“I hope that one person sees this, gets a colonoscopy, or goes to the doctor for something they’ve been putting off, and it saves them.”
According to projections made by specialists at the American Cancer Society, about 153,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. On the other hand, in contrast to previous years, they expect that an increasing proportion of these patients will be younger individuals under the age of 50, constituting 13% of the total.
This represents a nine percent increase from the number of cases detected in the year 2020. Despite the fact that this represents a very small portion of the population, around 19,890 individuals, it is nevertheless crucial to be aware of the symptoms that should be observed.
Researchers do not have a complete understanding of the reasons why more younger individuals are developing colorectal cancer; nevertheless, lifestyle variables such as food, alcohol usage, and other factors may be associated with this phenomenon. However, when it comes to the individual level, medical professionals are not truly aware of the reasons why some people develop cancer while others do not. It’s pretty much arbitrary really.
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Colorectal cancers at age 45
It is now recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that screening for colorectal cancer begin at the age of 45. This implies that it is up to us, as younger patients, to be aware of our bodies and to raise a red flag if something appears amiss. However, how can we determine when it is appropriate to schedule that appointment?
31-year-old Bri Mahon (@brimahon), a mom of twins living in Newport Beach, California, took to TikTok to share the symptoms that led to her stage three colon cancer diagnosis, and her story is so important to hear.
Bri reveals in the video, which has been seen to the tune of almost two million times, that she has been suffering stomach troubles for the past few years, which she believed were caused by irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). After that, she began to experience a significant increase in her levels of worry and a great deal of weariness. “I was having panic attacks and I think it’s just because my body was really, really, really tired and going through whatever it’s going through growing a tumor.”
Then, last September…
Then, in September of last year, she gave birth to her twins, who were born prematurely and need to remain in the neonatal intensive care unit for a period of four months. While she was pregnant, she became aware of blood in her stool, although she initially believed that it was connected to the pregnancy.
As an additional point of interest, she states, “I wasn’t even really thinking about what I was going through.” Stress was what I imagined it was. Initially, I believed it was depression. I assumed it was anxiousness because it seemed like all of these things were repeating themselves. Once again, I rationalized my exhaustion by saying that it was because my sons were in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
On the other hand, she disclosed that she had eventually notified her physician about the situation when she began to observe blood in her stool on a more consistent basis. subsequently, Bri’s primary care physician recommended her to a gastrointestinal (GI) specialist, who subsequently scheduled a colonoscopy, carried out ten biopsies, and ultimately provided her with a diagnosis.
A pre-cancerous polyp
People offered their own personal experiences with going in to check out in the comments section. One example is a person who, at the age of 23, pushed for a colonoscopy and discovered a polyp that was early on in the development of cancer. When it comes to the lining of your colon, a growth is referred to as a polyp in the medical field.
In addition, survivors shared their experiences, stating that although hearing this news can be extremely frightening, they were able to overcome the therapy and are now cancer-free.
Hearing that these cancer survivors were able to triumph over the difficult obstacles presented by their treatment and are now living a life free of the disease is a source of motivation. They demonstrate that even if the news might be overwhelming, there is light on the other side of the situation via their bravery and perseverance, which gives hope to those who are going through similar experiences.
People also called out how medical gaslighting
It was also brought to people’s attention that medical gaslighting might cause patients, particularly young women, to question the validity of our symptoms.
Others mentioned that they had seen a doctor for symptoms that were comparable to those they were experiencing, but they were given a different diagnosis. Therefore, although these symptoms can indicate that you have cancer, you won’t know for certain unless you get checked out.
In light of the fact that the circumstances surrounding each individual patient are unique, I contacted Dr. Amit Garg. In addition to being a board-certified hematologist and oncologist who has been in practice since 2014, he has also posted on TikTok in an effort to increase awareness of colon cancer among younger folks.
First, I asked Dr. Garg for signs
First, I questioned Dr. Garg about the symptoms that may indicate the presence of colon cancer. He concluded by saying, “Common symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, and unexplained iron deficiency anemia.” Even though I wouldn’t rush to the doctor for diarrhea that lasted for only a few of days, symptoms that lasted for a longer period of time and did not have any other clear reason should immediately raise red flags.
In addition, he discussed a few of the characteristics that might put a person at risk for developing this particular type of cancer. Hereditary disorders, such as Lynch syndrome and Adenomatous polyposis syndrome, a personal family history of colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel illness, such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, are all known to be risk factors for colorectal cancer. Some risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, consumption of red and processed meat, tobacco, and alcohol, have been demonstrated to enhance the likelihood of developing colorectal cancer; however, these risk factors do not have an impact on screening protocols.
Alterations to your way of life, according to Dr. Garg, might be helpful in preventing colon cancer if you are concerned about your chance of developing the disease. Among the protective variables include a diet that is high in fiber and regular physical activity. The usage of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and aspirin has been demonstrated to reduce the number of colonic adenomas, which, in the long term, reduces the risk of colorectal cancer.
Full length of woman practicing breathing exercise. Young woman with eyes closed sitting in lotus position. She is living room at home.
Any unexplained abdominal symptoms should be evaluated by a doctor
And he strongly recommends that anyone who is experiencing symptoms that are not typical for them to get medical attention as soon as possible. “Any abdominal symptoms that cannot be explained should be reviewed by a physician in order to decide whether or not laboratory testing, imaging, or colonoscopy are required. Ignore the symptoms at all costs! Without a doubt, do not!!!
When Bri was told by her gastrointestinal (GI) doctor that she most certainly had cancer, she found it quite overwhelming, despite the fact that she is normally able to remain calm under pressure. “When I heard the doctor explain that she believes it is cancer, it broke my heart to think about what this meant for my children who are still little. In the subsequent few days, I had the impression that I was living in a separate universe than my “reality,” and I refrained from discussing anything with my friends or family until the results of my biopsy came back positive for cancer, which was two days subsequent.
Nevertheless, with the confirmation of her illness, Bri found herself in a flurry of appointments in order to formulate a treatment strategy. I was diagnosed with stage 3c colon cancer, and because of the aggressive nature of the disease and the location of my tumor, I will have two rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatment.
The first round will consist of chemotherapy tablets, and the second round will involve chemotherapy intravenous infusion. Following the completion of my chemotherapy and radiation treatment, I am considering undergoing surgery in order to remove the remaining portion of the tumor. The entire treatment is expected to take between six and nine months, and this does not include the time needed for rehabilitation following chemotherapy and surgery. Since her treatment plan would have an impact on her fertility, she disclosed that she is also undergoing in vitro fertilization at the moment.
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