Trailing Thoughts

With summer coming, many people are going to enjoy the sun…. unfortunately, some will not remember the sunscreen and end up with a serious sun burn. Just 1 serious burn will increase the risk of skin cancer by 50%. This factors to just about 1 person from 7 will develop skin cancer. The sun produces a few different types of ultraviolet rays… Ultraviolet A rays are longer rays which penetrate into the skin. These are the rays that cause tanning or burning. They also are the reason for wrinkles and premature aging. They also have the potential of causing cancer. Ultraviolet B rays are shorter and stronger than UVA rays. They also cause more burning and aging than UVA. These rays are the causes of malignant skin tumors (cancer tumors like basal cell carcinomas or melanoma).
Now you are thinking that in an earlier post I mentioned that many people are not going outside as much and need to because of vitamin D conversion. This is still important, so the best thing to do is to prepare yourself for the sun’s harsh rays…. wear sunscreen… protect your head, wear a hat… more clothes are better, covers more skin from the sun…be sensitive about the medications you are taking, so can cause photosensitivity which will increase your risk of burning. Make yourself aware of the problems and the available solutions, and enjoy the upcoming summer.
As many of the readers know, I lost my father to colon cancer that spread to the liver in 2000. This has kept me aware of current studies in colon cancer. This is a very easy cancer to fight and win if the cancer is caught early. Unfortunately, many people avoid the tests available to screen for colon cancer until it is too late. For instance, my father knew he had some sort of problem, but he never thought it was as serious as cancer…. at one point, it got the better of him and he knew he had to find out what it was. When they did diagnose the cancer, it was at stage 4, which is the most advanced stage for the tumor. He fought for a long time, but the cancer won in 2000. We miss him very much and he will always be remembered. Unfortunately for him and us, he did not get screened early when it would have been easier to win.
Why do most people avoid colon cancer screens… well it is an uncomfortable and embarrassing screen. You have to have a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy exam performed. Before this test is done, many people have to fast for a day or two and drink 4 liters of Go-lytely- which is unpleasant in itself. Then the doctor inserts a scopy in the rectum and views the inside of the colon.
In most of American society rectal examination is very taboo. But lets look at it this way. If you end up with colon cancer, you will most likely have many of these test done. I think my father had to have about 6 of them done. Additionally, you will lose your dignity as you lose the control of your body and even in some cases, you will lose the ability to void yourself and have to wear a bag… these are the positive sides atleast you are still alive, the negative side is that you may have a hard battle which you will never win and leave your loved ones behind, which hurts the most. I remember seeing my dad suffer and it hurt and we all developed some issues that will take time to resolve… even 4 years later…
Get over the embarassment and schedule appointments, especially if you are over 40. It is recommended that an annual fecal occult blood test is done, while every 5 years a sigmoidoscopy is recommended, then every 10 years, a colonoscopy should be performed. If you have family history of colon cancer, it is best to discuss the case with your doctor, but you should start the screening earlier. I am a guilty one also… I know I should get screened even now, but the preparation turns me off more than the exam, though I know I need to get over this and schedule an exam… I think to myself I am only 24, so I don’t need it yet, but I should because family history is so strong. My father was only 42 when we lost him, who knows how long it was in his body… because colon cancer, in many cases, start as non-malignant polyps, which can be caught and treated even before they become cancerous.
For women, colon cancer is a huge killer, but many women do not think so. So many of us are aware of breast cancer and get annual screenings, but many women do not consider colon cancer as a danger to them. Unfortunately colon cancer is the 3rd most common type of cancer, and the 2nd leading cause of cancer related death. This is the scariest statistic because of the high success rates if the cancer is caught early enough.In women over 75 years old, colon cancer kills more than breast cancer.. Women have to be very careful, because of many females do not recieve sufficient sigmoidoscopy exams because the scopes are not being inserted deep enough. Additionally, as a person ages (men and women) this also becomes a problem.
Do yourself and your loved ones a favor, get over the embarassment and schedule yourself an appointment, especially if you experience anything unusual, especially blood in the stool, pain in the lower right side of your trunk, change in the appearance of the stool, long term constipation or diarrhea, rectal bleeding, painful defecation or feeling a mass.