I had a single incident that set me off. It had to be July (I was watching Tour de France). I stood to grab a snack from the kitchen and, as dudes do on occasion, dropped a little flatus, which felt wet! Ugh! Not normal.

I headed to the can and see a red blob less than a tablespoon. I was a healthy 43-year-old former professional cyclist (still playing the part winning smaller stage races) with no family history and a super healthy diet. The GI said not to worry, “You probably have a hemorrhoid. Feel that.”
This was September or October.

As fall progressed, I started feeling off: extra flatulent, afternoon urgency (never had that), bloated maybe? Just weird.

I contacted the same GI and asked him to do a colonoscopy or told him I’d find someone else that I work with. (I worked in healthcare support).

He acquiesced, and I was scheduled for several months out. (March, I think).

In early January, I got nervous after talking to a friend. I went home and googled the symptoms instead of hemorrhoids. BOOM! I got to a colorectal specialist ASAP. I called back and got my colonoscopy bumped up to January 23.

I was sure before I went in. I woke up alone and grabbed the chart because I knew the table it was on and where it would be. “Likely malignant tumor 6cm across.”

I stopped eating anything but real whole foods. I started yoga and daily hot classes. Tons of THC edibles and CBD. I ate as much forest food as I could learn and pick.

Chemo and radiation half of February and all of March. I feared a resection. A follow-up scope May 19 showed it resolved.

That was 2015.

Symptoms included rectal bleeding or blood in stool, and ongoing change in bowel habits.