Bowel cancer is the general term for colorectal cancer that is starting to grow in the large bowel. It is also called colon or rectal cancer depending on its area of origin. When you have cancer, the last thing that you might think about is having sex. However, smart people use the power of the mind to ease their pain and end up living happily than the rest of us despite their battle with the disease. Yes, having cancer is not the end of the world. It’s just a wake-up call for you to choose either to live life to the fullest or dwell with your miseries.
Naturally, sex will be interrupted during the course of treating a bowel cancer. It’s understandable abstaining from it at least 6 weeks after a surgery. Not wanting to be intimate with your partner is also more likely when you are having cancer treatments in general. Side-effects of the medications, tiredness and pain will dominate the scene. Getting self-conscious is also evident when you have colorectal cancer – making you feel awkward during sexual acts. Here are the details of the disease:
COLORECTAL CANCER
Colorectal cancer is the third common illness and top two causes of cancer deaths in the United States affecting both men and women. This kind of cancer appears when there is an abnormal cell growth inside the layer area of the colon (large intestine) or rectum.
Early Detection is Vital
Colorectal cancer is highly curable when detected earlier. It is important to visit an internist if you are 50 years old and above, diagnosed with Inflammatory Bowel Disorder (IBD) and had a history of breast and ovarian cancer. The doctor will require you to undergo several tests and screenings to determine if there is an abnormality inside your colon.
Controlled and Uncontrolled Risk Factors
According to WebMD research, there are some risk factors that you can and cannot control depending on your lifestyle and family history. Genetically, nobody wants to inherit such deadly disease but it is advised that if you are prone to it, you must go through further tests and series of visits to your trusted internist to eliminate the possibilities of the disease to occur. Some elements that trigger the possible cause of colorectal cancer are connected to your daily activities. Those who are smokers, alcohol drinkers, overweight or people with too much fat around the waist area, inactive and with no proper diet – specifically those who are into processed meats or red meats are more likely to acquire the disease.
Signs and Symptoms of colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer is a silent type of disease. It has no obvious signs and symptoms to confirm. But diagnostic tests and screenings as early as possible can detect it. Get a colonoscopy screening when you reach the age of 50 and repeat it after 10 years. If there is a polyp seen inside the colon, you should go to the next level of examination. There are two known kinds of intestinal polyps. These are adenomas and hyperplastic polyps. Primarily, most polyps are benign but it is important to examine in advance and remove it to avoid the possible formation of cancerous cells.
A positive carrier of this illness may experience abdominal pain, there are blood spot in the stool, abnormal bowel habits—either constipation or lose bowel movement, sudden weight loss and fatigability. Once these signs and symptoms arise, the tumors or cancerous cells are already getting bigger and might go up to levels 3 and 4 cancer stages which means that there will only be a small chance of treating it.
Tests and Screenings to Diagnose Colorectal Cancer
- Virtual Colonoscopy – this is an advance colonoscopy screening device that uses CT scan images to undoubtedly see the 3-D image of the lining of the colon. The internist will insert the camera to go through the large intestine and actually determine the abnormalities around it. If there is an existing polyp, the first known colonoscopy equipment or conventional colonoscopy is still needed to remove the grown polyp for further examination.
- Lower GI X-ray – it is another way of detecting polyps, tumors and other intestinal abnormalities. Yet, if the doctor saw a polyp inside the intestine based on the result image from colon x-ray, the patient will go through a conventional colonoscopy to take away the grown polyp.
- Biopsy – the removed polyps will be subject to biopsy examination. The internist will take a sample tissue and examine it under a specialized microscope to find out if it is benign or cancerous to determine suitable treatments.
Treatments
- Surgery is a usual treatment for colorectal cancer. The tumor and the affected tissues around it must be removed through surgery. For larger tumors, the surgeon will decide if it is necessary to remove the entire section of the large intestine or rectum to reduce the symptoms. However, if the tumors metastasize already- surgery will not help much.
- Chemotherapy is a medical treatment using chemicals to treat the cancer cells. Scientists are continuously researching for a more advanced chemical treatment for the benefit of cancer patients.
- Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) is the burning of cancer cells and affected tissues to destroy them. If the patient is no longer advised to go for surgery, this treatment can be combined with chemotherapy to eliminate the cancerous cells.
Being honest with your partner will help a lot. It would even be better if you open up your problems to a specialist counselor with or without your partner. Rectal procedures may have some effects to the nerves connecting to the sexual organ. Erectile dysfunction can occur among men and vaginal dryness or tightness can happen to women. This is enough to cause the libido to disappear. Physical stimulation will just become a mere irritation. Natural enhancers from within the system are necessary to bring back sexual urges. Most of these elements can be taken orally. Don’t be alarmed – there’s Cialis for men and women for this kind of dilemma. Consulting your doctor with regards to this matter is strongly recommended before administering this wonder drug.