March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness month. Colorectal cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers and also one of the top causes of cancer deaths in men and women combined in the United States. In its early stages, colorectal cancer is very treatable, often curable and most importantly, colorectal cancer is highly preventable with screening.
Because of Rob’s colon cancer diagnosis our sons have each been screened, I’ve written about our oldest son’s colonoscopy journey in my journal a few times. Robbie just had his 9th colonoscopy in 3.5 years…yes, you read that correctly, 9 colonoscopies and I’m not being dramatic when I say colon cancer screening has saved his life. Over this period of time about 100 polyps have been removed, many of them being a more aggressive pre-cancerous type. Had Robbie not had this screening it’s almost certain he would be dealing with colon cancer at this point. It remains a mystery why he has this over abundance of polyp growth (all testing has come back negative for any known genetic abnormality), so for now he continues with screening. At his 9th colonoscopy last week only 5 polyps were found, which is the lowest number he’s had since he started screening. We’re praying the pathology comes back benign and the polyp growth continues to slow so he can stretch out the screening interval to a year. Surgery to remove almost all of the colon is always an option but not being considered at this time since the polyp growth is slowing, provided the pathology comes back good.
Robbie knows I am posting this and now you know way too much about his colon! Sorry about that, it’s not a pleasant subject but I’m posting this anyway in honor of our Rob and those who are colon cancer fighters. PLEASE, be proactive and consult your doctor about colon cancer screening, especially if you’re experiencing any symptoms, and if screening is recommended, DO IT!
