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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Hi Coco!  How did you learn that you had cancer--were you experiencing symptoms or was it found during a regular checkup?  Fingers crossed that it's just endometriosis.

~Trudy
[/quote]

Hi Trudy!  I had symptoms.  I was having some abdominal pains after eating.  I'd also noticed a bit of blood in my stool (which I stupidly dismissed as post-pregnancy hemorrhoids). I was losing weight too, although I attributed that to breastfeeding.  After 2 months or so of the stomach pains, I finally made an appt with a GI specialist, who recommended a colonoscopy.  That was how they found it.  There is no routine screening for colon cancer before age 50, so I'm very lucky that my doctor was proactive.  Given the aggressiveness of my tumor, they've given me 50/50 odds that it will come back.  What are the recurrence rates like for stage III breast cancer?  [/quote]

Those things like weight loss due to breast feeding and blood in the stool from hemorrhoids are spot on. You weren't being stupid.
You are lucky that your doctor was proactive most would have just send you home with some Colace.
Hope you continue to do well.[/quote]

Before my cancer was diagnosed, I was losing weight like crazy:  I am male, 6'2", and had dropped about 35 lbs.  I was not trying.   My colleagues knew something was wrong because they never saw me pass up food before.   I mentioned it to my Doctor, and he said that it is great -- I needed to lose the weight (true).

Then, they found the tumor.  After it was removed, no more weight loss (and it all came back).

In fact, I see my oncologist every 6 months for followup.  I am supposed to call and come in earlier if I suddenly start losing weight.
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