Curious
Comments
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Angel was
it was about 1 and half years angel went with the symptoms he did tell me after he was dx that there was blood at times in his stool I think it was when we were riding the harley going up north just got finished eating at the waffle house , we wre almost to prescot az he had to pull off and throw up he said it was the food but from that point the stomach cramps came more and more and then he told me to take him to the er and the was the begining of the end for my husband rest in peace honey i miss you
michelle0 -
I had no symptoms.angelsbaby said:Angel was
it was about 1 and half years angel went with the symptoms he did tell me after he was dx that there was blood at times in his stool I think it was when we were riding the harley going up north just got finished eating at the waffle house , we wre almost to prescot az he had to pull off and throw up he said it was the food but from that point the stomach cramps came more and more and then he told me to take him to the er and the was the begining of the end for my husband rest in peace honey i miss you
michelle
I had no symptoms. I only went for the colonoscopy because I was over 50 and it was suggested by so many people. I thought it was strange for me to go through all of that with the colonoscopy and I felt great.0 -
**** that I was, I waited until the pain became unbearableKerry S said:Bingo, stage 4
I thought I had a possible problem from chemical exposure in 12/07. I had no symptoms. I waited until I was on Medicare 3/08 and got a colonoscopy. Bingo, stage 4.
before I told my doctor; by then it was almost too late.Originally, I had intended on mentioning bowel problem back in 1996 but the doc I had at the time was referring me to lung specialist before I brought up my hemmorrhoids, which bothered me every now and then back then.After having biopspy of right lung Dec '96,I said no more scans/biopsyies,etc.....Foolish me. Had I had colonoscopy in 2007-8 before matters became worse..........Its my own fault I got this....steve0 -
too long
I waited too long, that's for sure. I went to my dr. in my 30's for bloody stools, was examined and told I had hemmorhoids. I think I probably did, so I don't know when my cancer actually started. I was someone who always had issues with getting diarhea when I was nervous, when I had my period, when I was pregnant, etc. Never was I constipated. I think that I probably had gastritis, maybe a touch of colitis- not really sure. It was at age 40 that the bowel/intestinal issues were keeping me from getting off to anywhere in the morning on time coupled with bleeding from the rectum. I had no family history of any kind of cancer and I thought I was "too young" for cancer. I actually really didn't even know much about colon or rectal cancer- I thought maybe I had some other colon disorder. I just assumed I had more hemorrhoids. I finally went to the doctor again about the intestinal problems and bleeding. A nurse practitioner examined me and said she felt "a very large hemorrhoid". Later, after my diagnosis, I realized that she had felt my very low rectal tumor and thought it was a hemorrhoid. The two are not the same, obviously! But, because of what she said, I decided I was a hypochondriac and was fine. I still asked for a referral for a colonoscopy, which was put in and approved for me but, because of the nurse practioner's reaction and nonchalance about my condition, I put it off for another 4 months. When I finally had the colonoscopy done, the cancerous tumor was found right away. The biopsy a few days later confirmed it. Three days later I had a CT scan and it was also found in my liver and in both lungs- stage IV diagnosed just after my 41st birthday. So, yeah, I put it off too. Maybe I really had it back in my 30's when I first went to the doctor's. Maybe I would have not been a stage IV back then. Maybe- but it's too late for that now.0 -
I did what I should have done but..oops!
Let's see..I became anemic 2 yrs ago. I knew I was anemic and went to the Doctor who confirmed it. No reason for me to be anemic ( 55 yrs old and through menopause ) so doc sent me to have a colonoscopy and endoscopy of stomach.
Long story short...gastro was an hour late, had 5 grumpy patients waiting for colonoscopies and when he got to me he removed 3 polyps in the first 1/3rd of my colon, saw nothing remarkable in my stomach ( just a little gastritis ) and told me to come back in 3 yrs. Almost exactly 1 year to the day I ended up in a surgeons office who promptly admitted me to the hospital. I had a malignant tumor the size of a fist ( surgeon's description ) in my ascending colon.
