. Real fun stuff, would've been awesome if they would've listened to my concerns sooner and scheduled me for a scope when I first started having symptoms.

CyricZ posted...

I'll have one scheduled the latter half of this year.

Stay strong man.

Appreciate it man.

Best of luck.

Sorry man. Feel better.

Been there. Had Cancer twice in the past 3 years. My second stint I had a lot of lower back pain. Luckily my doctor knows that even though I was 300 lbs it wasn't normal as I have a ridiculously high pain tolerance, and I felt really uncomfortable all the time.

Hopefully they give you the good anti-nausea medication like they gave me. Best nights sleep I've ever had. Take one before bed and I was out for a full 8 hours, waking up refreshed the next afternoon.

I had one done last month. The night before is brutal. Hoping for a speedy recovery on your end

LoudEnough posted...

I had been having lower abdominal pain for the past 4-5 months and a pretty noticeable change in bowel habits (usually only go once a day in the morning, but I started needing to go several times a day the consistency would range from loose to just straight up diarrhea). Despite all of this and several trips to the doctor they still wouldn't schedule me for a colonoscopy until I started losing weight for no apparent reason which I guess is a huge red flag for cancer. They scoped me and found a few polpys with the largest being 40mm and showing abnormal qualities - they biopsied it and it came back carcinogenic. Now I'm looking at probably needing my colon to be taken out (colectomy), then potentially chemo beyond that. Real fun stuff, would've been awesome if they would've listened to my concerns sooner and scheduled me for a scope when I first started having symptoms

I think unfortunately it had to be the weight drop to flag them.

Everything up to that point could pass as IBD, even to the extent of a few months. Pretty much what happened to me there + the generalassessmentof aging. I regularly can pass 2-3 times a day with my diet, so seeing that pattern at the time was still normal. It's just the quality that was off.

It does suck, though. As with any cancer, we all have to go by the "absence of evidence " mindset until something very extreme occurs.

With my dad's pancreatic cancer, I did take a genetic test afterwards that came with non-alarming results, but doctor told me they'd have nothing to check outside of that until something actually came up. And I guess the big picture is we probably don't have the infrastructure to routinely screen everyone for anything, on top of being subjected to excess X-ray exposure.

Still sucks that you could only get clarity when it reached stage II and now have to undergo the resulting treatment path. Not sure if it would've been lesser if they caught it sooner, but either way hope the best for you.

I'm so sorry dude . Get better soon

That's a tough road. I wish you all the best.

I can't imagine, good luck and best wishes.

LoudEnough posted...

...at only 35 years old. Lucky me.

Get your colonoscopies boys.

Don't they usually recommend starting to get them at 40?

LoudEnough posted...

Get your colonoscopies

damn 2A :(. also to note i think that was the one where you drink a gallon of bad fluid or 2 cups of warm fruity fluid.

i may be thinking of a different procedure.

I had to have my colon removed as well, though not for cancer thankfully. One thing I can tell you from experience is that having no colon is not nearly as big of a deal as you'd think. You just empty out a bag a couple times a day instead of pooping, you don't feel the stoma or anything.

For sexy time/swimming I put on an abdominal wrap, and that's the only time anyone can tell there's something different about me. So don't stress out too much if you have to have the same thing happen, now days they can go in through your belly button and there's not even a scar.

Anyway that's my spiel, stay strong and you'll get through this.

People dont usually get colonoscopies until mid 40s. I had one few years ago and I wasnt anywhere near that age, so it is very uncommon to get one so young. Test prep is very uncomfortable and even with insurance it was quite expensive

El_Lingo posted...

You just empty out a bag a couple times a day instead of pooping,

oh god :(.

actually it isn't the worst thing... having no hands/legs is far worse than having to empty out a bag.

My condolences, TC. Cancer is just pure evil and no one deserves to go through it.

do you have cancer in your family history? or history of alcohol abuse?

I only ask cause I'm technically considered too young to need a colonoscopy(36) but my family history is scary. and I treated my body like shit in my 20s.

LoudEnough posted...

Real fun stuff, would've been awesome if they would've listened to my concerns sooner and scheduled me for a scope when I first started having symptoms.

this shit is infuriating. i've been having some abdominal pain. i think have it figured out, but through the process i was straight up denied certain tests/scans i wanted to do.

LoudEnough posted...

...at only 35 years old. Lucky me.

Get your colonoscopies boys.

omfg...jesus fuck man.

I got my first colonoscopy at 7 and I've had at least 10.

I hope this turns out well for you and if you have questions about prep and whatnot I can help a bit.

thronedfire2 posted...

history of alcohol abuse?

i have to worry about getting sciatica in my leg. seems it's family prone for me.

damn, man. I'm hoping for the best for you.

but yea, this should be a wake up call for us all.

thronedfire2 posted...

do you have cancer in your family history? or history of alcohol abuse?

I only ask cause I'm technically considered too young to need a colonoscopy(36) but my family history is scary. and I treated my body like shit in my 20s.

I'm your age and got a colonoscopy last year due to being anemic. Turns out I have Celiac. If you have a family history of cancer, especially colon--absolutely tell your doctor and get a colonoscopy

thronedfire2 posted...

do you have cancer in your family history? or history of alcohol abuse?

I only ask cause I'm technically considered too young to need a colonoscopy(36) but my family history is scary. and I treated my body like shit in my 20s.

If your family has a history of cc, theyll do a colonoscopy even if youre young.

ive been having them since my mid 20s

kingdrake2 posted...

oh god :(.

actually it isn't the worst thing... having no hands/legs is far worse than having to empty out a bag.

Lol yeah, it's pretty gross but so is pooping in general. On the plus side, it's really quick to do compared to the ol' squat.

theAteam posted...

Don't they usually recommend starting to get them at 40?

Millennials (people born between 1981-1996) have twice the risk of colorectal cancer compared to those born in 1950, according to a 2017 study

Its the card we were dealt. I had a colonoscopy done at 32 and actually had some very small polyps. Due to this and uncle dying from this, she recommended another one 5 years later. Hope everything goes well for you TC.