One person might find blood traces in the stool and make a doctor’s appointment to check out what he hopes is as simple as hemorrhoids. Another person may have absolutely no outward symptoms until the shocking discovery is made by routine medical testing. Colon cancer signs are typically unseen and unknown. Yet early treatment for colon cancer has high success rates. What a peculiar situation people find themselves in that a disease can be treated and cured in the early stages is difficult to detect by feeling or seeing alone.
Blood in the stool is not a sure sign of colon cancer but definitely a symptom that needs immediate medical evaluation. A simple fecal occult blood test can indicate presence of colon cancer. Physicians can even get a clue from the color of the blood sample whether the potential cancer is in the upper or lower intestinal area. Bright red blood is in the lower intestine while dark blood comes from the upper intestine. This is not a perfect detection system but one that gives physicians a direction for further testing.
Still the fecal occult blood test is merely a red flag. The definitive way to determine if this is a true colon cancer sign is by colonoscopy. During this medical procedure, the entire colon is examined and small polyps can be removed to be tested for colon cancer.Click Here! for information on alternatives for colon cancer treatments
Other colon cancer signs develop and continue over time without attracting much attention. These signs are:
* A noticeable change in bowel habits for no clear reason * Diarrhea or constipation that does not go away after a day or so and leaves the feeling of still being full and uncomfortable * Stools become very narrow when eating habits are not changed * Weight loss without any effort to do so. * Fatigue even just after waking or resting * Vomiting for no other known reason and not part of a virus.
Few people think of these symptoms as colon cancer signs so these conditions are largely ignored and explained away as something temporary. Indeed these symptoms don’t warrant immediate fears because they may be something that will pass. When symptoms are early colon cancer signs, they don’t go away with over-the-counter remedies like an anti-diarrhea medication or daily fiber tablets.
Finally a person experiences abdominal discomfort with cramping, bloating or gas pains that become too much to ignore. As a colon cancer sign, this daily distress usually prompts a person to make a doctor’s appointment to get relief.
Colon cancer signs are frequently missed because they are not as well known as heart attack symptoms or signs of stroke. There is also a mistaken assumption that cancer is such a serious disease that is must have dramatic symptoms. Now you know that is not true. Getting in tune with your body, how your body generally and easily expels waste will help you recognize when that system begins to change. Particularly for persons over age 50, colon cancer signs need to be checked by a physician.
