First Symptoms

The first symptoms occurred in about August of 2005. There was some blood in the toilet. Not a lot, but some each time I had a bowel movement. No pain meant it probably wasn't hemorrhoids. I decided not to go to the Doctor right away. I've never been the type to run to the Doctor the instant I felt a sniffle or something. As I tried to convice myself each day that this wasn't a big deal, I started to realize it might be.

Especially concerning to me was the fact that I had no pain with the bloody stool. If there had been sharp pain I would have assumed the blood was from hemorrhoids, even though I had never had any. Without the pain, other possibilites creeped in. Could it be a polyp? Was it cancer? The blood seemed to be increasing a little. Now I was having stools three times per day instead of one.

Not wanting to concern my wife, I decided to make a Doctor's appointment on my own. I consulted a friend, Nancy, for the names of some local gastroenterologists. She was somebody I trusted. She is somebody I would come to lean on for advice and support on a regular basis.

I called a Doctor's office and made an appointment. They wanted to know if there was pain? - No. How about cramping? - No. Any abdominal discomfot at all? - Well, if I push on my bladder hard enough then it kind of hurts. They said they would send me some papers to fill out and bring to my appointment, which was in a week or so.

A day or two later my wife came to me and asked what a gastroenterologist was. Why? She explained that we must have gotton some mail intended for my father or grandfather (we have similar names). I told her it was mine. She became very concerned as I had to explain what had been going on. She wanted to know why I hadn't told her sooner. You worry too much! That was three or four weeks you didn't have to worry.

Now I just had to wait for that first appointment.