#coloncancer #familyhistory #lynchsyndrome
www.mibluesper...
Instead of planning for the 2018 holiday season with her family and three young kids, Rochester Hills’ 38-year-old Beth Jones remembers having invasive thoughts about making a family bucket list after being diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer diagnosis.
“I just remember crying, thinking, ‘how, at 38, can I be going through this?'” said Jones, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan member. “I thought I was going to get a scan, be done, then go get lunch. And that’d be the end of it.”
A series of scans, genetic tests and gut-wrenching conversations with doctors began with some subtle symptoms at home for Jones many months earlier. She started to experience symptoms like constipation and bloody stool. Her gynecologist told her that a medication she was taking may have caused gastrointestinal issues (GI). But changes to her medication didn’t alleviate the symptoms. So, Jones scheduled an appointment with a GI specialist.
“Luckily going in, I knew that one grandparent on my mom’s side had cancer, another on my dad’s side had cancer and then my uncle had colon cancer at a younger age, as well,” Jones said. “When I shared that information with the GI doctor, he said I should get in for a colonoscopy.”
The colonoscopy revealed a large mass in Jones’ colon that the doctor’s scope couldn’t see past. She was eventually recommended to undergo genetic testing, which found that two of Jones’ aunts tested positive for Lynch Syndrome, a condition that increases a person’s cancer risk.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit mutual insurance company, is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. BCBSM provides and administers health benefits to more than 4.4 million members residing in Michigan in addition to employees of Michigan-headquartered companies who reside outside the state.
For more company information, visit
Our website - bcbsm.com
Our blog - MiBluesPerspect...
Facebook - / bcbsm
Twitter - / bcbsm
22 окт 2024
