Earlier this year it was discovered that the number of cases of colon cancer in people under the age of 50 is increasing. Although it is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK, patients can often mistake the symptoms for another disease, according to the portal. TikToker Bri Mahon (31) also knows about it.
To, she only found out she had colon cancer when the disease progressed to stage 3. She shared a video on social media where she shared all of her symptoms that led her to “get checked out and have a colonoscopy.”
Bri says she had some time “just general gut problems” such as bloating, and adds that her the symptoms would rather point to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Like this diet she eliminated gluten and dairy and underwent various allergy and blood tests, but “nothing worrisome showed up.” She felt that her stomach was irritated and often bloated, but then she noticed that she was anxious and tired. She had to quit her job about two years ago, and she thinks it was because her body was really tired.
Shortly after giving birth to the twins prematurely, she noticed blood in her stool, mistaking it for “pregnancy hemorrhoids.” “My IBS symptoms got worse and I thought that was it,” she said. Since her children were in the intensive care unit, she was stressed and tired anyway, so she explained her fatigue and stomach problems with that.
“It was then that I started to see more regular blood in my stool and became quite concerned. Then I got really worried when the blood turned much darker and my need to go to the bathroom seemed out of control and either I was insanely constipated or I was going to the toilet and only dark blood was coming out,” the young woman described her condition.
Bri says it only happened for a few months and it led her to call her doctor. At first she thought it might be an autoimmune disease, but after a colonoscopy and biopsy, it was found to be stage three cancer.
To the list NHS bowel cancer symptoms include blood in the stool, rectal bleeding and feeling very tired for no reason. If your stool is black or dark red or you have bloody diarrhoea, you should request an urgent examination by a general practitioner. If you are bleeding from the anus, see the toilet water turn red, or see large blood clots, seek medical attention immediately.
