How Do You Know If You Have Cancer?

Cancer is a condition that can affect different tissues of the body, which can lead to various signs and symptoms, including weight loss, skin changes, and chronic cough. People who go through worrisome symptoms that don’t go away should speak to a doctor about them. When Health Care experts detect cancer at an early stage, the chances of improving are higher.

But how do you know if you have cancer? There are different kinds of warning signs, depending on the gender of the patient, as well as the type of cancer.

Breast Cancer

This type of cancer often leads to changes in the breast tissue, which can be seen, which is why it is so important that women know the shape, size, as well as the texture of their breasts and check them now and then. Some changes to look for are a change of shape and size, nipple discharge, redness, swelling, or tenderness of the breast skin and nipple or dimpling or puckering of the breast skin or nipple. It is crucial for women who are 40 years old and older to regularly have ultrasounds or thermography, which can search for signs of breast cancer.

Endometrial And Cervical Cancer

Women who have regular periods, but experience vaginal bleeding outside of their usual cycle, should visit a doctor, as these might be indicators of endometrial or cervical cancer. Women who are already in menopause, but still experience vaginal bleeding should see a doctor immediately. Spotting doesn’t necessarily mean that cancer is present, it can also be an indicator of another chronic medical condition, stress, or it can happen due to hormonal birth control. If the spot is accompanied by fever, dizziness, fatigue, muscle aches, heavy bleeding or pelvic pain, immediate medical attention is required.

Testicular Cancer

There are also sure signs of cancer, which affect men, such as testicular lumps. A hard, but painless lump in the testicle can be an indicator of testicular cancer. It is typically accompanied by other symptoms such as pain in the groin, swelling, or pain in a testicle or scrotum or a dull ache in the abdomen or lower back.

Colon And Rectum Cancer

Changes in bowel habits could mean that there is colon cancer or rectum cancer present. It is others referred to as colorectal cancer. Typically signs of such a condition are constipation or diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue, anemia, bloating or gas, and unintentional weight loss. Patients who have colorectal cancer might also detect blood in their stool. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it is due to cancer. There are also cases in which bleeding refers to hemorrhoids, ulcers, or other gastrointestinal disorders.

Prostate And Bladder Cancer

Changes in urinary habits may be symptoms of prostate or bladder cancer. Other symptoms would include having difficulties with or constantly needing to empty the bladder, difficulty initiating urination, blood in the urine or incontinence. Prostate cancer doesn’t show any warning signs in the beginning. However, it can lead to some symptoms, such as incontinence, frequent and painful urination, painful ejaculation, blood in the urine or semen, pressure near the rectum or stiffness, and pain in the lower back, pelvis, thighs or abdomen.

Skin Cancers

This is divided into two types, non-melanoma, and melanoma. It can appear on any part of the skin, but it is often present in areas that are often exposed to the sun, such as our hands, arms, neck, or face. Some signs of skin cancer include moles, which change in color or size, irregularly shaped lesions, which are either white, red, pink, or dark blue, or large brown spots, with darker colored speckles.

Lung Cancer

In its early stages, lung cancer typically doesn’t lead to any symptoms. When symptoms are present, they are often mistaken for a cold or other acute respiratory issues. However, there are some warning signs of lung cancer, such as a chronic cough, which worsens over time, unexplained weight loss, shortness of breath, changes to a person’s voice, frequent respiratory infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia and headaches.

Liver Cancer

This is a condition that can lead to symptoms, which are linked to gastrointestinal and digestive issues. Such warning signs include unintentional weight loss, loss of appetite, vomiting, and nausea, but also itchy skin and fatigue.

Leukemia

With this type of condition which affects the blood and bone marrow, which is the spongy tissue that has the function of producing new blood cells. Symptoms of leukemia include chills, fever, nausea, bone pain, chronic fatigue, difficulty breathing, unintentional weight loss, reduced blood clotting, frequent infections, feeling full despite eating very little and headaches.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

This condition affects the lymphatic tissue and lymph nodes, which are present in the stomach, skin, or intestines. It is possible for one or more lymph nodes to begin to swell, which is an early sign of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Other symptoms of the condition include lymph nodes that are swollen and hurt, typically in the groin, neck or armpit, chronic fatigue, fever, persistent cough, loss of appetite, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, and skin rashes.

When Should You Visit A Doctor?

In its early stage, cancer might not present any symptoms. However, there are many warning signs, which may be common for all types of cancer, or relating to one specific type of cancer only. If you experience any of the symptoms, you must speak to your doctor about it. The sooner you get medical attention, the higher the chances of getting an early diagnosis. It is wise to get more than one opinion from both the medical professionals and experts in the complementary treatment of cancer.

Symptoms Without A Diagnosis

What if you have worrisome symptoms that persist, and doctors cannot identify the reason or provide a diagnosis? Remember that a diagnosis is a name, a title. These have all been invented by the medical profession. There are times when our body starts to give us warning signs that our health is deteriorating, and we can actually look for treatment before things get so severe that a doctor can diagnose it. Yes, we can prevent chronic conditions by getting natural, holistic, and preventative treatments. Think of it this way: you don’t have a diagnosis – YET.

Why wait for the blood markers to be out of range or for a tumor to appear? Any major change in our health should be taken seriously.

Cancer And The Budwig Center

The Budwig Center, can recommend several tests to determine the presence of cancer in conjunction with medical scans and blood tests with cancer markers. Detecting cancer early on can significantly affect the outlook of the condition. It is the second cause of death around the world; therefore, it is imperative that you know the warning signs and reacts to them. Common signs of cancer include bowel changes, unintentional weight loss, chronic fatigue, persistent cough, and urinary changes. If these symptoms don’t go away after two weeks, you must see a doctor.