Sigmoid Colon Cancer Symptoms

km1918

Hi, it may be inappropriate for me to join this forum since I am not a cancer patient but I have a question for those experienced with Sigmoid Colon Cancer.  What were your typical most common symptoms? What types of symptoms prompted you to visit a physician? Many websites state by the time symptoms surface, the cancer is in the latter stages but what does this really mean? Thank you in advance. 

John23

KM1918 –

 

Usually the only early sign of intestinal cancer would be finding blood in the stool. Most people prefer to think the blood is from hemorrhoids, wasting time by not getting a colonoscopy until they can’t resolve the bleeding through other means.

 

If and when what was considered an intestinal polyp grows to the size that interferes with digestion, the situation becomes a major problem; that is the “later stages”.

 

Now you can answer a question, OK?

 

Why are you asking?

 

 

Healthy wishes,

 

John

 

Chelsea71

Signs would be misshapen
Signs would be misshapen stools. (flat). Constipation or a complete blockage.

Fucc

In addition, I had a dull

In addition, I had a dull ache in the area of where my tumor was. I thought it was ovulation pain, but now believe it was due to the cancer and lymphNodes. 

geotina

KM:

Some signs are:  unexplained weight loss like you are not dieting but you have lost 10 pounds or so; pencil thin/flat stools, painful acid reflux.  When my husband was diagnosed, he had a little weight loss, thats it.  His doctor scheduled a colonoscopy since he had not had one when he had his yearly physical and George was complaining about the acid reflux so a endoscopy and colonoscopy was scheduled.  He was found to have a large tumor, metastases to his liver and lungs, so he was a very advanced Stage IV.   Came as a shock.  Since you are asking I am guessing that you have some symptoms.  If you are thinking something may be wrong, get checked out, don't wait.  If my husband and/or his doctor had moved quicker he may still be here.

Tina  

km1918

Symptoms

I have been seeing what I believe is a small amount of blood in my stool over the last month.  I plan on visiting a physician this weekend to get clarity on the possible causes of this issue.  However, if you recommend each and every individual who experiences blood in his/her stool to undergo a colonoscopy each and every time, health care costs would go through the roof!! What if it was a minor issue but I experience the same thing two years later? Do I get another colonoscopy? It sounds a bit excessive.......What do you guys think?

Chelsea71

km1918 said:

Symptoms

I have been seeing what I believe is a small amount of blood in my stool over the last month.  I plan on visiting a physician this weekend to get clarity on the possible causes of this issue.  However, if you recommend each and every individual who experiences blood in his/her stool to undergo a colonoscopy each and every time, health care costs would go through the roof!! What if it was a minor issue but I experience the same thing two years later? Do I get another colonoscopy? It sounds a bit excessive.......What do you guys think?

I do think each and every
I do think each and every person should go for a colonoscopy each time blood appears in the stool. If bleeding is a regular problem then regular scopes should be done every year or two. My husband has cost our government (Canada) an absolute fortune. Sub total colectomy and ileostomy, HIPEC surgery (10 hour surgery where they removed some small intestine, abdominal wall, spleen, tail of pancreas, omentum and most of rectum), has had 28 sessions of chemotherapy. Will likely be on it for the rest of his life. He is also looking at possible liver surgery. Has had five hospital stays in two years just from complications that developed due to treatment. Yearly scopes would have been a hell of lot cheaper.

herdizziness

One day

While walking to the store while I was on a visit in Alaska, I felt something warm flow put of my arse.  I went to the bathroom in the store and found that my arse had released quite a bit of blood, but that was it, the one time, I thought about going to the ER because it was a scary amount and I had never experienced that before.  But since it didn't happen again, I didn't go, a year and a half later I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.  I recommend if you have blood in your stool or out your arse, you run to the nearest doc and get a colonoscopy.

Just my opinion on the matter.

Winter Marie

PS. I have never mentioned this before because I was too embarrassed to have been such a fool as to have ignored that symptom, that I ignored what my body was trying to tell me.  I try to listen to it better now.

Chelsea71

herdizziness said:

One day

While walking to the store while I was on a visit in Alaska, I felt something warm flow put of my arse.  I went to the bathroom in the store and found that my arse had released quite a bit of blood, but that was it, the one time, I thought about going to the ER because it was a scary amount and I had never experienced that before.  But since it didn't happen again, I didn't go, a year and a half later I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.  I recommend if you have blood in your stool or out your arse, you run to the nearest doc and get a colonoscopy.

Just my opinion on the matter.

