The symptoms of bowel cancer can be difficult to detect because they don't necessarily make a person feel unwell. An oncologist patient who was diagnosed with bowel cancer spoke about symptoms that he did not pay attention to.
35-year-old Mike Vernon from London noted on Reddit that when he was finally given the correct diagnosis, He was already in the third stage of cancer. He discussed this with a professor who stressed that the most common symptom of bowel cancer is changes in gastrointestinal habits over a period of weeks.
Particular attention should be paid to two factors. The first is a change in the stool, it becomes more liquid, more frequent, or, on the contrary, we can talk about constipation. Changes should occur over a long period of time, at least two weeks.
The second factor is the presence of blood in the stool. It can be fresh, sometimes mixed with mucus, or it can be black, and then the feces turn black.
Doctors note that blood in the stool can be caused by a number of benign conditions, including hemorrhoids and inflammatory bowel disease, but this condition should not be ignored.
“I did not pay attention to the fact that the so-called “habits” of my intestines had changed,” the patient said, “I thought that the stools that became more liquid and frequent were due to the fact that I was nervous a lot, I didn’t eat properly and I didn’t move much. I did not change anything in my lifestyle, but I began to notice that streaks of blood began to appear in the feces. This made me see a doctor. I was told that I have irritable bowel syndrome. So I lost a year without seeing an oncologist. It was only when I began to lose weight and experience constant weakness that I was referred to a specialist.
More common symptoms include bloating or pain, unexplained weight loss, anemia, or extreme fatigue.
br>The exact cause of bowel cancer is unknown, but experts say a number of factors can increase the risk. These include:
- Age – Nearly 9 out of 10 people with bowel cancer are 60 or older
- Nutrition – You eat too much red and/or processed meat and too little fiber
- Weight – Colon cancer is more common in people who are overweight or obese
- Low exercise – Sedentary lifestyle increases the risk of bowel cancer
- Alcohol abuse can increase the risk of bowel cancer
- Smoking is the same
- Heredity is the presence of a close relative who has developed bowel cancer under the age of 50.
How to lower your risk of bowel cancer:
- Eat less meat and get more fiber from whole grains, legumes, vegetables and fruits
- Bring your weight back
- Go in for sports
- Quit drinking and smoking.
Read also: 37-year-old patient shared 5 symptoms that led to diagnosis of bowel cancer.
It may be bowel cancer: when to go to the doctor after noticing changes?
Related: Three non-obvious signs that liver problems have begun.
Proctologist Dmitrieva named symptoms that may indicate bowel cancer
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