A 34-year-old man diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer has revealed the key symptoms he dismissed, in a bid to help others avoid the same fate.
Jo Faratzis first began suffering from problems in 2019, including “a mild, dull pain” in the lower right part of her abdomen from time to time that “was easy to ignore and forget about.”
He visited his doctor, who asked him about his bowel habits and referred him for scans, but heartbreakingly Mr Faratzis did not carry out the tests, admitting: “I assumed it was unnecessary.”
Six months later he started noticing blood on the toilet paper when he went to the bathroom, but again says he “wasn’t too worried…it was never an alarming amount and it didn’t happen every day.”
Written in a US health publication Besays Mr Faratzis: “When I was 28 I thought I was invincible, so I didn’t do anything about it.”
It was two more months before she sought medical attention after she began bleeding profusely and after a colonoscopy she was given her shocking cancer diagnosis.
His treatment currently keeps the disease at bay, but one in ten patients with advanced bowel cancer like Mr. Feratzis lives more than five years.
Now share your story on tiktok to raise awareness, adding, “Sometimes it makes me sad to think about that first doctor’s appointment and what I would have, could have done, and should have done.”
Jo Faratzis first began suffering from problems in 2019, including “a mild, dull pain” in the lower right part of her abdomen from time to time that “was easy to ignore and forget about.”
He visited his doctor, who asked him about his bowel habits and referred him for scans, but heartbreakingly Mr Faratzis did not carry out the tests, admitting: “I assumed it was unnecessary.”
Six months later he started noticing blood on the toilet paper when he went to the bathroom, but again says he “wasn’t too worried…it was never an alarming amount and it didn’t happen every day.”
Feratzis also admits that part of his reluctance to do more bowel studies was because he “didn’t want to just go to the doctor for a DRE.”
“That whole situation, where the doctor inserts a gloved finger in and around the rectum, seemed uncomfortable and embarrassing.”
After his diagnosis, the worst was yet to come. The cancer was confined to the intestine when initially detected, but after surgery, within the first few months of treatment it “exploded” throughout his body.
Tumors appeared in his lungs and liver, at which point the disease is called stage four and considered incurable.
Having received further treatments, including further surgery in 2021 and 2022, he is currently cancer-free, but it is unknown if and when he might return.
“I probably had nine or ten lung surgeries that worked, but they also gave me some not-so-fun complications, like a collapsed lung,” Mr. Feratzis wrote.
‘I asked my doctor if I was going to die… They never gave me a prognosis or survival rate for what I’m going through.
“Even if you have stage IV cancer, if you can find tumors early and remove them, there is a chance you can continue to live for a long time.”
In an article published in the American health publication Self, Faratzis says: “When I was 28, I thought I was invincible, so I didn’t do anything about it.”
Now she’s sharing her story on TikTok to raise awareness, adding, “Sometimes it makes me sad to think about that first doctor’s appointment and what I would have done, could have done, and should have done.”
“This is not always the case, but fortunately, my doctors have been able to surgically remove all of the malignant lesions that have appeared so far.”
It is now in “an endless cycle” of testing. Mr Feratzis adds: “I’ve had clear scans over the past year – it’s the longest period I’ve gone without injuries.”
I feel good, I’m hopeful, and I live my life as if there were no problems. Sometimes I feel sad thinking about that first doctor’s appointment and what I would have, could have done and should have done.’
Advising others facing similar symptoms, he adds: “Listen to your body. If you think something is wrong, it doesn’t hurt to get it checked out.
“If I hadn’t waited, if I had the CT scan in 2019, when I had my first symptoms of colorectal cancer, I may not have ended up in the position I am in now.”
Feratzi’s worrying story comes amid an explosion of bowel and other cancers in younger patients that has baffled doctors around the world.
The disease has increased by 50 percent in this age group over the past three decades, recent data suggests.
The vast majority of bowel cancers still affect people over 50 years of age.
But the disease in older age groups has decreased or remained stable, while diagnoses in younger people have increased.
Earlier this year, American actor James Van Der Beek, star of the 90s drama Dawson’s Creek, revealed that he had been diagnosed with the disease at the age of 47.
In 2022, BBC presenter and activist Dame Deborah James succumbed to the disease aged just 40.
While some experts believe the explanation must be rising levels of obesity, which affects the digestive system, others suggest the overuse of antibiotics, radiation from mobile phones and even invisible plastic particles in drinking water. They could be the culprits.
A growing number of experts point to one major cause: ultra-processed foods.
Also known as UPF, these are prepared foods (including bread, cereals, and even salad dressings) made with artificial ingredients used to preserve, add flavor, and improve texture.
Some have even gone so far as to say that they could be as dangerous as tobacco and should come with a health warning similar to that on cigarettes.
Colon cancer in older age groups has decreased or remained stable, while diagnoses in younger people have increased.
The disease has increased by 50 percent in this age group over the past three decades, recent data suggests.
The main symptoms of colon cancer are the same for all ages: Changes in bowel habits, such as diarrhea, constipation, or both.
A change in the frequency of bowel movements or feeling like you need to go to the bathroom, even if you just went.
Blood in the stool or in the bathroom or bleeding from the rectum are also telltale signs.
Unexplained weight loss, fatigue, bloating or feeling full even when little has been eaten, and changes in appetite are also seen.
Anyone experiencing these symptoms should see their GP and may be referred to a colorectal clinic for further investigations.
Commenting on Feratzis’ case on Instagram, in a post that has been viewed more than 500,000 times in recent days, Dr Karan Rajan, an NHS surgeon, says those who worry whether his symptoms are a sign of breast cancer intestine must follow three key rules.
‘First of all, if you are experiencing new symptoms, if you have chronic symptoms, for example if you have had diarrhea for years, it is less likely to suggest colorectal cancer.
“But if you experience diarrhea for a few weeks, which is a change in your normal bowel movements, that’s a trigger to get you evaluated.”
“Number two, if you have a combination of three or more of these symptoms (diarrhea, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain and anemia), you have a six and a half times greater risk of colorectal cancer than someone who does not have any of these symptoms. .
”Number three, look for a change in symptoms. For example, if you have had years of bright red rectal bleeding, you were investigated, had a colonoscopy, and were diagnosed with hemorrhoids.
‘Now your bleeding has changed color from bright red to dark red or maroon.
“It should not be assumed that the bleeding is still due to hemorrhoids, because there has been a change in the character and nature of that bleeding that warrants further investigation.”