March kicks off National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! This month we aim to raise awareness about a disease that strikes about 100,000 Americans each year (based on the American Cancer Society's 2010 facts and figures). Did you know that about 50, 000 American died of colorectal cancer last year? It time to spread the word about screening, symptoms, and risks. What are you going to do?
There is actually a lot you can do! Ask yourself if you or your spouse/partner are due for a colonoscopy. Have your parents had one recently? Are they due for a colon cancer screening? Don't know when you are supposed to get screened? No worries -- check out the screening guidelines here: Colon Cancer Screening Guidelines
Symptoms are another part of raising awareness. Some people experience symptoms and never go to the doctor because they are waiting for them to get better on their own or because they are afraid of the outcome. Remember, seeing your doctor early on when symptoms begins is the key to to early detection. Learn the symptom of colon cancer today.
Finally, ask yourself if you are at risk. Do you have a family history of colon cancer? Do you engage in any avoidable risks? Unsure about the risks? Check out 15 Causes of Colon Cancer for more information about the causes and risks of colon cancer.
Don’t fear the ’scope.
At age 43 I was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer. My primary care physician had recommended a routine colonoscopy a couple of years earlier. I didn’t bother because I thought I was too young. Then, in 2009 I had rectal pain and bleeding. Now, after radiation + chemotherapy followed by surgery followed by more chemo, I am in remission. Had I undergone the colonscopy when my doctor first recommended it, my treatments may have been easier and my long-term survival would have been much better.
Through it all, I’ve had three colonoscopies and need one every three years instead of 10. It’s not a big deal. Don’t fear the ’scope.