Pinned Post
My favorite color is dark blue and the ribbon for colorectal cancer is dark blue as well. March is my birthday month (St. Patrick’s Day) and March is also Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. So, this seems like a really good time to remind everyone to remind themselves and/or anyone around them to be aware and get screened for colorectal cancer (or any other cancer) as needed. I’ll post a link to screening recommendations and other info, but the most important thing (my opinion) that I can pass on is to make an effort to catch this or any cancer as early as possible. That means getting screened as soon as it’s recommended or earlier if you have additional concerns, history, etc. It also means that someone will have to do some thing(s) that may be uncomfortable or embarrassing.
Here’s what I can tell you about my experience. I honestly thought I had very, very bad hemorrhoids, and I found that horribly embarrassing to think about much less mention. I most likely had some small internal hemorrhoids in my late 20s or 30s that caused some very minor bleeding, actually discussed them with my doctor, and found out it wasn’t of great concern. Later on in my 40s, I had some similar bleeding and really didn’t think much of it, more than likely it was more of the same thing. However, eventually (there’s no good way to put this) I felt what I assumed to be hemorrhoids “pop out,” and I’d gently push them back in. I read up on them and used various creams and whatnot and life went on. I never mentioned this to anyone. Sometime around the fall of 2022 it seemed to get worse. There seemed to be more of them and more blood which made it that much more embarrassing for me. I continued to push on until after the first of 2023 when it started to affect my bowel movements. I had to go more and it was much more uncomfortable when I did. I knew something wasn’t right and told myself I’d bring it up at my next physical, told no one, and marched along. Finally, around March of 2023 it started affecting what I could eat. Mainly it affected my eating hot or spicy things. I could measure the time from when I ate something spicy to when I’d get the absolute worst burning pain in my lower abdomen. Being very, very stubborn, I tested this way too many times “just to be sure.” Slowly it started to affect my appetite and I started losing weight. By late spring it was obvious that something was wrong, and I started mentioning it to DeeGee and we started looking at all the different colon conditions that could cause these things (there are quite a few). She finally convinced me (made an appointment and said we were going) to see the doctor about it even though I distinctly remember wanting to wait just a few more weeks to test out some adjustments in my diet. I’m really glad I didn’t because by the time I went to that appointment I had lost enough blood over time that I needed a 2 unit blood transfusion with iron. I had cut grass the day before and learned at that appointment that when I was resting and gulping air it was because my body didn’t have enough red blood cells to carry the oxygen I needed. This is probably a good time to mention that in the previous months there had been a lot of blood in my bowel movements. Again, no easy way to put this, but I’m not talking about signs of blood like dark coffee grounds or something, I’m referring to straight up blood. Blood that I had been too embarrassed and too afraid to mention to anyone and most likely barely acknowledged myself. There had been other changes too that I would describe as jelly-like. All of this had been going on for months. Again, during those months I had still convinced myself that it was really, really bad hemorrhoids and managed them as well as I could on my own. I had assured myself that I’d discuss it with the doctor at my physical which could have been as late as the fall or winter and who knows if I even would have then. I was even trying to make peace with the fact that I’d eventually have a colonoscopy at 50 (I was 47). Honestly, I’m not sure I would have even done that at that age if I weren’t forced to. I say all this to say how lucky I really am. Because I’m so stubborn, and I was so embarrassed, I could have kept trying to deal with this on my own for who even knows how long. If I was lucky, maybe I would have passed out around somebody from the loss of blood, and I can see that being one of the only sure ways I might have addressed it. But I didn’t go that route. I don’t feel like I went the best route, I wish I had brought it up a lot sooner and gotten checked a lot sooner. I wish I hadn’t thought I knew what it was and let someone else help me sooner and went to the doctor for an actual diagnosis.
So what does all this mean? How can I convince anybody to approach the embarrassing thing that they may have already developed a perfectly good (but wrong) explanation for to reach out and consider turning all that upside down? I suppose the short answer is that I can’t. I can only say that if any of what I described including the feelings or if you know or suspect any family history or if you’re 45 or older you seriously consider not only talking to your doctor but also getting a colonoscopy to find out for sure. Here’s the part where I’m going to be honest about the reality of the situation. It wasn’t easy for me to talk about any of this in the beginning. Having DeeGee keep notes and go with me helped keep me honest and be more straight forward about what I was experiencing. As I went through more and more steps it was hard for me to deal with everything that was happening and easy to get overwhelmed. Next, let me say that you should get a colonoscopy, period. No ifs, ands, or buts… 😀 But also let me be honest and say it’s not easy and it’s not comfortable. Going to a doctor with a lot of practical experience made me feel better about the procedure in general and confident in the results, but it didn’t let me avoid the reality of everything that needs to be done before to prepare for it or the procedure itself. All that said, I will be forever grateful that I did it when I did, and I’ll be doing it again soon and regularly. That’s just how it is. I’ll follow my doctor’s recommendations just like I do with any other procedure. The only really good thing about it is that you’ll have straight information about where you stand after it, and you can help others by telling them that it might not have been pleasant but you did it anyway and consider recommending that they do it, too.
So that’s my post for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. My hope is that somebody reads it and considers having a discussion with someone and/or even considering getting tested for not just colorectal cancer but any cancer they may need to be tested for.
MORE INFO:
American Cancer Society Colorectal Cancer Info – information about colorectal cancer
American Cancer Society National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable – more info and resources for colorectal cancer
CDC Colorectal Cancer Screening Info – latest info on screening for colorectal cancer
