Thirty-three-year old’s don’t get colonoscopies. When you are 33, and have blood in your stool, yourself, your doctor, even your gastroenterologist tells you it’s nothing. I had two babies back to back, so it had to be anal fissures or hemorrhoids, or perhaps irritable bowel syndrome. Everyone was actually quite casual as they sent me off for a sigmoidoscopy. The doctor found hemorrhoids and chalked it up to having babies and said they would go away on their own.

So off I went, relieved, my fears set at ease. Until, my symptoms didn’t ease up, or go away. In fact, it seemed to be getting more frequent and worse. I was finally sent for an emergency colonoscopy, some happy drugs later and a tube in a place I never thought would be one, on the screen, low and behold I saw it. My nemesis. My polyp. It looked huge. Let’s call him Frank. Although, it wasn’t as everything is magnified on those cameras. Frank looked like cancer. He was big, red and mean. The doctor was shocked and said Frank was significant in size. So, regardless of the IV pumping happy drugs into my system to ease my anxiety, it shot through the roof with that statement. The removal of Frank was speedy and painless. In recovery, as I fretted and waited for the drugs to wear off, the nurse and doctor both told me that Frank will be sent away for testing, and I’ll know within a week.

Cue the longest week of my life. However, this story has a happy ending. Frank (my polyp) was caught in time. The test came back benign but was precancerous. Had I ignored my symptoms and let Frank grow, well this story would be very different. I’ll now go back yearly to check for more Franks.

I cannot stress enough about awareness for this type of cancer. Because it is shamed, it is embarrassing, so we don’t talk about it. That is wrong. We need to listen to our bodies. Know the signs and be prompt and regular with doctor’s visits. So many of these cancers are preventative. It’s not embarrassing. Your doctors are used to it and honestly; Everyone poops.

ABOUT Erin

Bio

• Victoria, BC
• Adult

Diagnosis

• Colorectal Cancer

Primary Treatment

• Surgery

Primary Cancer Center

• Other

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