I was 26 years old in 2006 when I first spotted blood in my stool.  In an effort to minimize the impact such a discovery could have on one’s mental state, I – as any healthy guy would do – chalked it up to “a big cookie ruptured something a bit.”  I told no one, and carried on.

Such events occurred off and on for the next two years – pain and cramping had not yet kicked in, but I did notice an increase in blood flow.  Eventually, after two years of internal bleeding, the pain and cramps arrived.  Needless to say, my concern tripled, and I shared my concern with my mother (she works in the medical field, and spent many years as a nurse).  She advised me to see a doctor. Go figure!

The doctor poked around, asked the standard questions and determined a sigmoidoscopy was needed to further sniff out the matter at hand.  The “sig” was scheduled.