I was diagnosed with cancer at 24, and I almost missed one big…

Meagan Meadows, 24, was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer after she had one uncommon symptom. Now, she’s spreading awareness, hoping younger people listen to indicators like these.

The instructor from Southern California went to the toilet and noticed a small quantity of blood in her stool. She first assumed it could be associated to her diet, or stress. But her pals satisfied her to get it checked out by a doctor.

Most of the assessments and scans got here back regular, besides one pointed to a thickened intestinal wall, which may very well be precipitated by dehydration. She was then told to get a colonoscopy.

She was about to cancel her appointment, because she believed there was nothing going on. “I felt so embarrassed because clearly I was fine.”

Her stage 3 cancer diagnosis

The colonoscopy discovered a walnut-sized tumor in her colon. A biopsy then confirmed it was cancer, and additional investigation revealed it was a stage 3 diagnosis, as the cancer had unfold to the encompassing lymph nodes.

The younger lady told Business Insider that the news was “difficult to process.”

The blood in the stool was the only symptom she had seen, and even then, it wasn’t in “concerning amounts.”

“I had an image in my head that blood in the stool would mean the bowl was just red,” she said. Confessing that talking publicly about it has been “a pretty vulnerable thing.”

“Obviously, no one wants to talk about their poop,” she added. “But it is always better to get checked.”

A surreal journey to recovery

Meadows turned to her parents’ health insurance plan to cover surgery and chemotherapy. But the cancer treatment could also impact her fertility, and she had to make an overnight decision about where she wanted to have expensive fertility preservation treatment.

However, this treatment is estimated to cost $10,000 and isn’t covered by insurance.

“I went from being a normal 24-year-old to now having to plan for something I wasn’t even considering for years,” she explained. “I didn’t expect I’d have to try to protect that at this age.”

Symptoms of colon cancer among younger people

According to the MD Anderson Cancer Center, discovering blood in your stool is the most common symptom for people under 50.

Cleveland Clinic states that other symptoms embrace belly pain, bloated abdomen, erratic weight loss, vomiting, fatigue and feeling short of breath.