Thought I had hemorrhoids, but it turned out to be colon cancer.

It has been four years since my mother had colon cancer surgery. She had chronic constipation and saw blood, so she thought it was hemorrhoids and went to the proctology department at Changwon Gut Hospital. Since she had never had a colonoscopy in her 70 years, I went with her to apply for a colonoscopy as well. I insisted on applying for the colonoscopy because her hemorrhoids weren't severe and they were just going to prescribe medication, but the doctor said there were no serious hemorrhoids. The results showed that she had cancer just above the anus in the rectum, and they told us to go to a larger hospital immediately. My brother was looking into a big hospital in Seoul, but it would take about a month to get an appointment, so I was recommended by the doctor at Gut Hospital to go to Goshin University Gospel Hospital in Busan, and I went there right away. The proctology department at Goshin examined her and said that they could feel the tumor with their fingers, and although they needed to do surgery to be sure, the tumor was very close to the anus, so she might have to live with a colostomy for the rest of her life. They also suggested doing detailed examinations, which would take about a month to schedule. I insisted on immediate admission so she could be hospitalized for the tests. Since many tests, including PET scans, are needed, doing them all at once during hospitalization would also cover the hospital stay costs. As the tests were prioritized for inpatients, they were processed quickly. Initially, I wanted to be billed for the hospital stay to cover the tests, but once she was admitted, the tests were done quickly, and the surgery was scheduled soon after, so she had the tests and almost immediately underwent surgery. The PET scan showed something faint in her liver, but it was unclear whether it was metastasis or not. Because the tumor was small, they said it could be monitored or removed during the colon cancer surgery, and they asked us to decide. I decided to have everything done at once. The detailed examinations confirmed that the colon cancer had metastasized to the liver, leading to a stage 4 colon cancer diagnosis. Stage 4—thinking of it as terminal cancer, I felt my world was collapsing.

Fortunately, the surgical outcome was good, and we were able to save the anus. The metastatic tumor in the liver was also removed, so all the cancerous lumps were taken out. The surgery went well, and she has been undergoing chemotherapy for over a year. Since it was stage 4, they said the metastatic cancer could appear anywhere at any time, so they recommended continuing chemotherapy. I was worried whether she could overcome it if her body became weakened by chemotherapy and she had to undergo surgery again due to new cancer growth. The hospital said they couldn't tell her to stop chemotherapy and that she needed to decide for herself. My mother was also having a hard time, so we decided to stop chemotherapy. Ultimately, she had surgery, and now, four years later, she is living healthily. The chemotherapy for colon cancer didn't cause hair loss or vomiting, and she handled it better than expected, but it seems to vary depending on the type of cancer. Breast cancer patients often find chemotherapy very difficult. As for colon cancer, my husband started having colonoscopies about ten years ago, and he had several adenomas removed before they turned into cancer. Even with annual colonoscopies, one flat adenoma was discovered a bit late; it had grown and required hospitalization for removal.

Fortunately, colon cancer can be prevented early simply by having a proper colonoscopy. After my husband was diagnosed with adenoma, I actively recommend colonoscopy to people around me. If you are over 40, please make sure to get a colonoscopy at least once. I was completely clean, but my younger brother also had an adenoma removed, and my youngest sibling had a large polyp that required hospitalization at a major hospital for removal. Everyone except me had at least one polyp removed. Honestly... removing polyps is also done through surgery, and if you file an insurance claim for the surgery costs, you can receive coverage. Many people are surprisingly unaware of this. Both colon polyp removal and bone grafting during implant procedures are surgeries, and if you have a surgical rider in your insurance, the surgery costs are covered.

Everyone, get a colonoscopy so we can detect and remove colon cancer early before it develops. I highly recommend both upper endoscopy and colonoscopy.