Confusion Between Hemorrhoid and Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is a serious illness that claims the lives of countless people in the world every year. Unfortunately, most of these cases would not have been fatal had the cancer been diagnosed earlier. Countless of people’s lives would have been saved had people only shown up to their doctors earlier. So why do people wait until the very last moment before they have themselves checked? It is because majority of these cancer patients initially though they had a mere hemorrhoid that would go away on its own.

Unfortunately, majority of these cancer patients had mistaken symptoms of colon cancer as symptoms of hemorrhoids and thus, did not seek any professional help until it was too late. This is quite easy to understand since symptoms of hemorrhoids are similar to colon cancer.

Lay people, who do not know any better, will assume hemorrhoids before thinking of cancer and that is the problem. Yes, symptoms are similar but there are differences and truly, knowing these differences may one day save your life. Below is a short discussion on the said differences.

The Confusion

Similar Symptoms

It is probably a good idea to first identify the symptoms that are similar before differentiating the two.

• The most common symptom is rectal bleeding. Usually, people who see blood in their stool immediately determine that they had an internal hemorrhoid that had been ruptured due to their bowel movement. More often than not, this is the case but there are instances when blood in the stool points to a far worse diagnosis; colon cancer. Coupled with an itching or an irritated rectum, and people would certainly have no doubts that what they are going through is a hemorrhoids.

• Sometimes, there is also a feeling of needing to go to the bathroom, even after a bowel movement. This symptom is seen in both rectal cancer and hemorrhoids (when hemorrhoids develop at the end of the large intestines).

• Constipation is also a symptom of colon cancer although, for hemorrhoids, constipation is usually seen as a cause rather than a symptom but might also add to the confusion.

Once they determine -sometimes wrongly, that they have hemorrhoids, people usually go the way of not bothering to have it check. They usually reason that the hemorrhoids will take care of themselves and eventually leave their anus. This gives the cancer ample time to spread until, when they do finally decide to have themselves checked, it will be too late and the cancer has spread far to widely to give them a good fighting chance.

Different Symptoms

There are symptoms though, that are unique for colon cancer. If one experiences one of these symptoms, together with what was once believed to be a symptom of hemorrhoids, it would be best to have yourself checked out.

Symptoms that are unique to colon cancer includes:

• An increase in gas

• Very persistent pain in the abdomen

• A change in stool color or shape

• A change in bowel movements

• Constant exhaustion

If these accompany your bloody stool, it is advisable to immediately consult with a doctor. It is better to mistakenly think you have cancer, than the other way around; being cautious will never hurt anyone, and can even save your life.

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