We didn’t want to let March get away from us without mentioning the elephant in the room: Chances are, you have a colon. It’s involved in a dirty business that isn’t often discussed in polite company. But it’s there, nonetheless, and if ever there is a time to talk about it, it’s now.
March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. We hope you received at least one nagging message this month about having a colonoscopy if you’re due for one, having a conversation with your doctor if you are having troubling symptoms, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle that is good for your colon.
If not, allow us to do the honors.
By all means, maintain a healthy lifestyle. It’s not just good for your colon; it’s good for the rest of you, too. By all means, speak up if you have symptoms that could indicate colon cancer, which we’re listing here.
- A change in bowel habits
- Blood in the bowel movements
- Thin, ribbon-like bowel movements
- Inexplicable weight loss
- Feeling tired all the time
- Loss of appetite
- Stomach pain
- Unexplained bloating, gas and fullness
- Nausea or vomiting
So you may have to talk to your doctor about pooping. So what? Your doctor knows that you poop. And if he or she doesn’t, please get a different doctor.
If you don’t have colon cancer symptoms but you are at that magic age where they start looking anyway, don’t procrastinate. If we’ve heard the excuses once, we’ve heard them a million times: I don’t want to go through the prep. I don’t want something looking up my rear end. I don’t want to take time off work.
Get over it!
Trust us on this one. The prep isn’t the most pleasant thing in the world, but it’s definitely a lot more fun than colon cancer.
And having a colonoscopy doesn’t just detect colon cancer. It detects things that BECOME colon cancer. So having colonoscopies is one of the very few things you can do that prevents you from getting cancer.
In just a few days, we’ll mark the birthday of a dear friend. She would have been 58 if colon cancer had not claimed her life four years ago. If she were here, she’d tell you to get the colonoscopy.
Colon cancer can strike anyone, no matter how educated you are, how much money you have, or what you look like. While it most often occurs in the over-50 crowd, it’s on the rise in younger people. Colon cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States, and the second-leading killer among cancers. Every year, more than 50,000 people die from colon cancer.
We don’t always have control over the things that go wrong in our lives. While there are exceptions, colon cancer is often one of the few bad things that we can actually do something to avoid.
If it’s time, please schedule a colonoscopy. It’s not nearly as bad as you imagine. And the alternative is far, far worse.