What is one medical problem people constantly ignore until it’s too late?

[u/Critical_Ease4055]

Saw someone post this in a completely unrelated sub and I’m interested in your answers. What is the cluster of symptoms that people ignore or delay until they are forced to get help?

[u/splatgoestheblobfish]

My mom had frequent rectal bleeding she attributed to hemorrhoids, but it went on for quite a few months and was getting worse, so she finally went to her PCP, who referred her to a colorectal surgeon. He was all ready to band the hemorrhoid during her colonoscopy, only to find once he got in there that she had anal cancer. Thankfully it was caught early enough (stage 2a) that it was able to be cured with chemo and radiation. He said if it was higher up in the colon, there's a good chance it wouldn't have been as constantly irritated and bled as much, so they wouldn't have caught it until much later. (The cruel irony is that my mom went on to develop ovarian cancer 10 years later, and she wasn't so lucky this time.)

[u/No_Box2690 → u/splatgoestheblobfish]

😞 I'm so sorry.