Life-changing habit leads to man’s shock stage four bowel cancer diagnosis
- Replies 13
Tales of health scares can be alarming and daunting, but they often come with life-saving lessons worth our attention.
Today, we share a story of a 38-year-old Australian teacher who is advocating for a simple, yet crucial habit that could make such a huge difference.
This habit, while seemingly unglamorous, saved his life by helping him detect stage four bowel cancer at an early stage.
Th Newcastle, New South Wales-based man first noticed something amiss after his bowel movements.
You see, there was blood in his stool. Far from being a one-time occurence, he said this went on for weeks, which prompted him to take action.
He sought medical help, which led to him undergoing a colonoscopy, revealing a substantial cancerous growth on the verge of obstructing his bowel.
He urged his fellow Australians to pay attention to their bowel movements via a post on social media, saying: 'This is a public service announcement to check your poop every few days.'
'You don't have to touch it, but just make sure it has no traces of blood and is looking OK.'
His diagnosis came as a shock, given the slow-growing nature of the cancer. This has led doctors to believe he has had it for over a decade.
'Blood in poo doesn't always mean cancer. People with IBS and chronic conditions like colitis or Crohn's get bloody stools regularly,' he added.
'Also hemorrhoids are quite common for causing blood in poops. It is still worth getting a colonoscopy to ensure you know what it is.'
Before his procedure, doctors said they were 99 per cent sure he just had ulcerative colitis. This has made the diagnosis even more shocking.
He also did not mention anything about pain or weight loss which is one of the symptoms of the dreaded disease.
Many expressed gratitude for the reminder to inspect their bowel habits more often.
'There is some push for the bowel screening program to be dropped to 45, which would be good. Colon cancer rates for under 50s is growing, so this is a very important message,' one replied.
While others shared their struggle to get tested despite their requests to their GPs.
'I have had multiple GPs deny me getting a colonoscopy even though I have had blood in my stool for four years now. I am 47, so I am waiting for another three years so I can get tested,' one man commented.
The teacher acknowledged the difficulty of getting tested as it took him three months before he could be checked despite the nod from his GP.
A 26-year-old jumped in on the conversation and agreed with the teacher’s advice, saying: 'I had blood in my poop and was diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer about six months ago.'
'Six months of chemotherapy and the next thing that is up is to get 30cm of my intestines cut out to remove the tumour.
'I had two episodes of bloody diarrhea and got told I was too young to have cancer. It was a fight to get a colonoscopy and break the dogma that only old people get cancer.'
Meanwhile, the teacher also revealed he is lucky to have raked in sick leaves and is currently off for the rest of the year as he goes through chemotherapy.
He also shared that there is no history of the disease in his family and never expected that 'anything would go wrong' with his body.
Eligible Australians aged 50 to 74 reportedly receive free tests every two years mailed to them in their homes as part of the Department of Health and Aged Care’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. Other people can also buy the tests at the pharmacy.
Members, check with your GP if your stool shows any signs of bleeding for a proper diagnosis.
Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below!
Today, we share a story of a 38-year-old Australian teacher who is advocating for a simple, yet crucial habit that could make such a huge difference.
This habit, while seemingly unglamorous, saved his life by helping him detect stage four bowel cancer at an early stage.
Th Newcastle, New South Wales-based man first noticed something amiss after his bowel movements.
A man noticed blood in his stool and was recommended to get a colonoscopy for a proper diagnosis. Image source: Freepik.
You see, there was blood in his stool. Far from being a one-time occurence, he said this went on for weeks, which prompted him to take action.
He sought medical help, which led to him undergoing a colonoscopy, revealing a substantial cancerous growth on the verge of obstructing his bowel.
He urged his fellow Australians to pay attention to their bowel movements via a post on social media, saying: 'This is a public service announcement to check your poop every few days.'
'You don't have to touch it, but just make sure it has no traces of blood and is looking OK.'
His diagnosis came as a shock, given the slow-growing nature of the cancer. This has led doctors to believe he has had it for over a decade.
'Blood in poo doesn't always mean cancer. People with IBS and chronic conditions like colitis or Crohn's get bloody stools regularly,' he added.
'Also hemorrhoids are quite common for causing blood in poops. It is still worth getting a colonoscopy to ensure you know what it is.'
Before his procedure, doctors said they were 99 per cent sure he just had ulcerative colitis. This has made the diagnosis even more shocking.
He also did not mention anything about pain or weight loss which is one of the symptoms of the dreaded disease.
Many expressed gratitude for the reminder to inspect their bowel habits more often.
'There is some push for the bowel screening program to be dropped to 45, which would be good. Colon cancer rates for under 50s is growing, so this is a very important message,' one replied.
While others shared their struggle to get tested despite their requests to their GPs.
'I have had multiple GPs deny me getting a colonoscopy even though I have had blood in my stool for four years now. I am 47, so I am waiting for another three years so I can get tested,' one man commented.
The teacher acknowledged the difficulty of getting tested as it took him three months before he could be checked despite the nod from his GP.
A 26-year-old jumped in on the conversation and agreed with the teacher’s advice, saying: 'I had blood in my poop and was diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer about six months ago.'
'Six months of chemotherapy and the next thing that is up is to get 30cm of my intestines cut out to remove the tumour.
'I had two episodes of bloody diarrhea and got told I was too young to have cancer. It was a fight to get a colonoscopy and break the dogma that only old people get cancer.'
Meanwhile, the teacher also revealed he is lucky to have raked in sick leaves and is currently off for the rest of the year as he goes through chemotherapy.
He also shared that there is no history of the disease in his family and never expected that 'anything would go wrong' with his body.
Eligible Australians aged 50 to 74 reportedly receive free tests every two years mailed to them in their homes as part of the Department of Health and Aged Care’s National Bowel Cancer Screening Program. Other people can also buy the tests at the pharmacy.
Let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments below!
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doesn’t make sense to me
Keep the spirits up
