Colorectal Cancer: 402 Real Stories
402 stories match colorectal cancer. 338 of them mention surgery.
Stage III Colorectal Cancer: Paul’s Patient Story
Paul Klug was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer after more than a year of bowel changes. He first noticed frequent bowel movements and loose stools that did not improve. His family doctor and gastroenterologist initially monitored the symptoms…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Maddee’s Survivor Story
Maddee Moore was diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer in February 2023 after months of fatigue, abdominal pain, burning sensations, shortness of breath on hills, dizziness, and anemia. Because she had a history of gastrointestinal problems after a prior…
Read this storyStage II Colorectal Cancer: Maddee’s Survivor Story
Maddee was diagnosed with Stage II colon cancer in February 2023 after months of symptoms that did not fit her active lifestyle. She first noticed fatigue and intermittent abdominal pain in December 2022. The symptoms then escalated to burning stomach pain…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Jessenia’s Patient Story
Jessenia was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer at age 35 after years of symptoms she had linked to hemorrhoids after pregnancy. She had constipation, bloating, rectal bleeding, and severe pressure that eventually became so painful she could not sit. In…
Read this storyStage IV KRAS Colorectal Cancer: Lauren’s Patient Story
Lauren Bimage was 29 when she first noticed a breast lump after breastfeeding. It was initially thought to be a fibroadenoma, but years later pain and nipple changes led to mammogram, ultrasound, and biopsy. She was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Alicia’s Patient Story
Alicia Blakey was being evaluated for a large fibroid when CT imaging unexpectedly showed a colon polyp. A follow-up colonoscopy found a tumor that could not be removed during the procedure. The next day, Alicia underwent laparoscopic surgery to remove part…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Stephanie’s Survivor Story
Stephanie was 32 when an emergency CT scan found a mass after about 2 years of stomach pain, bloating, fatigue and low iron. Her symptoms had repeatedly been attributed to diet, birth control or her age. By the time she reached hospital, the tumor was…
Read this storyStage 0 Colorectal Cancer: Tracy’s Survivor Story
Tracy Robert was diagnosed with low rectal/colorectal cancer after years of bowel changes, bloating, painful gas, and intermittent bright red blood that had been treated as hemorrhoids, IBS, or other benign problems. A colonoscopy finally found what was…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Paula’s Survivor Story
Paula Chambers Raney developed years of worsening colorectal symptoms before her cancer was found. She had painful gas, stomach irritation, changes in bowel habits, fatigue, weight loss, anemia, blood, constipation, diarrhea, and repeated visits where she was…
Read this storyStage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Sophie’s Survivor Story
Sophie was diagnosed with Stage IV bowel cancer in 2018 after nearly a year of unexplained symptoms. Vomiting, anemia, pain, diarrhea, and inability to keep food down were first investigated as possible Crohn’s disease. Colonoscopy, MRI, and CT then showed a…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Nick’s Patient Story
Nick Sprague, a firefighter and critical care paramedic, was diagnosed with colorectal adenocarcinoma at age 48 after 1 to 2 years of bowel changes, blood in the stool, abdominal pain, reflux-like symptoms, and fatigue. An emergency visit first led to a…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Jay’s Patient Story
Jay Reese was 36 in 1987 when abdominal pain, bloody stool, and edema led to a colon cancer diagnosis. He underwent surgery, followed by 6 weeks of radiation and 1 year of chemotherapy. After treatment, he had annual colonoscopies and went nearly 25 years…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer Patient Story
Jay Reese later learned that his maternal grandfather had died from colon cancer in his mid-40s. Other male relatives in earlier generations had also died from colon cancer at young ages. Jay did not know about this family history when he was first diagnosed…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Adenocarcinoma: Elizabeth’s Survivor Story
Elizabeth Wachsberg was diagnosed with Stage IV colon cancer on March 14, 2019, after years of stomach issues that had been labeled IBS or bacterial overgrowth. In early March 2019, she developed worsening left-sided pain, nausea, and very high inflammation…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Laura’s Patient Story
Laura Shook noticed a small amount of rectal bleeding for 2 months before seeing a gastroenterologist. The initial expectation was that internal hemorrhoids were the likely cause, but the doctor scheduled a colonoscopy to investigate. When Laura woke from…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Steve’s Survivor Story
Steve Slack was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer at age 48 after 2 years of bowel symptoms, including blood in the stool, changing bowel habits, bloating, gas-like pain, and abdominal pain. A colonoscopy on June 18, 2021, found a large tumor that…
Read this storyStage IV BRAF Colorectal Cancer: Sophie’s Survivor Story
Sophie was diagnosed with Stage IV bowel cancer in 2018 after months of unusual symptoms. Her first sign was sudden vomiting, followed later by severe anemia, stomach pain, intermittent diarrhea, and difficulty eating. Doctors initially investigated food…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Amy’s Patient Story
Amy Nicole was diagnosed with colon cancer after noticing only a small change in her stool. Initial blood work and other tests were normal, and her planned colonoscopy was delayed for about 1 year during COVID restrictions. When she finally had the…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Jessica’s Survivor Story
Jessica Dazzler was diagnosed with Stage IV colorectal cancer in January 2021, soon after her 37th birthday. For about 1 year before diagnosis, she had pelvic and tailbone pain, changing bowel habits, blood in the stool, low iron, and fertility-related…
Read this storyColorectal Cancer: Savannah’s Patient Story
Savannah Kaspar said she had sensed that something was wrong, but she never expected colorectal cancer. The diagnosis stopped her in her tracks and placed her among the growing number of people facing colorectal cancer before age 50. Savannah received care at…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Andrea’s Survivor Story
Andrea was 32 when Stage III colorectal cancer was diagnosed, after symptoms that began while she was about 7 months pregnant. She first noticed bloody stool, lower back pain, and pressure in June 2021. During childbirth she had severe rectal pain, and…
Read this storyStage III Colorectal Cancer: Andrea’s Survivor Story
Andrea was 32 and working as a nurse practitioner when she was diagnosed with Stage III rectal cancer. Her first symptoms started while she was pregnant: blood in her stool, low back pain, pelvic pressure, and the constant feeling that she needed to use the…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kristie’s Patient Story
Kristie Reimann was 45 when cramps and bowel-movement problems led her gynecologist to arrange a colonoscopy. A tumor was found, and within a week she had seen multiple specialists and completed extensive testing. A radiologist told Kristie that she had Stage…
Read this storyStage IV Colorectal Cancer: Kyle’s Patient Story
Kyle Rising had just turned 45 when severe constipation and blood in his stool changed everything. Because his grandmother had died from colon cancer, he had been proactive: starting at 40, he completed at-home screening tests every year for 4 years. None…
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