Pesky Symptoms

The symptoms started a little after the new year, 2022.

First, I noticed I was putting a little weight back on.

At the time, I was drinking hemp protein smoothies every morning (packed with fiber). Suddenly, I had explosive diarrhea. It eased on weekends, so I thought it was the hemp.

I stopped the smoothies.

But the diarrhea continued.

That was unusual for me. My digestive system had been clockwork for 43 years.

By April, I developed something called tenesmus; a persistent urge to push, but with little or no stool.

That’s really odd, I thought.

But I had no bleeding, no pain, no “classic” warning signs.

This was the beginning of my colorectal cancer story. The drop in the bucket. 

Seeking Answers

We had just moved to a new area, about an hour away from where we’d lived before, and I didn’t have a primary care provider yet. Still, I made an appointment as soon as I could.

I waited three months to be seen.

Finally, I thought, I’m going to get some answers.

Instead, I arrived and was told this provider didn’t take my insurance.

I went back to my car and cried.

This single moment catapulted me into a world of self-advocacy. I was in the fight for my life, and I didn’t even know it yet.

The Beginning of the Fight

That’s the raw truth of my colorectal cancer story, “my beginning”. And trust me, there’s so much more to share.

I hope you’ll walk with me as the story unfolds, piece by piece, in truth and tenderness.