March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month. I am very aware of colon cancer. So is my mom. We live with it every day. I even know exactly what it looks like from the colonoscopy photo.
I got pretty pissed in the newsroom Monday. We had a story to cover about Colon Cancer Awareness Month, and a few people actually snickered when it was mentioned - like it wasn't worth our air time. I had to remind them that my mom is dying from colon cancer. I know they didn't mean any harm, but their comments did hurt.
Yes, ignorance is bliss. That's how we got in this situation in the first place. And ignorance can metastasize.
Colon cancer is one of the most preventable cancers out there. But unless you are personally touched by it, I don't think many people give it a second thought. Mom has to give it a first, second and third thought each time she has to change her colostomy bag.
She wouldn't be thinking about it if she had just had a preventative exam a few years ago. It would have been a tiny polyp that could have easily been removed during an outpatient visit.
But she never had one. Never even thought about it. Even as it was growing to the size of an almond, a plum, a tennis ball, she went about her regular life never knowing the beast was growing within. By the time we caught it, it was the size of a softball, and had ventured out the walls of her colon into her stomach and liver. by the time we caught it is was already a death sentence.
So do yourself a favor, go get checked. It you have polyps, get them removed. Do this every few years. While you may not avoid all cancers, I promise if you do this, Colon Cancer Awareness Month will never hold the same sad, regretful feelings for you as it does for mom and I.
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I just heard about this blog and your mom this morning. My husband was diagnosed with rectal/colon cancer 2 days before his 40th birthday. When I heard you this morning, I cried. You said it was preventable if detected early; my husband's was by a fluke. He bled and we went to the Urgent Care - two days later, a colonoscopy found it.
ReplyDeleteAfter 2 sugeries, lots of chemo and radiation, and lots of prayer, he has been cancer free for a year.
Even the doctors agreed that most people wouldn't need a colonoscopy until their 50th birthday, had my husband not bled, he wouldn't have made it to 50.
I will pray that God give you and your family the strength to get through this difficult time.
by the way, my mother-in-law has breast cancer. she's not doing to good . . . we're hanging in their.
This is great advice Emily. As you said, I don't think many people give these checkups a second thought, until someone near and dear to them is affected. When this whole cancer ordeal began with my Mother, we were talking on the phone one day and she mentioned she had found a lump in her breast and her nipple was inverted. I asked her how big the lump was, thinking she would say the size of a pea or marble....she said "about the size of a lemon!!" She said she had a Drs. appointment a couple of months away and was just going to wait till then to have it checked. Of course I went berserk!!! I told her "Mom, you cannot possibly wait that long to have it looked at". It was stage IV breast cancer by this time and required a complete mastectomy, along with all the lymph nodes removed. And this surgery was after she had already had a lung removed due to cancer.
ReplyDeleteMy Mothers baby brother passed away a year after she did due to colon cancer. He had problems for several years, but had convinced himself it was probably just hemmorhoids. I think Mom's passing scared him, and he decided to have his problem checked out. By this time it was well advanced cancer that had been growing for years and probably also could have been removed if caught in the very early stages.
I never thought routine mammograms were important, and I'm embarrassed to say I waited until My Mothers cancer to schedule my first one. I now make sure to have them done on a regular basis. It's too bad we have to learn the hard way.
Thank you Susana.
ReplyDeleteI am sorry about you husband - but so glad he was able to get treatment. Again, sorry about your mother-in-law. Hopefully is has not metastasized.
It was hard to talk about on the air, I started to break down and Mike took us to a commercial. I find it easier to write about.
As for mom, we (Hospice) cut her meds down and she is doing MUCH better these past few days.
I pray for you family as well.
Emily
Yes Nancy - we do wait.
ReplyDeleteMaybe your mom just was scared of what she knew it was.
I am going to get a colonoscopy soon, now after reading your and Susanna's comments I will get a mammogram as well (It's been 1 1/2 years since my last).
OK, guilt factor is setting in. Must get checked. Must be in better health. Must be around for grandkids (They will come one day long from now I hope). As for snickering newsroom peeps, you gotta watch them. One, who shall remain unnamed, broke my Gumby! All joking aside, it was a handmade gift. People should keep their hands off and their mouths silent. Silencio! hahaha... It was kind of funny when Gumby broke in half though.
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