I'd had no symptoms other than anemia for which they told me to take iron pills. So, I didn't ignore anything that I know of...did what my doc told me to do and the darn gastro MISSED a tumor! I cringe when I think about what would have happened if I had waited those 3 years for another colonoscopy. As it was, I was stage 2, did my chemo program and have lost almost a year of my life and wages because the gastro missed a tumor...well, actually he missed 2 tumors, but one was benign.
-Pat0 -
Diagnosis
In August of 2008, noticed what looked like blood in stool, but dismissed it because it was black cherry season and was eating lots of tomatoes. After a week of still seeing something red, thought it was best to quit eating the red stuff and just keep watching. Noticed it was getting hard for me to sit also so out comes the Preparation H and the blood went away and felt better to sit. Couple weeks later it came back so Preparation H again and it went away, but then it came back and thought a doctor appointment was in order. He thought it was hemorrhoids too because of the symptoms, but wanted to schedule a colonoscopy because of just turning 50. After having the colonoscopy, they wouldn't even tell me. The doctor kept avoiding me, that's when it hit me, they were trying to tell me that they thought it was cancer. It's changed my life ever since.
Kim0 -
Total freak findingAnnabelle41415 said:Diagnosis
In August of 2008, noticed what looked like blood in stool, but dismissed it because it was black cherry season and was eating lots of tomatoes. After a week of still seeing something red, thought it was best to quit eating the red stuff and just keep watching. Noticed it was getting hard for me to sit also so out comes the Preparation H and the blood went away and felt better to sit. Couple weeks later it came back so Preparation H again and it went away, but then it came back and thought a doctor appointment was in order. He thought it was hemorrhoids too because of the symptoms, but wanted to schedule a colonoscopy because of just turning 50. After having the colonoscopy, they wouldn't even tell me. The doctor kept avoiding me, that's when it hit me, they were trying to tell me that they thought it was cancer. It's changed my life ever since.
Kim
In October of last year, my father comes tells me he has a bulge on his lower stomach. I go bonkers, asking him why he took so long to get to a doctor. It turns out to be a hernia, but since Dad had a bowel resection in October of 2008, his GP sends him for a CT to ensure that the hernia is not affecting bowel function. While it was not, two liver nodules were found on Dad's liver. One MRI, liver biopsy,PET scan and colonoscopy later, dad was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer.0 -
Four months.
Three weeks from seeing blood in my stool to seeing my doctor, who diagnosed it as hemorrhoids, but referred me to a gastroenterologist for a screening colonoscopy. Then three months to see the gastroenterologist, then another month until the colonoscopy when stage 2 rectal cancer was found. I'm generally not very good about going to doctors for stuff, so I count myself as very, very lucky that it worked out this way.
--Greg0 -
I noticed blood on my stool
I noticed blood on my stool for about a month, last summer, during which time I was taking a lot of ibuprofen for a herniated cervical disc. And I thought that all that ibuprofen was making me bleed. Like a lot of folks, I was thinking hemmorhoids at first; but then, it just didn't seem normal and I was also seeing mucous mixed with it. What made it not normal is that it was with nearly every bowel movement--not a lot of blood, but just there--plus I wasn't having any constipation/straining that would irritate any hemmorhoids. (I have had problems with hemmorhoids in the past but they were usually associated with straining, childbirth, and only occasionally bleeding.)
I called my family doctor who was actually on medical leave and wouldn't return for another month. I told them I couldn't wait that long and I decided to see one of my friend's doctors, who saw me within 2 days. He didn't seem worried but he sent me to a gastroenterologist, who promptly saw me in a couple days also. He didn't seem worried either and before he even examined me said that since I was going to turn 50 soon anyway, he would like to schedule me for a colonoscopy. When he examined me, he could feel the rectal tumor and said more than once, "it's firm...I'm concerned." The denial kicked in pretty quick followed shortly by anxiety and depression. Needless to say, I could not go back to work that day, like I had planned.
After seeing my colorectal surgeon, he told me that it probably had been there, slow-growing (you know--like a crock pot) for years.
Now I'm not sure if this was a symptom but for years I had, on occasional bowel movements, terrible urgency with cramps. Almost like vomitting, but down below, if that makes any sense. My mother would talk about something similar so I thought it was maybe some bowel thing that just ran in the family.
