Steve was diagnosed with colon cancer at the age of 43 in April of 2013. The previous November, he started noticing blood in his stool, but he felt fine so he ignored his symptoms in hopes that they would go away. A month later, the problem persisted, and Steve decided to visit his primary care physician. Steve’s doctor recommended that he get a colonoscopy, and he was subsequently diagnosed with colon cancer.
When Steve compares his colonoscopy experience with circulating stories about the procedure being “painful” or the prep tasting “horrible,” he says, “A colonoscopy is not as bad as you think it will be. There are no lingering effects.” Steve would not hesitate to suggest a colonoscopy as a preventative screening exam. You do the prep, go in for the procedure, and when you wake up, it’s over.
After diagnosis, Steve said it was important to him to find his source of strength. He found this in his faith, family, friends, and doctors who took care of him. Steve’s children were 10, 8 and 7 when he began his treatment for colon cancer. Even though they were aware that he had cancer, they did not understand the connection between family history and the disease. Colon cancer prevention is now a topic of conversation, and, when the time is right, the family will talk about early colon cancer screening for the kids.
Steve encourages everyone to not delay in talking to your doctor about a health concern. The sooner your doctor can diagnose a case of colon cancer, the better the result will be.