{"id":90157,"date":"2024-12-16T08:24:40","date_gmt":"2024-12-16T01:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/levanews.com\/?p=45284"},"modified":"2024-12-16T08:24:48","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T01:24:48","slug":"i-got-stage-4-cancer-at-28-i-wish-i-hadnt-ignored-these-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/i-got-stage-4-cancer-at-28-i-wish-i-hadnt-ignored-these-symptoms\/","title":{"rendered":"I got stage 4 Cancer at 28 \u2014 I wish I hadn\u2019t ignored these symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em><strong>Five years after receiving a stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis at the age of 28, Joe Faratzis is sharing the six warning signs he experienced before discovering he had a severe illness.\n<p>\u201cI put these symptoms off for months before finally going to get a colonoscopy,\u201d Faratzis revealed on TikTok. \u201cDon\u2019t risk your life by waiting to see a doc. Early screening could save you and your family.\u201d\n<figure id='\"attachment_45287\"' aria-describedby='\"caption-attachment-45287\"' style='\"width:' class='\"wp-caption' alignnone><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"wp-image-45287' size-full src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/12%5C/resize-1024x683-1.webp%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"1024\"' height='\"683\"' title='\"\"'><figcaption id='\"caption-attachment-45287\"' class='\"wp-caption-text\"'>Joe Faratzis was diagnosed with colorectal cancer five years ago at the age of 28. Here, he is seen in the hospital.\n<figure id='\"attachment_45285\"' aria-describedby='\"caption-attachment-45285\"' style='\"width:' class='\"wp-caption' alignnone><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"wp-image-45285' size-full src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/12%5C/7384547026186292511-joe-faratzis-34-diagnosed-95077987.webp%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"725\"' height='\"1024\"' title='\"\"'><figcaption id='\"caption-attachment-45285\"' class='\"wp-caption-text\"'>Faratzis revealed six concerning symptoms of colorectal cancer he ignored.\n<p>In 2021, the US Preventive Services Task Force revised its colorectal cancer screening recommendations, lowering the starting age for screening from 50 to 45 for adults with average risk.\n</p><p>The decision was influenced by a consistent increase in colorectal cancer cases among individuals under 50. Experts emphasize the importance of consulting a healthcare provider immediately if you experience any symptoms of colon cancer, regardless of your age.\n</p><p>Faratzis shared with Self magazine that his symptoms began in 2019. The longtime TMZ producer initially felt mild abdominal pain when bending over and brought up his concerns with his primary care doctor, who recommended a CT scan. However, Faratzis admitted he \u201cblew off the test,\u201d thinking it wasn\u2019t necessary.\n</p><p>Six months later, he noticed blood on his toilet paper but dismissed it again, assuming it was due to hemorrhoids.\n</p><p>Looking back, Faratzis acknowledges he thought he was \u201cinvincible\u201d and also didn\u2019t want to undergo the discomfort of a digital rectal exam.\n</p><p>Eventually, his symptoms became too serious to ignore.\n</p><p>\u201cThe big catalyst that motivated me to take my symptoms seriously occurred a few months later. I was sitting on the couch and I passed gas, looked down, and saw blood,\u201d explained Faratzis, now 34. \u201cI went to the bathroom and there was about a half a cup of blood in the toilet. It wasn\u2019t painful, but I was like, \u2018Holy f\u2013k \u2014 obviously there\u2019s some issue here.\u2019\u201d\n<figure id='\"attachment_45286\"' aria-describedby='\"caption-attachment-45286\"' style='\"width:' class='\"wp-caption' alignnone><img loading='\"lazy\"' decoding='\"async\"' class='\"wp-image-45286' size-full src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/echowoven.com%5C/wp-content%5C/uploads%5C/2024%5C/12%5C/7384547026186292511-joe-faratzis-34-diagnosed-95077988.webp%5C%22" alt='\"\"' width='\"620\"' height='\"1024\"' title='\"\"'><figcaption id='\"caption-attachment-45286\"' class='\"wp-caption-text\"'>\u201cI put these symptoms off for months before finally going to get a colonoscopy,\u201d Faratzis said. \u201cDon\u2019t risk your life by waiting to see a doc.\u201d\n<p>The disease is triggered by DNA alterations, which can either be inherited from one\u2019s parents or occur later in life due to factors such as consuming a low-fiber, high-fat Western diet, leading a sedentary lifestyle, heavy alcohol consumption, and\/or smoking.\n</p><p>It ranks as the second deadliest form of cancer in the United States, with the American Cancer Society projecting that approximately 53,000 Americans will lose their lives to colorectal cancer this year.\n</p><p>Early detection significantly increases the chances of survival. Common treatment options include surgical removal of the tumor, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.