Throughout March, many individuals have been commemorating Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. One of those individuals is a 22-year-old Minneapolis woman. Her abdominal discomfort went misdiagnosed until doctors finally performed a colonoscopy on her. They found that she had colon cancer.
Stories about how colon cancer rates among younger Americans are on the rise first made the news a few weeks ago. Despite that, most medical advisory boards only recommend that individuals over the age of 50 go in for regular colonoscopies.
In the case of this 22-year-old, she’d experienced what doctors simply chalked up as internal hemorrhoids for at least two years. Doctors told her that there was little she could do about them and not to worry.
As the young woman’s medical condition persisted, she sought additional doctors’ opinions. She ultimately convinced one of them to perform a colonoscopy. It revealed that she had a sizable tumor. By the time it was found, she was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer.
She was in her final semester of college at that time. She finished her finals while she was hospitalized. She started chemotherapy soon after her graduation. She’s now on the mend and working at her dream job.
While this woman’s persistence paid off and her tumor was identified with enough time to save her life, many other young people aren’t as fortunate.
Data shows that colon cancer has now become the third most common cause of death among younger people. One of the reasons that it often results in death is because it’s diagnosed too late for any treatment to save these young victims.
When asked if she had any advice to offer others, she noted that she’d urge them to be persistent in trying to get answers.
She also points out that everyone should learn more about colon cancer symptoms. These include sudden weight loss, low back pain, blood in the stool, persistent cramps and anemia.
When you see a Hinesville doctor, you trust that they’ll be able to come up with a solid diagnosis and treatment plan for what you’re feeling. When doctors misdiagnose patients, they put those patients at risk of permanent injury or death. In situations like these, an attorney may be able to hold negligent parties responsible so that others in Georgia don’t have to go through the same thing that you did.