****First off…I am not a medical professional and any info I present is purely FYI and if you need more information then please visit your doctor for accurate information.****
The news is not good for there seems to be a rise in colon cancer among young adults and as we all know the older one gets the more ones needs to be vigilant on our health.
Colon cancer is on the rise among young adults, and the cases have been much more aggressive than they used to be. That’s why scientists hope the public pays attention to info out of a new study from St. Louis’ Washington University School of Medicine, which looked for early signals that someone may have colon cancer. NBC News notes that young adults typically don’t qualify for colonoscopies—that procedure is usually only offered at or after age 45—which is why the “red-flag signs and symptoms” spelled out in the research published Thursday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute are so important to look for and keep tabs on.
Among those early symptoms cited by the researchers, who looked at data from more than 5,000 patients diagnosed with early-onset colorectal cancer: extended bouts of diarrhea that seem to come out of nowhere, bellyaches, and iron-deficiency anemia. A fourth symptom, rectal bleeding, should especially raise eyebrows. These signs appeared up to two years before the patients’ diagnoses, with almost half of the study’s subjects experiencing at least one of those symptoms three months before diagnosis.
Researchers say people are often shy about talking to anyone about such things, especially when it comes to bloody stools and other subjects related to that part of the body, but that they shouldn’t be. “It can be difficult or embarrassing to talk about,” Dr. Matthew Kalady of Ohio State University’s Comprehensive Cancer Center tells NBC. “But the reality is everybody deals with something like this.” The study’s authors urge anyone with such symptoms, especially if they last more than a week, to see their doctor, as they stress that colon cancer is a very treatable condition if caught early enough.
Again please check with your doctor if you have any signs or just want answers to your questions.
Have a great Sunday…..I will be grilling with my daughter and granddaughter….ribs and brisket…..beans and slaw.
I Read, I Write, You Know
“lego ergo scribo”
In Saner Thought 
The information that I have received is that everyone (Males especially) over the age of 50 should have an annual screening. The old standard was once every ten years. And “Bloody” stools do not have to appear red … they can also appear as tar-like black …. Good information, Chuq. Thanks for sharing it.
Glad the info can be helpful…..chuq
Since I retired, I have been offered free Colon Cancer screening every year. It is called the ‘Poo Test’, and involves using a kit to acquire a tiny sample of a stool, which is then sent away by post in secure packaging. The results come back quite quickly, and so far mine have been good. Now they have started offering it to my wife, since she turned 61.
Best wishes, Pete.
Yep thwe same screening we have here as well….it is called “cologard”….chuq
This is important for anyone over 45 years old…I had a colonoscopy, and they roll you into a room, put an IV in you, talk to you for a minute and then you open your eyes and are back in the recovery room – you are out the entire time and feel NOTHING! It was so easy and so important! They also do a nose and throat check as well so all clear and good!
So far my screens have come back good so no colonoscopy is not required….but that will change the older I get. chuq