By the way, for years my gynecologist had done rectal exams as part of my physical exam. It's part of some gynecological routine exams. Nothing was ever detected. BUT, the gastroenterologist's exam certainly felt more thorough.
This is for ALL OF US....please, let no one regret or beat ourselves up for not going to the doctor sooner or whatever. It serves noone. Maybe, some of our stories can prompt others to get checked out sooner...we all learn from our life experiences. But I'll say it again, it doesn't serve us well to regret. Let us live now, in the Present, with all things that are wonderful...
~Aud0 -
Pain, golf size tumorAud said:I noticed blood on my stool
I noticed blood on my stool for about a month, last summer, during which time I was taking a lot of ibuprofen for a herniated cervical disc. And I thought that all that ibuprofen was making me bleed. Like a lot of folks, I was thinking hemmorhoids at first; but then, it just didn't seem normal and I was also seeing mucous mixed with it. What made it not normal is that it was with nearly every bowel movement--not a lot of blood, but just there--plus I wasn't having any constipation/straining that would irritate any hemmorhoids. (I have had problems with hemmorhoids in the past but they were usually associated with straining, childbirth, and only occasionally bleeding.)
I called my family doctor who was actually on medical leave and wouldn't return for another month. I told them I couldn't wait that long and I decided to see one of my friend's doctors, who saw me within 2 days. He didn't seem worried but he sent me to a gastroenterologist, who promptly saw me in a couple days also. He didn't seem worried either and before he even examined me said that since I was going to turn 50 soon anyway, he would like to schedule me for a colonoscopy. When he examined me, he could feel the rectal tumor and said more than once, "it's firm...I'm concerned." The denial kicked in pretty quick followed shortly by anxiety and depression. Needless to say, I could not go back to work that day, like I had planned.
After seeing my colorectal surgeon, he told me that it probably had been there, slow-growing (you know--like a crock pot) for years.
Now I'm not sure if this was a symptom but for years I had, on occasional bowel movements, terrible urgency with cramps. Almost like vomitting, but down below, if that makes any sense. My mother would talk about something similar so I thought it was maybe some bowel thing that just ran in the family.
By the way, for years my gynecologist had done rectal exams as part of my physical exam. It's part of some gynecological routine exams. Nothing was ever detected. BUT, the gastroenterologist's exam certainly felt more thorough.
This is for ALL OF US....please, let no one regret or beat ourselves up for not going to the doctor sooner or whatever. It serves noone. Maybe, some of our stories can prompt others to get checked out sooner...we all learn from our life experiences. But I'll say it again, it doesn't serve us well to regret. Let us live now, in the Present, with all things that are wonderful...
~Aud
I had a pain on my side August 2008, went to the doctor several times for pain, and she kept telling me it was gas.
had a ultrasound done in the office and nothing found, but fatty liver. Doc sent me home to do sit ups to relieve gas. November, I finally demanded a colonoscopy. DX stage !V. Odd thing, I had a colonoscopy 5 years prior and nothing.0 -
Looking Back
I remember having some back pain in Aug of 2006, it was while I was on an airplane, it hurt so bad. OK jump forward to Jan 2007, got really sick, went to my Doc, told him I had some blood in my stool( had had it off an on through out the last few years I would say, but thought it was due to stress and pooping problems. He did a blood fecal test, negative, sent me home do not eat for 5 days he said, said I had diverticulitis. So in May of 2007, on vacation in Reno, had a bowel movement that had alot of red in it, I asked my GF, I said I know this is gross but can you look at this, and when she say it she got scared, she said that is blood and it is like wrapped in your poop. She is the one that said I need to go to the doctor. So when I got back I went, they did another FBT, and at first it was negative but as he was talking the nurse jumped in and said, I think this test is positive and then doctor looked again and it was. So was sent to the GI, next day had a colonoscopy. GI Doc told my GF that we should be very concerned after he did the exam but that we needed to wait for the biopsy results. I found out later that he actually walked out of my exam and called my Primary Doc to tell him I had colon cancer. They were so blown away for me to have it, being so young I guess. The very next day May 15, 2007, I got a call from the GI Doc, he first asked me if I had my gun with me, knowing I was in law enforcement, I said yes but that it was secured in my gun locker and that I was not in the field but at my office. He went on to tell me I had a tumor and it was colon cancer and that we needed to get it out right away. I could go on with dates, but I wont...the rest is history, I am stage 4, and have been NEDs for almost 2 yrs and praying it will continue for ever!
