She's back to her former self after the November surgery and is willing to put aside the usual embarrassment of talking about bowel problems in order to alert others of the need to get screened. My children are convinced. They know they have to go by the time they are 50. Bowel habits are not a thing most of us care to talk about. Yet it's a topic that could benefit from a little more frank discussion.
People can take action on their own to reduce their risk.
The colon is the last 5 to 6 feet of the large intestine. Food passes through the small intestine, where nutrients are absorbed, then into the colon, where salts and water are removed from what is left. The last 8 to 10 inches of the colon is the rectum, which serves as a storage area for wastes just before they are eliminated. Colon cancer usually starts with formation of polyps, small, noncancerous growths that can turn cancerous over time. We can do it pretty easily without major surgery.