Thank you for the encouragement ams5796. Hoping for your complete recovery!
Thank you @anxiousmom. I didnât mean to get preachy, but this is something I feel very strongly about. Colonoscopies save lives. Itâs just that simple.
@ams5796: With that in your history, youâre allowed to get preachy. Good luck to you.
Thank you
Ams, best to u
Romani, I find to Go to be so sweet. I made my own lemonade, without the sugar, and used that. Keeping it chilled made a big difference. Good luck to you.
ams, I am so sorry that you have to deal with this. All the best to you in your fight with this monster. Thank you for the post. You may preach as much as you wish. Good reminder of what the alternative may be.
If it is not too much personal information, how did you discover your cancer, like what prompted you to get diagnosed?
@bookworm I didnât think about that. That wouldâve been a good mix. (Or, you know, as good as that can get lol).
I ended up getting through almost all of the GoLytely in 24 hours. It did nothing for me other than make me feel nauseous. Iâd have been more ok with it if it actually helped, but it didnât 
My GIâs office has been wonderful with getting me through this. Theyâve been able to do everything over the phone rather than making me come in yet again (which is nice after 2 ER visits in a week).
Thank you. I donât mind at all. Iâd love to raise awareness.
It was discovered by a NP at a routine physical. I mentioned to her that I sometimes noticed a bit of blood on the toilet paper and that I must have hemorrhoids. She did a FOBT which did show bleeding occurring somewhere in the digestive tract. She ordered a colonoscopy to be performed as soon as possible and after that my world turned upside down. I went into that physical a seemingly very healthy 48 year old woman. Colorectal cancer was the last thing on my radar. Never in a million years did I think I had anything wrong with me least of all, cancer. I had NO symptoms yet I was diagnosed at stage 3c (had broken through the colon wall and spread to 7 lymph nodes). My oncologist later told me I probably had that tumor for ten years. I never missed a physical during that ten years. That is why colonoscopies are so very important.
AMS, were you anemic during your physicals? A young 42 y/ o coworker was anemic and given iron supplements. When her anemia didnât improve, the doctors probed a bit deeper and discovered colon cancer and it had already spread. So unexplained anemia needs to be investigated.
No, I wasnât anemic, but youâre right that would have been a good indicator.
I hope your friend is doing alright.
Wow. Scary stories. Cancer surely does not announce its presence with a loud bang. Thank you for sharing!
âI had NO symptoms yet I was diagnosed at stage 3c (had broken through the colon wall and spread to 7 lymph nodes). My oncologist later told me I probably had that tumor for ten years. I never missed a physical during that ten years. That is why colonoscopies are so very important.â
But you were only 48. There is no reason you would have had a colonoscopy before age 50. How could anyone possibly know, with no symptoms? Nobody has a colonoscopy before that, unless there is a family history or symptoms, do they? It makes me think that they should recommend people have a colonoscopy at an earlier age. I am so sorry you are going through this!
Yes, youâre right. Thatâs why we, colon cancer advocates, Call on Congress each March. The number of folks getting diagnosed with colon cancer under age fifty is going up each year. Screening needs to be done under at an earlier age.
I was responding to folks up thread who I assume are over 50 who said that they would not be getting a colonoscopy. Screening rates remain low. Only fifty percent of people who should get colonoscopies do so. That is one of the reasons the age remains at fifty.
I am being treated for anemia with iron supplements. It was first discovered in March 2015.
I was re-tested in June 2015 and the hemoglobin levels did go up but during the last two readings, I am noticing that it started going back down again even though it is still technically within normal limits.
Should I be going for additional testing or a colonoscopy? I know you all are not medical professionals but just wanted to get peopleâs opinions.
Thanks.
Emily.
Blood in the stool or on tissue IS a symptom. Yes, it can be due to hemorrhoids, but that is definitely something that should be diagnosed by a physician, not the person experiencing the symptoms.
Always get rectal/anal bleeding checked out.
Emily, depends on your age, family history and your health history
Emily, I would definitely bring it up with your doctor. I had no family history of polyps but had a large one that was removed at my very first screening. It could have turned cancerous if it had remained.
What busyparent said. If you have anemia running in the family or have been mildly anemic for as long as you can remember, it is one thing. If you developed it out of the blue, it would be very worrisome, IMO. It is always wise to check with your doctor and not let them brush it off without any explanation.
I guess I was thinking that if it was relieved with iron pills, it didnât need further investigation but I did notice that itâs been going down again. I donât eat red meat so could that have affected the levels too?
Heavy periods can cause anemia.