HUGS
Beth0 -
Everyone's story here sounds eerily familiar
I had been dx'd with external hemmeroids pretty young (18). Diet, exercise kept that in check. Fast forward 12 years and I get in an accident. Went to the Dr. for back pain. He was a good Dr. and scheduled me for a routine physical exam, including a digital rectal exam. He found internal hemmerroids but again nothing that couldn't be controlled with diet and exercise. Two years later and I am having problems with bowel movements, the streaks of blood on the stool were contributed to the hemmeroidal tissue. At this point the bowel movements went south quickly, straining to go, not feeling "empty", tired and then one morning A LOT of blood, mucos, not a lot of anything else. GI colonscopy dx'd on 12/14/06 with cancer on an early Friday afternoon. Later scans and so forth found stage IV disease in the liver. Since then I have had two rounds of systemic chemo, first FolFox and just finished with FolFiri. Liver pump chemo, radiation on the primary tumor low in the rectum. Didn't shrink it enough to save the anus and rectum so a permanent colostomy, clinical trial of radioimmunotherapy put me in the hospital.
I have reflected back on what could have been. Now it doesn't really matter, hindsight is not very useful without a time machine that works.
Oh yes, and if I hear the expression "but you're too young to have colorectal cancer" I will have to set a new standard for the insurance companies to follow. What that standard is yet, I don't know.0 -
Crown meLeft Coaster said:Everyone's story here sounds eerily familiar
I had been dx'd with external hemmeroids pretty young (18). Diet, exercise kept that in check. Fast forward 12 years and I get in an accident. Went to the Dr. for back pain. He was a good Dr. and scheduled me for a routine physical exam, including a digital rectal exam. He found internal hemmerroids but again nothing that couldn't be controlled with diet and exercise. Two years later and I am having problems with bowel movements, the streaks of blood on the stool were contributed to the hemmeroidal tissue. At this point the bowel movements went south quickly, straining to go, not feeling "empty", tired and then one morning A LOT of blood, mucos, not a lot of anything else. GI colonscopy dx'd on 12/14/06 with cancer on an early Friday afternoon. Later scans and so forth found stage IV disease in the liver. Since then I have had two rounds of systemic chemo, first FolFox and just finished with FolFiri. Liver pump chemo, radiation on the primary tumor low in the rectum. Didn't shrink it enough to save the anus and rectum so a permanent colostomy, clinical trial of radioimmunotherapy put me in the hospital.
I have reflected back on what could have been. Now it doesn't really matter, hindsight is not very useful without a time machine that works.
Oh yes, and if I hear the expression "but you're too young to have colorectal cancer" I will have to set a new standard for the insurance companies to follow. What that standard is yet, I don't know.
You can crown me as the king of self neglect. At first the only symptom I had was fatigue and I came up with many reasons to excuse that even though I felt like I was barely getting by day to day. Later I had an episode of severe abdominal pain that lasted for five days. I just laid in bed and waited for it to go away and then blew it off. Shortly after that my bowel habits slightly changed. I was still going on a regular basis but it was coming out slower and in hard small chunks. There was no evidence of blood because my tumor was in the ascending colon and usually the blood dries by the time it exits the body so it is hard to detect. 6 months after the first my bout with abdominal pain I had a second episode and finally wised up and checked into the hospital. They scanned me and said that my abdomen was so inflamed they couldn't even see what the problem was so they admitted me and put me on antibiotics until the swelling went down. The doctor was going to give me a few weeks to recover and then give me a colonoscopy. He scheduled it, cancelled it and then rescheduled it and cancelled it again and left it indefinite. His nurse said they didn't know what to do with me because I was uninsured. A few months later I applied for insurance and got accepted. I guess it was somewhat of a blessing that the hospital doctor never diagnosed me or I never would've been able to get insurance. I started having constant pain in my lower right abdomen so I went to the doctor and finally got a colonoscopy. He found a huge tumor that was almost blocking my whole colon. I was referred to a surgeon who was really concerned about my colon perforating with a tumor that big. After going in and getting out the original tumor the doctor found that I had been walking around with a perforated colon for no telling how long. Diagnosis - colon cancer with multiple mets to liver 12 out of 12 diseased lymph nodes and cancerous lymphs in abdomen and pelvis. If I somehow make it out of this alive it will be because of the grace of God, not because I deserve it.
