Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share 072: Curtis Snyder survived colon cancer | colonoscopy | colostomy bag | chemotherapy | colorectal cancer
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
072: Curtis Snyder survived colon cancer | colonoscopy | colostomy bag | chemotherapy | colorectal cancer
On this episode of the @CancerInterviews podcast, Curtis Snyder tells host Bruce Morton how he survived colon cancer. Although he waited weeks to seek medical attention, he still achieved early detection, which led to survivorship, a journey that averted chemotherapy and a colostomy bag.
In the fall of 2020, Curtis, of Boulder, Colorado, noticed blood in his stool. His primary care physician said Curtis should see a gastroenterologist. An appointment was set for February 2021, an appointment that would include a colonoscopy. As he came out of sedation, the doctor said that Curtis had cancer. Because the cancer was located in the lower part of the colon, it was almost rectum cancer instead of colon cancer. This explained the blood-related symptoms. Curtis was told if the cancer was higher up in the colon, the colon could have absorbed the blood, there would not have been the symptoms, and for a critical length of time, Curtis could have unwittingly walked around with cancer, resulting in a lethal diagnosis.
It was in April 2021 that Curtis underwent surgery, and doctors were confident all the cancer was removed. In fact, it was three days after the procedure that Curtis was told there was no evidence of cancer. He was told he was part of one percent of those diagnosed with colon cancer, who en route to survivorship did not have to have a colostomy bag, and did not have to go through radiation treatment and/or chemotherapy.
By way of advice, Curtis Snyder says when your doctor suggests you get a colonoscopy, to get one. He says in terms of screening, the colonoscopy is the “gold standard,” as opposed to the at-home tests. He also says if you think you have some unusual symptoms, such as bloody stool, to seek medical attention, instead of waiting six to eight weeks, like he did.
Curtis Snyder says he doesn’t work out as much as he used to, but that is more of a life choice than a cancer choice. He has made some dietary changes, naming decreasing his intake of red meat and increasing his consumption of fiber. Going forward, Curtis chooses to use food as medicine.
View all episodes
By Jim Foster
5
22 ratings
On this episode of the @CancerInterviews podcast, Curtis Snyder tells host Bruce Morton how he survived colon cancer. Although he waited weeks to seek medical attention, he still achieved early detection, which led to survivorship, a journey that averted chemotherapy and a colostomy bag.
In the fall of 2020, Curtis, of Boulder, Colorado, noticed blood in his stool. His primary care physician said Curtis should see a gastroenterologist. An appointment was set for February 2021, an appointment that would include a colonoscopy. As he came out of sedation, the doctor said that Curtis had cancer. Because the cancer was located in the lower part of the colon, it was almost rectum cancer instead of colon cancer. This explained the blood-related symptoms. Curtis was told if the cancer was higher up in the colon, the colon could have absorbed the blood, there would not have been the symptoms, and for a critical length of time, Curtis could have unwittingly walked around with cancer, resulting in a lethal diagnosis.
It was in April 2021 that Curtis underwent surgery, and doctors were confident all the cancer was removed. In fact, it was three days after the procedure that Curtis was told there was no evidence of cancer. He was told he was part of one percent of those diagnosed with colon cancer, who en route to survivorship did not have to have a colostomy bag, and did not have to go through radiation treatment and/or chemotherapy.
By way of advice, Curtis Snyder says when your doctor suggests you get a colonoscopy, to get one. He says in terms of screening, the colonoscopy is the “gold standard,” as opposed to the at-home tests. He also says if you think you have some unusual symptoms, such as bloody stool, to seek medical attention, instead of waiting six to eight weeks, like he did.
Curtis Snyder says he doesn’t work out as much as he used to, but that is more of a life choice than a cancer choice. He has made some dietary changes, naming decreasing his intake of red meat and increasing his consumption of fiber. Going forward, Curtis chooses to use food as medicine.