Early Colon Cancer - Tips and Mistakes

altrick · New User Joined: 20 May 2007 Posts: 1

I am dying. I should not have been. I am writing this in the hope that others will not die. It is a tale of colon cancer; how you might survive it, and how to avoid making some of the mistakes that can cost you your life.

First, I got lucky. But I don’t believe it was just luck. Two years before my surgery I had an internal bleed. It is now my belief that, at some point, the polyps which lead to colon cancer always bleed. They bleed when they first begin to penetrate into the blood rich portion of the bowel wall. But the bleeding can be short term and limited. A small amount of blood will offer no indication. Doctors offer test kits for hidden blood which can reveal this early bleeding. Today, home test kits are available form drugstores that will accomplish the same thing. But they often fail because they are used at times when there is no bleeding.

As I said, I got lucky. My first bleed happened two and half years before my surgery. It was copious and it was long term. Large amounts of partly or fully digested blood in the intestine result in black stools. I knew I was bleeding.

Let me make my first important point. Why did I bleed so heavily when others do not? The answer, I’m sure, is aspirin. I had long been on a daily dosage of aspirin. Doctors know the value of aspirin in helping to prevent the clotting that leads to heart attack and stroke. I was taking it for just such protection. Some say today that aspirin can prevent colon cancer. You couldn’t prove it by me. But I do believe that aspirin, by slowing clotting, can make those early polyp bleeds much more obvious. It’s hard to miss black stool. And I think it likely that it might prolong the limited bleeding that often escapes the hidden blood tests.

Rule # 1 - Everyone over 50 should be on an aspirin regimen. Long term use of high amounts of aspirin (check with your doctor for dosage, and don’t overdo - you could bleed to death) can cause its own problems, but cancer isn’t one of these.

Finding a colon polyp long before it turns into cancer is a step in never getting colon cancer. Benign polyps can be removed and cause no future problems. Pre-cancerous polyps can be removed and never turn into cancer. Cancerous polyps can be removed with a piece of your colon and offer a near perfect chance of never spreading or returning.

But my luck was not complete. My Doctor chose to look at my esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. In the stomach he saw what he termed “signs of a recent bleed”. But there was no blood, and no obvious healing wound. He did not examine my colon. My first chance at life was gone.

Rule # 2 - With signs of hidden blood or black stool, always insist on colonoscopy.

Six months later, there was another black stool episode. I was still on aspirin and I got lucky again. This time my doctor chose to look at both the beginning of my digestive tract (endoscopy) and at the end. But, in looking at my colon he chose sigmoidoscopy. This examination allows the doctor to see the last portion of the colon. Most cancers start there. Mine did not. It was far away in the ascending colon. Only colonoscopy allows the entire colon to be seen. My second chance at life was gone

Rule # 3 - With signs of hidden blood or black stool, always insist on colonoscopy.

Perhaps eight months past; and one day I went out for a burger and a shake at the local diner. Later I experienced severe and prolonged stomach cramps. I thought it may have been the shake. My doctor, unfortunately, agreed. He said I had “poisoned myself”. There was no further investigation. My third chance at life was gone.

Rule # 4 - Everyone experiences cramps some time in life. But when you have passed a certain age, and when the cramps are severe and prolonged (and these were the worst I had ever had), they bear further investigation. That is particularly so when your recent medical history might indicate colon problems. It was time for a colonoscopy...but none was done.

A year later, my surgery went well. There was no sign of spread to other organs despite the cancer’s advanced stage and the fact that it had entirely blocked my colon, resulting in emergency surgery. A colonoscopy four months later revealed a small abnormal (but not cancerous) polyp which was removed. Ten months later colonoscopy revealed a clean colon. Eight months later a colonoscopy revealed a small abnormal polyp which was removed. I thought I had at least a year for another small polyp to grow. But in eleven months I was nearly totally blocked again. And this time there was no bleeding, no cramping.

I am not suggesting an annual colonoscopy. It really isn’t necessary. But when you are experiencing highly unusual intestinal symptoms, you need a diagnosis. A non-diagnosis just won’t do. I hope your chances don’t pass you by.

Please remember this story. If you never need its lessons, perhaps one of your friends may experience something of a highly unusual intestinal nature. Relating my tale may help save their life. I hope so.

brainman

Thank you, altrick, for sharing with us your story! I wish the conclusion were better Sad

. At first, I thought about moving your post to the colon cancer forum. However, after reading it, I decided that it is in the right place. More people need the information you provide... not just those who already know they have colon cancer. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

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