Many people often believe that having a bowel movement right after eating or having frequent bowel movements daily is a sign of good digestion. However, these can be signs of various illnesses, including bowel cancer.
At the age of 27, Xiao Fei (from Hubei, China) always considered himself young and extremely healthy. He never engaged in regular health check-ups, and even when feeling unwell, he preferred to let the illness subside naturally without taking medicine or visiting the hospital. Xiao Fei also believed he had a good digestion because he had regular bowel movements every day, sometimes multiple times a day. It was due to these reasons that he missed the chance to detect his bowel cancer.
Xiao Fei used to have good digestion, allowing him to eat comfortably according to his preferences and maintain a slim figure, giving off an appearance of good health. He used to have a fixed morning bowel movement and occasionally another one in the late evening if he ate late.
However, over the past six months, his bowel movements have increased in frequency. In the last three months, he experienced an average of three bowel movements per day, and it was no longer consistent as before; the urge to visit the restroom became sudden, difficult to control, and sometimes occurred immediately after meals.
At this point, Xiao Fei was still dismissive, attributing this to his faster digestion compared to others. Moreover, he thought this helped him maintain a stable weight, believing that any illness would only lead to a gastrointestinal disorder because he was still very young and healthy.
But there was an issue that made Xiao Fei realize the seriousness of his condition, and that was when his weight “plummeted without brakes.” Many people around him complained that Xiao Fei was getting skinnier, even questioning whether he was eating adequately. Being too occupied, he didn’t pay much attention until he stepped on the scale and was shocked to discover a weight loss of up to 10kg in just over a month despite eating normally. He promptly rushed to the hospital for a check-up, only to discover that he had bowel cancer, specifically rectal cancer.
The doctor reminds of 3 signs in stool indicating warning signs of cancer that are easily overlooked.
The physician who examined and treated Xiao Fei was the Deputy Head of the Gastroenterology Department at Chu Chau Central Hospital (in Chu Chau City, Hubei, China). He stated that upon detection, Xiao Fei’s rectal cancer was already in stage 3. A malignant tumor, resembling a cabbage, had developed in the sigmoid colon and showed signs of metastasizing to the surrounding lymph nodes. The survival rate at this stage with effective treatment was 53%.
He emphasized that Xiao Fei was the youngest rectal cancer patient he had encountered since becoming a physician. Additionally, the medical history investigation showed many symptoms were apparent, but Xiao Fei overlooked them. Given Xiao Fei’s case, he wanted to remind others of three external bowel symptoms that might signal rectal cancer:
Presence of blood in stool: Blood in the stool or rectal bleeding is a common symptom of rectal cancer. It may appear as bright red blood or darker stools, resembling tar.
It’s important to note that blood in the stool can also be caused by less severe and more common medical conditions, such as anal fissures or hemorrhoids. If you notice this symptom early, don’t overlook it as hemorrhoids or normal digestive issues; discuss it with a doctor.
Abnormal stool appearance: Regular stools usually have a cylindrical shape, a smooth surface, are quite soft, and have a yellowish color. If your stool has an abnormal appearance, you should be very cautious about whether it might be rectal cancer. Rectal cancer, especially rectal cancer, typically develops into a circular shape within the rectal cavity, narrowing the colon. When the stool passes through, it’s like passing through a filter, getting flattened, smaller than normal.
Additionally, the stool of people with rectal cancer may suddenly become looser, stickier, contain blood, or stick to the toilet bowl and be difficult to flush away.
Changes in bowel habits: A normal person’s bowel habits are usually regular, usually once a day and often in the morning or after meals. Having regular bowel movements not only benefits the health of the intestines but also reflects whether the intestines are healthy.
If you notice an unexplained change in restroom visits, urgency, or timing, seek medical care and further examination. Sudden increased bowel movements, urgency (possibly accompanied by abdominal pain) after eating, may indicate rectal cancer. Or prolonged diarrhea for more than 5 consecutive days or frequent recurrences within a short period should prompt a rectal and digestive system screening for early rectal cancer treatment.
Besides the three bowel abnormalities mentioned above, the Deputy Head of the Gastroenterology Department at Chu Chau Central Hospital also reminded that rectal cancer can be detected early through various other signs, such as severe abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue. When severe abdominal pain, severe digestive disorders, loss of appetite, anemia, weakness, rapid weight loss occur, the disease is often in the middle to late stages, as in Xiao Fei’s case.
