7. Fatigue or Weakness

Are you feeling more tired and weak than usual? Unprecedented fatigue or weakness can be a sign of colon cancer – or a host of other afflictions. Because fatigue in colon cancer patients is generally associated with blood loss. Often, tumors in the colon can bleed, which causes blood loss that results in anemia. Typically, internal bleeding due to colon cancer can go unnoticed for a long while because the colon is rather large and will mask blood loss until other symptoms also appear, like blood in the stool. For this reason, unexplained fatigue could be an early sign of colon cancer that can help you catch it before it spreads or enters later stages.

6. Changes in the Bowel Movements

There is no shame in paying attention to your bowel movements. In reality, keeping tabs on changes in your bathroom habits can provide early detection of colon cancer. Specifically, if you suspect you might have colon cancer, you may want to take note of frequent diarrhea, constipation, bloating, gas, narrowed, thin stools and a feeling of fullness. A tumor in the colon acts as an obstruction and may explain these symptoms. Conversely, diarrhea can be a sign of colon cancer that may be misidentified as IBS or indigestion.

5. Abdominal Pain

While we all experience stomach pains at times, overt abdominal sensitivity can be a sign of colon cancer. Often, the abdominal pain associated with colon cancer results in extreme sensitivity of the area. For example, someone laying their head on your stomach could be excruciating, or you may feel more pain than the average person when someone bumps into your gut. While other gastrointestinal pains are internal, the pain from a tumor in your colon could be external. Cramping is also common in people with colon cancer.