Thursday, March 24, 2011

March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month

Why should you care?
It’s a form of cancer that can be detected early.  And stopped.
It is, in fact, the second highest cause of death from Cancer in Canada. (Source: Canadian Cancer Society)

Think it doesn’t affect you?
One in 15 women will likely get colorectal cancer during her lifetime.
One in 31 will die from it. (Source: Canadian Cancer Society)
For men, the odds are pretty much the same:  One in 14 will get it, one in 27 will die from colorectal cancer.

But, I eat the right foods/am vegetarian, so I’m safe, right?
Short answer: No
Want the longer answer?  Read this page.

Yikes!
Are there things that make me more likely to get it?
Well, the Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada has excellent information on that.  The full page is here, but to summarize:

-You are more likely to develop it as you get older, but young people get colon cancer too.
-Having had polyps before
-Having inflammatory bowel disease
-A family history of colon cancer
-A genetic disorder
-Growth hormone disorder
-Race and Ethnicity
-Having had certain other cancers before
-Having had radiation therapy for certain cancers before
-Type II Diabetes
-Obesity
-Sedentary Lifestyle
-Poor diet
-Smoking
-Heavy Drinking
-Working the night shift

OK, so what are the symptoms?
-Constipation or Diarrhea.  Occasionally, everybody gets them.  But if it persists despite changing your diet or drinking more water, see your doctor!  It may not be the big CA, but definitely indicates something is wrong!
-Narrow stools.  Consistently passing ‘pencil poo’ or ‘ribbons’.  Again, not a normal thing.
-Abdominal cramping.
-A feeling that you ‘still have to go’ even after you’ve finished on the toilet.
-Bloody stools.  Passing blood is never a good sign.  Again, whether or not it’s CA, see your doctor!
- Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite.
-Nausea and vomiting.
-Gas and bloating. (Yes, this means burping as well)
-Unexplained fatigue and lethargy.  Again, not always a sign of CA; can indicate other things are wrong, too.

Great, so, what should I do?
You should, at your next regularly scheduled appointment, talk to your doctor about colon cancer, and the screening method that is best for you, and when to start it.
UNLESS you have reason to believe something is seriously wrong, in which case you shouldn’t wait, you should phone your doctor.


Don’t die of embarrassment.



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