By Virginia Mwangi
Cancer is obviously a scary term that nobody ever expects to hear from their Doctor. Though as Kenyans its either you have been affected or infected, the reality of the matter is that the sooner it’s diagnosed, the sooner one can embark on treatment and your life can get back to some sort of normalcy.
According to Kenya Cancer Statistics & National Strategies, Globally, Cancer causes more deaths than HIV, TB and Malaria combined.
Cancer is the 3rd highest cause of morbidity in Kenya causing 7percent deaths per year, after infectious and cardiovascular diseases.
60 percent of Kenyans affected by Cancer are younger than 70 years old with 70 to 80 percent of cancer cases getting diagnosed in late stages. Awareness is crucial in getting early detection that enables successful treatment and survival.
Severe pain
Cancer’s like bone, brain and ovarian cancers do tend to first be noticed because of the pain associated with it. Prolonged recurrent periods of pain are likely to occur in the affected area and use of painkillers without a clear diagnosis only worsens the problem. It is, however, important to note that there are a lot of cancers that do not portray pain as an early symptom.
2. Unintentional weight loss
Weight loss with the current generation is most welcome and Kenyans will rush to celebrate before getting concerned.
Unless you are trying to lose weight, through exercise or certain diets, randomly losing a significant amount of weight is worth giving your doctor a visit. If you notice a loss of 5 kilograms in a few weeks’ time without any changes to your diet or exercise regime, visit your doctor.
3. Changes to your skin
It’s important to take notice of your actual skin condition and not just jump into applying makeup. A lot of the yellowed, reddened or darker patches of skin can be a sign that something is not right.
However, it could also be a sign of skin conditions lurking beneath and not cancerous but it’s always best to check with your doctor.
4. Unhealed sores
Mouth ulcers that are not healing and scabs that are taking too long to disappear could be a sign of a weak immune system or that the type of cancer such as oral is appearing on the surface.
5. Unexplained bleeding
Bloody morning coughs or abnormal discharge is an obvious sign that you need to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Cancer’s such as lung can take a while to develop enough for you to see the physical effects so as soon as you notice a change in your body, consult a Doctor.
6. Changes in bowel movements
Bowel movements vary depending on what food one has had if you notice a significant difference such as things have gone from solid to liquid or it’s painful then it could be a sign that your intestines and bowels are not working as they are supposed.