She Was Diagnosed With Stage 3 Colorectal Cancer At The Age Of 31 And Is Now Sharing Her Story To Raise Awareness About The Subtle Signs
New research has shown that colon cancer is becoming more prevalent in younger adults. Currently, the recommended age to have a colonoscopy is 45 years old, but if you are younger and experiencing symptoms such as bloody stool and prolonged diarrhea, it is possible to be tested at an earlier age.
TikToker Bri Mahon (@brimahon) recently got diagnosed with stage three colorectal cancer at age 31, and she’s sharing some of the symptoms she experienced that led to her receiving a diagnosis.
During the past few years, Bri has had a lot of general gut issues, such as bloating and other symptoms that seemed more related to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
She also has been very careful with what she eats and even cut out gluten, dairy, and soy from her diet. Aside from that, she has taken allergy tests and blood tests, and nothing concerning came up.
About two years ago, Bri started to notice a change in her anxiety levels. She was having panic attacks and felt extremely fatigued.
Just this past year, Bri gave birth to twins. Shortly after giving birth, she started noticing blood in her stool, the cause of which she assumed was just hemorrhoids due to pregnancy.
In addition, her IBS symptoms were flaring up, but she chalked that up to stress, anxiety, and depression since her sons were born prematurely and were in the NICU.
But when the blood in her stool became a more regular occurrence, Bri began to get concerned. At first, the blood was red, but then it turned darker. Her need to go to the bathroom seemed excessive and out of control.
Bri called her doctor and received a referral to a gastroenterologist, otherwise known as a GI doctor. The doctor thought Bri had an autoimmune disease, but after getting a colonoscopy, it was confirmed that Bri had colon cancer.
Syda Productions – stock.adobe.com- illustrative purposes only, not the actual people
By sharing her story, Bri hopes to raise awareness of colon cancer and help people spot the signs. Several TikTok users shared their experiences with colon cancer.
“I also had heightened anxiety about 9 months before I was dx. That’s interesting, it’s like our bodies were sending a message. I was also stage 3,” commented one user.
“My bf had stage 3B colon cancer at age 25. Now he’s about to be 31. Colon cancer is becoming so so common,” added another.
“I pushed for a colonoscopy at age 23 and they found a pre-cancerous polyp. If you think something is wrong, push for testing!” exclaimed a third.
@brimahon my cancer symptoms for getting diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer ?? probably a lot of TMI but hopefully this helps someone ? #coloncancerawareness #colorectacancer #fuckcancer #cancersucks #cancerfighter #cancersymptoms
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