GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - The Real Men Wear Gowns campaign is all about getting men to be more proactive with their health.
Jim Louangsaphakdy of Mankato is living proof of how important that is.
He was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer two years ago at just 26 years old. Jim's mom died from the disease and, fresh out of nursing school, he decided to go in and get himself checked.
The colonoscopy revealed a lump, and the surgery to remove it brought the heavy news.
“The doctor said, ‘Hey, this is a little more serious. This is stage three,’” Jim says. “That's when I broke down with me and my fiancé now. It was surreal.”
Dr. Ryan Carlson, a colorectal surgeon at HealthPartners, says colon cancer is very rare in people under the age of 40.
“40 to 50 is when colon cancer really starts to increase,” Dr. Carlson says.
Dr. Carlson says people of average risk should get a colonoscopy every ten years, starting at the age of 50. If it runs in your family, or for African Americans, the recommendation is to start at 45.
If Jim had waited that long, things could have been much different.
“I wouldn't know if I'd be here, I honestly would not know,” Jim says.
Dr. George Logan, a Gastroenterologist at HealthPartners who's performed more than 35,000 colonoscopies, says the ideal way to prevent cancer is to remove polyps, or lumps in the colon, early.
“If you can prevent that polyp from turning into cancer, that's the single best treatment,” Dr. Logan says.
Dr. Logan says about 30% of men will develop polyps, and about 10% of them turn into colon cancer.
Getting a colonoscopy is not something most of us look forward to, but maybe not as bad as you think.
“We have a lot of trouble getting people to come in for their first colonoscopy,” Dr. Logan says. “We don't have any trouble getting them to come for the ones afterward, because they've said, ‘If I'd known how easy this was I wouldn't have put it off so long.’”
Many people diagnosed with colon cancer never experience symptoms, but persistent cramping, bloating and bleeding is worth getting checked out.
“I can't tell you how much colon/rectal cancer I take care of where people ignored that symptom of blood on the toilet paper for months and months and months, and we could have gotten treatment a lot earlier,” Dr. Carlson says.
Luckily, treatment started early enough for Jim. After about six months of chemotherapy, his cancer is now in remission. Working as an oncology nurse, he's using his experience to help others.
“My outlet was working and helping people. I get the joy of helping people,” Jim says.
Jim is one of nine siblings who have also been getting themselves checked for colon cancer. He hopes his story encourages others to get to the doctor.
“People just need to be proactive with their lives. We can't force people to go. We can only educate,” Jim says. “It's for your future. It's for your kids' future.”