Winter Marie

PS. I have never mentioned this before because I was too embarrassed to have been such a fool as to have ignored that symptom, that I ignored what my body was trying to tell me.  I try to listen to it better now.

Hey Winter. Hope this isn't
Hey Winter. Hope this isn't something you dwell on. I bet so many people here have the same regrets. I sure do where Steve is concerned. If action would have been taken sooner, he may have been diagnosed at stage 1 or 2. I used to focus on this quite a bit. I think it's a normal tendency to want to dismiss these signs especially when it happens only once. If only we could all get a do-over. People who see blood in stool need to go to their doctor and demand a colonoscopy. We have all learned this lesson the hard way.

Chelsea

shmurciakova

km1918 said:

Symptoms

I have been seeing what I believe is a small amount of blood in my stool over the last month.  I plan on visiting a physician this weekend to get clarity on the possible causes of this issue.  However, if you recommend each and every individual who experiences blood in his/her stool to undergo a colonoscopy each and every time, health care costs would go through the roof!! What if it was a minor issue but I experience the same thing two years later? Do I get another colonoscopy? It sounds a bit excessive.......What do you guys think?

No, it is not excessive. The

No, it is not excessive. The treatment of cancer far outweighs any costs incurred from people getting colonoscopies. My GP said "Blood in the stool is not to be taken lightly!". Of course that was when I was 31, 5 years after I first noticed blood in the stool (off and on). My brother, who is a doctor, even said it is probably hemmeroids! My nurse practitioner kept ordering those stool slide tests which of course I was never bleeding when I did them and they came back negative. I would recommend a colonoscopy for you. At least you will have the peace of mind of knowing there is nothing going on - and if there is, then you can take appropriate measures.

herdizziness

herdizziness said:

One day

While walking to the store while I was on a visit in Alaska, I felt something warm flow put of my arse.  I went to the bathroom in the store and found that my arse had released quite a bit of blood, but that was it, the one time, I thought about going to the ER because it was a scary amount and I had never experienced that before.  But since it didn't happen again, I didn't go, a year and a half later I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.  I recommend if you have blood in your stool or out your arse, you run to the nearest doc and get a colonoscopy.

Just my opinion on the matter.

Winter Marie

PS. I have never mentioned this before because I was too embarrassed to have been such a fool as to have ignored that symptom, that I ignored what my body was trying to tell me.  I try to listen to it better now.

Chelsea

one thing I've learned is not to dwell on such things, i cant change the past that's for sure, l did want to bring it up so others would be aware.  

Thanks for the concern, it does mean a lot !

Winter Marie

Trubrit

herdizziness said:

One day

While walking to the store while I was on a visit in Alaska, I felt something warm flow put of my arse.  I went to the bathroom in the store and found that my arse had released quite a bit of blood, but that was it, the one time, I thought about going to the ER because it was a scary amount and I had never experienced that before.  But since it didn't happen again, I didn't go, a year and a half later I was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer.  I recommend if you have blood in your stool or out your arse, you run to the nearest doc and get a colonoscopy.

Just my opinion on the matter.

Winter Marie

PS. I have never mentioned this before because I was too embarrassed to have been such a fool as to have ignored that symptom, that I ignored what my body was trying to tell me.  I try to listen to it better now.

Foolish?

I think most of us a 'foolish' when it comes to our bodies. 

First, we really don't want to know whats going on. We are scared they may find somthing, therefore we put things off.

I knew for months that something was not right; yet I ignored it. I would look in the mirror every night at my bloated stomach, and the little voice said to me 'this is not right, Sue, it could be cancer'.  Cancer! That scared me, but not enough to go to the Doctor. So month after month I'd look and feel my bloated stomach and the little voice told me it was not normal. 

Finally I ended up in the ER. Then the Gastroenterologis for a colonoscopy. There they found a tumour the size of a softball, surgery followed, and finally the diagnosis I knew was coming, stage 3A. 

What if I had gone in for a colonoscopy at 50, polyps maybe. Little tumour maybe. What if I had gone in at 52, stage 2, maybe. But no, I ignored my symptoms and now I am doing high dose chemo, later radiation and chemo. 

GO AND GET A COLONOSCOPY.  Don't worry about the money, worry about your health. 

Just my two cents worth.

renw

km1918 said:

Symptoms

I have been seeing what I believe is a small amount of blood in my stool over the last month.  I plan on visiting a physician this weekend to get clarity on the possible causes of this issue.  However, if you recommend each and every individual who experiences blood in his/her stool to undergo a colonoscopy each and every time, health care costs would go through the roof!! What if it was a minor issue but I experience the same thing two years later? Do I get another colonoscopy? It sounds a bit excessive.......What do you guys think?

