Colon Cancer

Cancer is a group of more than a 100 different diseases. They affect the body's basic unit, the cell. Normally, cells divide only when the body needs them to. But cancer causes the cells to become abnormal and divide without control or order. If cells keep dividing when new cells are not needed, a mass of tissue forms. This mass of extra tissue, called a growth or tumour, can be benign or malignant. If the tumour is benign, then there is no risk to the patient and the tumour can be surgically removed. But if the tumour is malignant, then it can cause lots of serious problems. These cells will damage organs and spread rapidly around the entire body.

My grandmother just recovered from colon cancer. The colon is the part of the digestive system where the waste material is stored. Two years ago my grandmother was diagnosed with colon cancer. She was getting weaker and weaker every day. She lost 40 lb of her weight. She knew something was wrong when she found blood in her stools and she turned blue and almost fainted. She was taken to the emergency and was admitted to the hospital. Doctors did blood tests and CT scans and diagnosed her with colon cancer. She had a 12 hour long major surgery to remove the tumour. Following the surgery she had 12 rounds of chemotherapy, which made her very weak and made her loose all her hair. Once her treatments were finished, her hair eventually grew back. The doctor told my grandmother that the cancer had been dealt with, but he asked her to keep coming in for routine check-ups just in case. She still has to deal with side effects like periodic numbness and shivering. Thankfully the cancer has not returned and my grandmother continues to recover from a horrible disease.

References:
Doctor’s web (2010) Information about Cancer.
Colon cancer
http://www.medicinenet.com/colon_cancer/article.htm

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