Insights & Ideas

This one is for the ladies. It’s a story about my sister-in-law. Hopefully, it will serve as a wake-up call to make you more proactive in your health. Maybe it will save a life—maybe yours or someone you love.

Sarah was just 46, a loving wife and mother of two great, young kids. She had a healthy lifestyle, hiked 14ers and was full of energy. Then, seemingly out of the blue, she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Sarah died 20 weeks later in October 2014.

Colorectal cancer didn’t just take Sarah. It robbed her two children and husband of family memories—camping trips, holidays, life’s little moments, and her comforting hugs. Those hugs. Yeah, cancer took away the best hugs ever. It also silenced a hearty laugh that could brighten an entire room. And it took away the birthday cakes she made for all her friends at work. Colorectal cancer took a very special person who touched so many lives.

My wife and our family still can’t believe what happened. It’s tragic. Not just because she was a mother in the prime of her life, but also because there’s a chance she might still be alive today if she had received or demanded a colonoscopy. Maybe her cancer would have been found earlier when it was more curable?

WHAT WERE HER SYMPTOMS?

Sarah’s earliest warning signs started in 2007, after the birth of her son. She had pain in her lower belly that came and went, but she didn’t think much of it at the time. Bleeding in her rectum got her attention, so she saw her OB/GYN.

Her doctor thought it was pregnancy-related hemorrhoids, which are pretty common. But she continued to have symptoms on and off for the next seven years. By May 2014, the bleeding and pain in her belly was worse, this time it didn’t go away. She also had the feeling she needed to have a bowel movement, but was never relieved after going to the restroom.

Colorectal cancer may cause one or more of these symptoms:

• A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days
• A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that is not relieved by doing so
• Rectal bleeding
• Blood in the stool, which may cause the stool to look dark
• Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain
• Weakness and fatigue
• Unintended weight loss

(Source: American Cancer Society)

Eventually, she went back to her doctor and got an ultrasound that showed something concerning. That’s what led to her colonoscopy. A few tests later, she learned she had advanced-stage cancer. It had spread to her liver and lungs. She fought hard and sought help from some of the best doctors. But there was nothing they could do to slow her cancer.

DID SHE HAVE ANY RISK FACTORS?

We can’t help but wonder why Sarah didn’t get a colonoscopy sooner. Sure, her symptoms were similar to hemorrhoids. Perhaps her doctor didn’t suspect colorectal cancer because Sarah did not have any other risk factors. And she was under 50, when experts recommend routine colorectal screening.

Risk factors include:

• Age: More than 90% of cases occur in people who are 50 years old or older.
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis
• A personal or family history of colorectal cancer or colorectal polyps
• A genetic syndrome such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) or hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (Lynch syndrome)
• Lack of regular physical activity
• Low fruit and vegetable intake
• A low-fiber and high-fat diet
• Overweight and obesity
• Alcohol consumption
• Tobacco use

(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

OWN YOUR HEALTH.

To be clear, our family does not blame her doctor for not recommending a colonoscopy. Nor do we blame Sarah for waiting so long to get one. But my family wishes Sarah would have insisted on getting a colonoscopy when her bleeding didn’t clear up. What’s truly frustrating is colorectal cancer—more so than other cancers—is preventable through screening. And it’s highly curable if found early.

GET YOUR COLONOSCOPY, IT’S A COVERED BENEFIT!

Women and men age 50 and older, or those at high risk, should get a colonoscopy. No excuses! The Affordable Care Act and Medicare (certain restrictions apply) cover colonoscopies at no cost.

And if you have symptoms, regardless of your age, don’t wait to talk with your doctor about diagnostic screening options for colorectal cancer. Screening tests are for people with no symptoms. For people with symptoms, it’s important to talk to your doctor—and keep talking! The best health care is long-term conversations between you and your doctor.

RESOURCES

Learn more about screening for colorectal cancer.

Please share this story to ensure more women to screen for colorectal cancer (men too!)