\n</p><p>Here are six symptoms he regretted overlooking:\n</p><ul>\n<li>Persistent sweating and night sweats\n</li><li>Pain in the lower right side of the abdomen\n</li><li>Increased frequency of bathroom visits\n</li><li>Mild abdominal cramping when bending over\n</li><li>Constipation and cramps\n</li><li>Blood in stool\n\n<p>\u201c[One thing] that I should have paid more attention to is just noticing that I was going to the bathroom way more often than I should have, probably like a couple times a day,\u201d he explained on TikTok.\n</p><p>Faratzis shared that his treatment included oral and intravenous chemotherapy, surgeries to remove the cancerous section of his colon, and procedures to freeze and burn lesions that had spread to his liver and lungs.\n</p><blockquote class='\"tiktok-embed\"' cite='\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@radiant14percent\/video\/7359311511464054058\"' data-video-id='\"7359311511464054058\"' data-embed-from='\"oembed\"' style='\"max-width:605px;' min-width:325px>\n<section> <a target='\"_blank\"' title='\"@radiant14percent\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/@radiant14percent?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>@radiant14percent \n<p>Live your life full of love and hope <a title='\"colorectacancer\"' target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/tag%5C/colorectacancer?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>#colorectacancer </a><a title='\"cancerfighter\"' target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/tag%5C/cancerfighter?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>#cancerfighter </a><a title='\"cancer\"' target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/tag%5C/cancer?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>#cancer </a><a title='\"rectalcancer\"' target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/tag%5C/rectalcancer?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>#rectalcancer </a><a title='\"cancerjourney\"' target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/tag%5C/cancerjourney?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>#cancerjourney </a><a title='\"stage4cancer\"' target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/tag%5C/stage4cancer?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>#stage4cancer </a><a title='\"coloncancerawareness\"' target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/tag%5C/coloncancerawareness?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>#coloncancerawareness </a><a title='\"coloncancer\"' target='\"_blank\"' href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/tag%5C/coloncancer?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>#coloncancer \n<p> <a target='\"_blank\"' title='\"\u266c' runaway piano rendition the blue notes l cinematique href="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/music%5C/Runaway-Piano-Rendition-7124315679754291201?refer=embed%5C%22" rel='\"noopener\"'>\u266c Runaway &ndash; Piano Rendition &ndash; The Blue Notes &amp; L&rsquo;Orchestra Cinematique \n\n<p> <script async src="%5C%22https:%5C/%5C/www.tiktok.com%5C/embed.js%5C%22"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf I got the CT scan back in 2019 when I had my earliest colorectal cancer symptoms \u2014 I might not have wound up in the position I\u2019m in now,\u201d Faratzis shared with Self in March.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to chemotherapy and other treatments, Faratzis\u2019 condition improved, and by 2023, he received his first clear CT scans. In April, he celebrated a full year of clear results.<\/p>\n<p>His most recent scan was just last week. Reflecting on the experience, he remarked: \u201cI get to, I guess, kind of forget about this for another three months\u201d \u2014 until his next scan is due.<\/p>\n<p>Faratzis has also been using social media to raise awareness about symptoms others might overlook. \u201cTurns out, having a functioning rectum is actually really important for your quality of life,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five years after receiving a stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis at the age of 28, Joe Faratzis is sharing the six warning signs he experienced before discovering he had a severe illness. \u201cI put these symptoms off for months before finally going to get a colonoscopy,\u201d Faratzis revealed on TikTok. \u201cDon\u2019t risk your life by &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":90159,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[670,1441],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90157","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-tips-and-tricks"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90157","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/31"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90157"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90157\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90163,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90157\/revisions\/90163"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/90159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90157"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90157"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/echowoven.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90157"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}</body></html></script></p></a></p></a></p></a></section></blockquote></li></ul></figcaption></figure></p></figcaption></figure></figcaption></figure></p></strong></em></p>