women’s health
A North Carolina woman who survived colon cancer twice is sharing the subtle red flags she experienced despite doctors reassuring her there was nothing wrong.
As Shelley Rollins approaches 50, she recalls this in a new magazine essay: today.com In 2017, my life was normal except for the severe back pain.
She went to the doctor and had a scan, only to be told that she had a lesion on her liver. But she says, “She has nothing to worry about.”
After having a “gut feeling” that something was wrong, he found another doctor and underwent an MRI scan, which revealed stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver.
Rollins was diagnosed in 2018.
“My father died of colon cancer in his early 50s,” Rollins wrote. “I probably should have gotten a colonoscopy, but I never thought something like that would happen to me. I’m a healthy person and always had check-ups.”
Colon cancer is called the “silent killer” because it does not show any symptoms in the early stages. Mount Sinai Medical Center. As in Rollins’ case, the disease is usually discovered in its later stages.
According to , family history can be a risk factor for colon cancer. American Cancer Societyage, personal history of inflammatory bowel disease, diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, specific racial and ethnic background, and other attributes.
According to , it is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. whomore than 1.9 million new infections occurred in 2020.
Despite the devastating diagnosis, Rollins wrote that she “never felt doomed” despite undergoing a year of chemotherapy and surgery.
Four years later, she again felt that something was wrong with her body.
“I thought so because I had been in remission for four years,” Rollins wrote on TODAY.com. “I feel defeated. But then I started having symptoms. I lost weight. When I go to the bathroom, I feel like I’m not done yet. I get painful gas. did.”
Symptoms of colon cancer in women can include weakness, fatigue, blood flow in and around the stool, and cramps, she said. stanford health.
At the time, she was still undergoing “routine scans” and came back without any problems.
Despite her oncologist reassuring her that she didn’t have cancer again, she insisted there was something wrong.
And the mother of two was right – in March 2022, doctors confirmed she had cancer again because of lesions in her rectum.
She said it was initially missed because it was far away from the original cancer location.
This time, the tumor had spread from outside the colon to Rollins’ pelvic floor.
To treat this, Rollins received a temporary ileostomy bag to collect waste. It has since been removed.
She underwent intraoperative radiotherapy, which is tumor radiotherapy during surgery.
She underwent more chemotherapy treatments.
Now, Rollins believes her two sons are her “biggest cheerleaders” and is taking each day at a time to get better.
Although she is usually a “private person,” she hopes that by sharing her story, she can save the lives of others.
“Even if it’s just one person advocating for more treatments, I hope it helps them. That’s why I’m speaking out,” she concluded. “Being your own advocate does not mean you are a dissatisfied patient.”
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