[VBM]

my father-in-law had not taken seriously not being able to keep food down, diarrhea & nausea and extreme irregularity.

this past friday, after visits to other specialists turned up nothing, he had a colonscopy which discovered late-stage colorectal cancer. the tumor has since been removed but the soon-to-come chemo will be treatment, not curative and if statistics are to be believed, he's drawing thin.

i didn't know this myself, but a colonscopy done maybe a year or two ago probably would've been able to find and remove any polyps that eventually turned cancerous and the entire cancer-awfulness avoided. if you know/love someone who's in their 50's+, please have them go to the doctor and see if they can get one performed, b/c there's nothing worse than knowing something simple & routine could've headed off something that wrecks and ends lives.