Some Final Thoughts
Doctors usually recommend beginning screening around age 45 for people of average risk.
Symptoms of colon cancer can be pretty confusing because they can mimic many other conditions like infection, irritable bowel syndrome, hemorrhoids, or inflammatory bowel disease.
But if you see any blood in your stool or if you’re bleeding from your rectum, you have unexplained fatigue, cramps in your lower abdomen, or a change in the appearance of your stool, see your health care professional as soon as possible.
Remember that just because you don’t have any symptoms doesn’t mean you don’t actually need a colonoscopy. Many people have been diagnosed with colon cancer without having any symptoms.
There are usually no signs or pain until the disease has already progressed. Typically, the earlier the cancer is found, the easier it will be to treat. Studies show that colon cancer has a five-year survival rate of 92% when found early.
Be sure to let us know in the comments if you’ve had your own experience with this issue. And for some more “Healthy Reads,” we also highly recommend: Are You Getting Enough Vitamin B6? Here Are 5 Important Benefits
