Avid Runner & Mom, 34, Shocked to Get Stage 3 Colon Cancer Diagnosis After Assuming Diet Was to Blame for Digestive Issues: Know the Symptoms

“I didn’t necessarily know anything was super wrong at first, when my first symptoms popped up. My first symptom was actually a change in my gas, it smelled different and was more potent than it used to be … and I thought maybe it was just something I was eating,” Tompkins told The Patient Story in a recent interview.

RELATED: Colon Cancer Symptoms

“So I tried taking some probiotics, thinking that would help, but then, I started experiencing bleeding when I would go to the bathroom after taking those probiotics.”

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Tompkins recounted waiting for the probiotics to get out of her system and for the rectal bleeding to stop. When she started back up with the probiotics, she said her symptoms returned, leading her to think she was just “stuck with stink farts for the rest of my life.”

RELATED: Young and Worried About Cancer? The Five Things You Shouldn’t Do (And What Doctors Recommend)

When she went to get a physical months later, she recalled a nurse practitioner suggesting the smell could be due to a change in diet. However, Tompkins noted that she actually hadn’t changed her diet and thought maybe her body had been going through some changes as she aged.

Three months later, she noticed blood in her stool again and she was not taking probiotics this time, so she went to the doctor to have some bloodwork and testing done to check if she had some kind of digestive issue.

“Everything came back negative, so she sent me for a colonoscopy so they could investigate everything first hand what was going on inside,” she explained, revealing a mass was found in her rectum during the procedure.

After biopsies were taken, Tompkins admitted, “I was not thinking cancer at all. Cancer doesn’t run in my family, especially not colorectal cancer. I was 34, I was healthy, I was a runner … I was in some of the best shape of my life, ate healthy, and just didn’t think cancer would strike me at such a young age.

“So I was going in thinking I maybe had some kind of digestive disorder that was causing this, and that I might have to be gluten free for the rest of my life, or maybe take some type of medication to keep things from progressing or to keep the gas under control or the bleeding under control. I did not expect cancer at all.”

Two days after her colonoscopy, she discovered at the doctor’s office that she had colorectal cancer. She then underwent diagnostic testing and was referred to an oncologist to ultimately find out what stage her cancer was.

After learning it was stage 3 cancer, she underwent 28 days of radiation therapy and took a chemotherapy pill called Xeloda, which helped her tumor decrease in size. She also needed surgery.

She had 12 inches of her colon and rectum removed, along with 17 lymph nodes. Five lymph nodes, which were deemed cancerous remained in her body, and she ultimately had an an ileostomy. An ileostomy is a surgical procedure that creates an opening in the abdomen, according to the American Cancer Society. The intestines are brought to the opening to form a stoma, and a stoma bag (plastic container) is attached to collect waste from the intestines.

Six weeks after her surgery she underwent combination chemotherapy, which she concluded in the spring of 2017. She is now in remission and continues to have maintenance chemo treatment and scans once a year.

Tompkins has since been working to spread awareness for the disease, and recently took to Instagram to say, “I know many of my friends are now approaching the age where you should be screened for the first time — 45.

“Please don’t put off this important screening! Colorectal cancer is on the rise in young people and is now the #1 cause of cancer death in men under 50 and is #2 in women under 50.”

She concluded, “Sure, the prep for a colonoscopy may not sound like a lot of fun, but if you go in when you’re scheduled you may only have to get 4 done your entire life! I did AT LEAST that many in the year that I was going through treatment. #cancersurvivor.”

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On her website, she created to help raise awareness, she adds, “As someone with no family history of Colorectal Cancer and not knowing anyone else that had it, I felt pretty alone.  I struggled to find information about what treatment would actually be like, without being scared by the statistics of the grim side of cancer.

“My hope is that this site plus my YouTube channel ‘Life as a Cancer Survivor’ will be a helpful resource not only for those that are just starting their life as a cancer survivor (and their loved ones) but also to those that have been a part of the cancer world for a while.”

Understanding Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum). Your doctor might call this type of cancer colorectal cancer.

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 change into cancer.  It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become a full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts. If you get the recommended screenings, your doctor will likely have time to remove any polyps that form before they can cause problems.

While experts don’t know exactly what causes colon cancer, they do point to certain risk factors, such as diet, smoking tobacco, and drinking alcohol. Having a family history of colorectal cancer can also increase the risk.

Dr. Heather Yeo explains what we know about alcohol and colon cancer risk.