You idiot. If you do have

You idiot. If you do have cancer, a colonoscopy may catch it early and your chances then are good. If you don't catch it early and it  metastises, you will be told that you have 12 to 36 months to live . So think about it, do you still care about health care costs?

devotion10

renw said:

You idiot. If you do have

You idiot. If you do have cancer, a colonoscopy may catch it early and your chances then are good. If you don't catch it early and it  metastises, you will be told that you have 12 to 36 months to live . So think about it, do you still care about health care costs?

Wow Renw ... Might there have been a different way to disagree

with the poster other than calling them an idiot? -- Cynthia

 

renw

devotion10 said:

Wow Renw ... Might there have been a different way to disagree

with the poster other than calling them an idiot? -- Cynthia

 

Not really. The term fits

Not really. The term fits perfectly. I was an idiot for ignoring my symptoms for almost 2 years. To describe anyone ignoring rectal bleeding and worrying about health care costs in general, using any other term would do them an injustice. 

John23

km1918 said:

Symptoms

I have been seeing what I believe is a small amount of blood in my stool over the last month.  I plan on visiting a physician this weekend to get clarity on the possible causes of this issue.  However, if you recommend each and every individual who experiences blood in his/her stool to undergo a colonoscopy each and every time, health care costs would go through the roof!! What if it was a minor issue but I experience the same thing two years later? Do I get another colonoscopy? It sounds a bit excessive.......What do you guys think?

KM1918 -

KM1918 -

“ However, if you recommend each and every individual who experiences blood in his/her stool to undergo a colonoscopy each and every time, health care costs would go through the roof!!”

No, not “each and every time”. Insurance will not usually pay for excessive and/or needless scans, xrays, or colonoscopies.

We’re talking about the initial diagnosis of the notice of blood in the stool, not a monthly event. It usually takes a cancer cell one to two years to grow to a size that can be identified; getting scanned or tested before it’s large enough to identify is a waste of time and money.

If you don’t have a polyp identified via a colonoscopy at the time you have the colonoscopy, it’s not too likely that the problem is cancer (or pre-cancer).

That said...... You are entitled to a second opinion, and that may require a second colonoscopy to insure the previous one was accurate in it’s mechanics and diagnostic interpretation.

But if and when it does not indicate a problem, then any subsequent colonoscopies are not usually recommended, or required for at least 3 years.

It’s easy to get caught up in worry and fear once diagnosed, and often prior to being diagnosed, but try to do your best to not allow that fear to drive you into corners; feeling that you might be cheated by the system that’s refusing to pay for a test, only generates anxiety.

Try to learn and understand what cancer is, and what it is not. Try to forget the industry’s hyperbole, and look for safe harbors wherever they may be.

Get that colonosocopy if you haven’t had one in 2~3 years.... -if- the physician does not find any other sensible reason for that blood.

Best wishes for you,

John

 

devotion10

renw said:

Not really. The term fits

Not really. The term fits perfectly. I was an idiot for ignoring my symptoms for almost 2 years. To describe anyone ignoring rectal bleeding and worrying about health care costs in general, using any other term would do them an injustice. 

Good point and of course I agree that to not seek treatment

immediately for rectal bleeding is extremely negligent.  Having said that, calling a person an idiot versus calling their actions idiotic are two different things and received by the person you are speaking to or writing to very differently.

Just saying ... 

Cynthia (who just went from self-apointed hall monitor to grammar lady.  Perhaps I need a life.  

 

km1918

Thank you

Hi, I just wanted to post an update regarding my colonscopy.  I had it today and the prep was the worst part but the procedure was rather straight forward.  I sat down with the doctor about my results and he informed me he removed a benign-looking small polyp and sent it into the labs.  The primary reason for the bleeding was likely anal and rectal fisssure.  Although I must wait for the lab results, I feel quite good about myself.  Thank you so much for your support and advice for the last few weeks.  I appreciate all your assistance. 

Chelsea71

km1918 said:

Thank you

Hi, I just wanted to post an update regarding my colonscopy.  I had it today and the prep was the worst part but the procedure was rather straight forward.  I sat down with the doctor about my results and he informed me he removed a benign-looking small polyp and sent it into the labs.  The primary reason for the bleeding was likely anal and rectal fisssure.  Although I must wait for the lab results, I feel quite good about myself.  Thank you so much for your support and advice for the last few weeks.  I appreciate all your assistance. 

Great news!
Great news!