How can I check my colon at home?
At-home screening options
- FIT: The fecal immunochemical test, or FIT, uses antibodies to detect blood in the stool, and it’s about 79% accurate at detecting colon cancer.
- Cologuard: A pricier option than FIT, Cologuard is about 92% accurate at detecting colorectal cancer.
What age should you get your colon checked?
Regular screening, beginning at age 45, is the key to preventing colorectal cancer and finding it early. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends that adults age 45 to 75 be screened for colorectal cancer. The Task Force recommends that adults age 76 to 85 ask their doctor if they should be screened.
What does pain in the colon feel like?
For example, some may have general abdominal pain, while others may feel pain in a specific spot. People may also feel pain in the area of the rectum, just above the anus. This pain may feel sharp and stabbing or dull and achy.
What are the signs and symptoms of colon cancer?
Signs and symptoms of colon cancer include: A persistent change in your bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation or a change in the consistency of your stool. Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool.
What are the symptoms of a large polyp in the colon?
Pain. A large colon polyp can partially obstruct your bowel, leading to crampy abdominal pain.
What causes pain in the sigmoid part of the colon?
ulcerative colitis, which causes pain in the sigmoid colon—the final part of the large intestine that leads to the rectum. Crohn’s disease, which typically causes pain around the belly button or on the lower right side of the abdomen diverticulitis, which causes sigmoid colon pain
How to tell if you have a bowel movement?
A change in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or narrowing of the stool, that lasts for more than a few days. A feeling that you need to have a bowel movement that is not relieved by doing so. Rectal bleeding. Dark stools, or blood in the stool. Cramping or abdominal (belly) pain. Weakness and fatigue.