Both men and women can get colon cancer. Overall, it is the third most common cancer in the United States — but it’s also very preventable with the recommended screenings.

What Increases Your Risk for Colon Cancer?

Risk factors are things that make you more likely to get colon cancer. They don’t mean that you’ll definitely get this cancer — only that you’re slightly more likely to be diagnosed.

You may be at greater risk for colon cancer if you:

• Are older. About 90% of cases are in people age 50 or older, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC). Yet it is possible to get this cancer earlier in life.
• Have inflammatory bowel disease.  Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis can, over time, cause cells in your intestines to turn cancerous.
• Have a family history of this cancer. Just under one-third of people who get colon cancer have family members with the disease.
• Have a gene mutation. About 5% of colorectal cancers are caused by an inherited genetic mutation that causes syndromes such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome).
• Don’t exercise very often. Staying active can lower your risk.
• Eat a diet that’s high in meat. Regularly eating red meats like burgers and steaks, and processed meats such as hot dogs and bacon might put you at higher risk.  Eating more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains instead might lower your risk.
• Are overweight or obese. Having too much weight increases your risk of both getting colon cancer, and of dying from it.
• Drink a lot of alcohol. Limiting alcohol to one drink a day for women and two drinks daily for men could help lower your risk.
• Use tobacco. Long-term smokers are more likely to get this cancer than are nonsmokers.

Environmental risk factors such as smoking and obesity are important in the development of colon cancer before age 50. Yet, up to a third of people who develop cancer at a younger age have a genetic condition that puts them at high risk.

For that reason, it is important for people of all ages to pay attention to changes in their body or bowel habits.  Weight loss, blood in the stool, and changes in bowel movements that don’t go away are worth seeing your doctor about.

More on Colon Cancer in Young People

The average age people are diagnosed with colon cancer is 68 for men and 72 for women, according to the American Cancer Society.

The National Cancer Institute reports that since the 1990s, colorectal cancer cases have been rising among adults younger than 50. Research published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians found that the proportion of cases in people younger than 55 “increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.”

Debunking misconceptions about colon cancer.

Researchers are still trying to determine exactly why younger people are being diagnosed in more significant numbers. Some experts point to risk factors, which include obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking, as a possible explanation for the increase.

“We don’t know for sure why we are seeing earlier onset and death from colon cancer,” Dr. Heather Yeo, a surgical oncologist who specializes in colorectal cancers at Weill Cornell Medicine, told SurvivorNet.

“It is likely a combination of factors, including diet and genetics as well as access to care and some environmental factors,” Dr. Yeo explains.

Most colon cancers can be prevented if people are regularly screened. The screening usually involves a colonoscopy, in which a long, thin tube attached to a camera is used to examine the colon and rectum. If no polyps are discovered, the following screening won’t be needed for ten years.

“We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Yeo told SurvivorNet. “Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem,” Yeo added.

The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45.

Coping With a Colostomy Bag After Colon Cancer Surgery

Get Comfortable Discussing Bowel Movements

It’s not unusual for people to be uncomfortable discussing bowel movements and anxious about the prospect of a colonoscopy, which may lead them to ignore symptoms.

“You shouldn’t die from embarrassment,” Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal surgeon at Cedars-Sinai, said in an earlier interview with SurvivorNet.

There are many doctors, like Dr. Murrell, who believe it’s necessary to rattle the cages to make people aware of the critical importance of screening, especially among some population groups who are at higher risk for the disease.

‘You Shouldn’t Die From Embarrassment’: Colon Cancer Can Be Prevented

Explaining symptoms, Dr. Paul Oberstein, medical oncologist and assistant director of the Pancreatic Cancer Center at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, told SurvivorNet “the most common sign of colon cancer is a change in bowel habits.”

“That could range from constipation or diarrhea to changes in the size or shape of bowel movements,” Dr. Oberstein explained. “You could also notice a change in stool color, particularly black or tarry stools, which can indicate bleeding from a tumor deep in the colon.”

Even if you have zero symptoms and feel completely healthy, it’s critical to get in and get checked. Schedule your appointment today.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are facing a colon cancer diagnosis, here are some questions you may want to ask your doctor.

• What are my treatment options based on my diagnosis?
• If I’m worried about managing the costs of cancer care, who can help me?
• What support services are available to me? To my family?
• Could this treatment affect my sex life? If so, how and for how long?
• What are the risks and possible side effects of treatment?

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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