With all the talk about “fad diets,” almost nobody mentions that the Western world’s been eating a “fad diet” for several decades. The effects have been dire: As we’ve moved away from the whole foods that sustained humans for millennia and toward ultra-processed convenience foods, rates of chronic diseases and cancers have skyrocketed.
The latest example of this downward trend in health to catch the medical establishment’s attention is the troubling surge in colorectal cancer cases among women and men under the age of 50. In addition, the rates of other digestive diseases have also increased.
At Colon and Rectal Surgeons of Greater Hartford, our colorectal experts recommend you pay attention to the signs and symptoms that your digestive and elimination systems send you. At our offices in Bloomfield, Hartford, Manchester, and South Windsor, Connecticut, we offer colonoscopies on Saturdays, in addition to our normal hours.
What five signs might indicate a problem with your colorectal health? Read below and contact us for an evaluation if you recognize the signs in yourself.
If you experience a dramatic change in how you defecate, it could be a sign that your colorectal health is in danger. One or two days of constipation or diarrhea may not be worrisome. But if you don’t become regular again soon, see us for an evaluation. Changes in your feces or bathroom habits that warrant an investigation include:
Listen to your body. You may poop just once a day, several times a day, or not for several days at a time. That could all be normal for you. But if your schedule changes, if you haven’t been able to defecate for more than a few days, or if the changes last over two weeks, call us for an evaluation.
If you’re gassy or bloated, you may have eaten something that disagreed with you, or you may have a food sensitivity, such as to dairy or wheat. But if you struggle with painful gas and bloating frequently, you could have an underlying condition that needs to be addressed.
Stomach cramps are another sign of colon cancer or a different colorectal condition. You may even experience pain in your lower back because the pain could radiate from the pelvic area.
Never ignore ongoing fatigue, particularly if you feel you’re sleeping sufficiently and deeply at night. When you’re fatigued despite rest, your body may be diverting energy to combat an infection, cancer, or another condition.
You may even notice that you’re paler than usual. One sign of colorectal disease is anemia, in which your body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells.
While everyone around you struggles to lose their vacation weight, you find your waistline shrinking. If you were overweight and you’ve been on a mission to attain a healthy weight, then congratulations!
But if you’ve lost weight despite maintaining your normal diet and exercise routine, it could be a sign of cancer or another illness. You may also be losing muscle mass, which makes it harder to maintain health over the long term.
The most obvious sign that your colorectal health is suboptimal is the presence of blood in your stool or bleeding from your anus. You may have polyps or tumors inside your colon or rectum that are bleeding. Or you may have an inflammatory condition, such as Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome.
Blood in your stool doesn’t always look red. If you notice your stools are dark and have the consistency of tar, you could be bleeding internally.
These five signs could indicate that you have colorectal cancer, but they could also be a sign of another disease or condition, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). You can’t diagnose yourself by reading a blog. If you have any troubling changes or signs of colorectal disease, ensure your colorectal health by calling us for an appointment or booking a colonoscopy today. You can reach the office nearest you by phone or online form.
