‘Please Don’t Put It Off!’ Alabama Daughter’s Warning After She Delays Colon Cancer Screening for NINE YEARS While Caring For Sick Mom

A colonoscopy is the standard method of screening for colon cancer. During the procedure, a thin tube with a tiny camera is inserted through the rectum to scope out the entire colon for polyps, growths on the lining of the bowel. Most polyps are harmless, but can develop into cancer.

Melinda had the procedure done at 50, her doctor found a polyp and told her to get screened again in five years. Unfortunately, she waited nine.

“If I had gone through when I was 55, I probably wouldn’t have had to gone through the treatments and all that I did,” she expressed.

Melinda says she had radiation and chemo. “The cancer had progressed to the muscle outside the colon,” she explained. She didn’t experience any symptoms. “God helped me push through it,” the family woman added.

 

With a sharp decline of screenings during the pandemic, it is vital for people like Melinda to share her story. As the news package suggested, cancer doesn’t sit back and wait for a pandemic to end. Take care of others, but also put yourself at the top of your list, so that you can continue to be their for your loved ones.

Patrick Dempsey's Advice to Cancer Caregivers: ‘Take Care of Yourself, Too’

Understanding Colon Cancer

Colorectal cancer affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum).

The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If you don't have these polyps removed, they can sometimes turn into cancer. It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become full-blown cancer, so if you get the recommended screenings, then your doctor will have time to remove any polyps that form before they can cause problems.

Colon Cancer Screening is Extremely Important; Guidelines Now Say to Start at Age 45 if There Is No Family History

SurvivorNet medical advisor Dr. Heather Yeo, a colorectal surgeon at Weill Cornell in New York, recommends that people at average risk of colon cancer start regular screening at age 45.

“Colon cancer is considered a silent and deadly killer, Dr. Yeo explained. “What happens is people often don’t know that they have colon cancer. They don’t have any symptoms. That’s why we screen for colon cancer in the United States.”

Related: Professor Mom, 35, Told By Doctor Her Symptoms Were 'Hemorrhoids:' It Turned Out To Be Cancer

Dr. Yeo says that you should be screened for colon cancer, even if you have no family history.

“Once you have your initial screening colonoscopy, if there are no polyps and you have no high risk factors, usually once every 10 years is fine,” Dr. Yeo said. Colon cancer is a slowly progressing cancer.

If you do have family history of colon cancer, Dr. Yeo says that you should be screened about 10 years before your family member had colon cancer. “So if you have a family member that was 53, you should be screened at 43.”

Related: Why It's Crucial to Know Your Family Health History Today's Craig Melvin Shares a Personal Colon Cancer Awareness Message

You should also make sure that you have no other risk factors, like irritable bowel syndrome or lifestyle factors such as excessive alcohol use or smoking, along with a potential genetic correlation. Talk to a genetic counselor or a colorectal surgeon to try to figure out whether you have a higher risk of having colon cancer.

Stages one through three colon cancers are cancers that haven't spread far from the colon. Because of this, there's the potential for a cure with surgical resection.

However, advanced stages of colon cancer aren't always curable. But because there are so many treatment options available, the disease can often be managed.

IContributing reporting: Sydney Schaefer

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