Symptoms

I feel I would be remiss at this point if I didn’t share with you what got me to the doctor and onto the table for a colonoscopy. I’ve had many friends and acquaintances ask…”How did you know something was wrong?”

Well…here are a few “symptoms” listed on the MD Anderson website. Now I’m not a doctor, so just because you might have a little blood in your poo don’t immediately jump to the conclusion that it’s cancer. However…if you KEEP having blood in your poo…then go see your doctor.

MD Anderson says…

There often are no symptoms of colon cancer in its early stages. Most colon cancers begin as a polyp, a small non-cancerous growth on the colon wall that can grow larger and become cancerous. As polyps grow, they can bleed or obstruct the intestine.

Symptoms include:
• Rectal bleeding
• Blood in the stool or toilet after a bowel movement
• Prolonged diarrhea
• A change in size or shape of your stool
• Abdominal pain or a cramping pain in your lower stomach
• A feeling of discomfort or urge to have a bowel movement when there is no need

Many colon symptoms are not cancer, but if you notice one or more of these symptoms for more than two weeks, see your doctor.

I had been experiencing four of the six symptoms listed above for several months before I asked my doctor about it. You see I’ve always had a slightly irritable bowel and my mother has had Ulcerative Colitis since she was 30, so I really didn’t think anything of it.

It wasn’t until the size and frequency of my bowel movements changed that I really got worried. I eat a TON of bran. Seriously…I feel like a cow sometimes from all the bran and fiber I consume. So when I stopped going to the bathroom regularly (like every morning at 9am after my first cup of coffee at work) and the size of it changed AND I noticed blood actually IN it…I decided it was time to see the doctor.

I had originally asked my gynecologist about it at my annual meeting with him and he discounted it to hemorrhoids. A month later I went to see my family physician because I had a cough I just couldn’t get rid of and I wanted rid of it before the holidays. When we discussed my symptoms and my family history he scheduled me for a colonoscopy immediately after the holidays and the rest…as they say…is history.

Again…let me stress to you…I AM NOT A DOCTOR. However, if you feel like you are experiencing similar things please go see your doctor. It’s never too early to have a colonoscopy or to have your blood checked for cancer markers.

And feel free to run any poo-related questions by me. After all this…I feel very free to speak to anyone about my poo, their poo, my colon, their colon, etc.