Crown me and sit me in the corner with a dunce cap.0 -
You do not deserve cancereric38 said:Crown me
You can crown me as the king of self neglect. At first the only symptom I had was fatigue and I came up with many reasons to excuse that even though I felt like I was barely getting by day to day. Later I had an episode of severe abdominal pain that lasted for five days. I just laid in bed and waited for it to go away and then blew it off. Shortly after that my bowel habits slightly changed. I was still going on a regular basis but it was coming out slower and in hard small chunks. There was no evidence of blood because my tumor was in the ascending colon and usually the blood dries by the time it exits the body so it is hard to detect. 6 months after the first my bout with abdominal pain I had a second episode and finally wised up and checked into the hospital. They scanned me and said that my abdomen was so inflamed they couldn't even see what the problem was so they admitted me and put me on antibiotics until the swelling went down. The doctor was going to give me a few weeks to recover and then give me a colonoscopy. He scheduled it, cancelled it and then rescheduled it and cancelled it again and left it indefinite. His nurse said they didn't know what to do with me because I was uninsured. A few months later I applied for insurance and got accepted. I guess it was somewhat of a blessing that the hospital doctor never diagnosed me or I never would've been able to get insurance. I started having constant pain in my lower right abdomen so I went to the doctor and finally got a colonoscopy. He found a huge tumor that was almost blocking my whole colon. I was referred to a surgeon who was really concerned about my colon perforating with a tumor that big. After going in and getting out the original tumor the doctor found that I had been walking around with a perforated colon for no telling how long. Diagnosis - colon cancer with multiple mets to liver 12 out of 12 diseased lymph nodes and cancerous lymphs in abdomen and pelvis. If I somehow make it out of this alive it will be because of the grace of God, not because I deserve it.
Crown me and sit me in the corner with a dunce cap.
No one deserves cancer, + the difficulty with diagnosing this cancer is the symptoms are similar to other less scary dieseases. Please don't blame yourself.
ps - I do believe you are going to beat it!0 -
Sandi
@Sandi: my mom had no symptoms...except one day a very sharp abdominal pain...that lasted for a week, so she went to see a doctor. She was throwing up a little, not much, but lost her appetite and lost a lot of weight within than two weeks. Then they did an MRI...then they told her to go home and live as long as she can as there's no chemo or surgery needed anymore as it is totally spread...that was the worst news she can get...then it all began...and within a couple of months...she disappeared...>.<0 -
Some
history first. DX in 2006 with Stage II with no signs of spreads. I can remember always having issues with constipation as a teenager and young adult and as an adult and taking laxatives to try and keep things moving, but in late June 2006 it just hit me all at once. Bloated stomach, loss of appetitie, loss of weight, and a pain that dropped me to my knees.
All this took place within 1-1/2 weeks. I had to have emergency surgery because my tumor was small and would not show-up on CT Scans.0 -
No signs or symptoms here, either.
I asked my general physician if he could suggest someone to do a colonoscopy when I was 46. I only did this because my dad died of colon cancer when he was 68. I talked to a surgeon a few years earlier and he told me that I definitely needed to have a colonoscopy 20 years before my dad died. So I thought at 48 I would go in. Well, it just bugged me that I hadn't done it yet and there was also this voice in my head telling me to just get it done; don't wait a week or a month. Just get it done.
So I did it. Stage III. No blood in the stool, the stool was thin, nor was I constipated or had diarrhea. I don't even want to think about what would have happened if I'd waited until I was 48.
Since I've been done with chemo, I have had that same voice whisper to me that my cancer is all gone. "Dad, is that you?"0
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