What We Didn’t Know: The Symptom That Was Really Rectal Cancer
When my husband first started having diarrhea, it didn’t set off any alarms. He was an active-duty Army man who believed in…
When my husband first started having diarrhea, it didn’t set off any alarms. He was an active-duty Army man who believed in clean eating before missions, tons of fruits, vegetables, and hydration to “flush his system.” It was a routine we were used to. But what we didn’t know then was that this wasn’t routine at all. It was the beginning of a journey that would change our lives forever.
When A "Small Symptom" Isn’t So Small
At first we brushed it off. Maybe it was something he ate. Maybe it was a stomach bug. We assumed it would pass just like all the other digestive issues people have when they make sudden diet changes. He stayed hydrated, ate clean, and kept moving. A family trip to Disney turned into multiple restroom breaks each day, annoying, but not alarming. Days stretched into weeks. Weeks into months. No matter what he cut out or tried to add back in, bread, dairy, alcohol, juices, the diarrhea didn’t stop.
We went to the VA hospital. They ran bloodwork. His labs came back “normal.” They suggested it might be irritable bowel syndrome. Maybe stress. Maybe nothing serious.
So we trusted them. We waited. We watched.
When Waiting Becomes Dangerous
By the third month I couldn’t shake the feeling deep in my gut that something bigger was wrong. He was losing weight…fast. His clothes hung off him. His skin looked pale. His energy was gone. The strong, vibrant man I loved was fading in front of my eyes.
I begged him to go to a different ER, Ochsner, and this time they listened. The ER doctor was concerned that his symptoms had lasted so long and immediately referred him for a colonoscopy. Still, we had to wait another month for that appointment. Then it took another week to get the results.
On November 12, 2021, he called me and said, “Babe…it’s cancer. Rectal cancer.” He tried to be strong for me, but I could hear the fear under his voice.
Diagnosis day didn’t end the waiting. After the tumor was confirmed, we had to wait another month for a PET scan to find out if it had spread. When the results came back, our world turned upside down.
It was already in his lungs and lymph nodes.
Stage 4.
I can still feel the moment my spirit cracked open while I stood holding our newborn baby in my arms, crying my eyes out…we cried our eyes out asking why us…
Burn Pits: The Silent Killer We Never Considered
We later learned his cancer was likely caused by exposure to burn pits during his deployments. Those massive, open-air pits where everything was burned: plastic bottles, medical waste, chemicals, and military equipment. Toxic smoke covering bases like a toxic fog. Soldiers breathed it in every day, never knowing it was slowly planting seeds of disease in their bodies.
He wasn’t alone.
More and more veterans are now being diagnosed with gut cancers, lung diseases, and rare conditions tied to burn pit exposure. Organizations like Burn Pits 360 and the VA Airborne Hazards & Open Burn Pit Registry are trying to sound the alarm, but so many families, like mine, find out too late.
What I Wish We Had Known
There are so many things I would go back and tell myself if I could:
•Diarrhea that lasts longer than four weeks is not normal
•Colorectal cancer is not just an “older person’s disease”
•Push for a colonoscopy, don’t wait for “labs” to show something is wrong
•VA hospitals are helpful, but you still have to fight for answers
•Burn pit exposure carries real, serious cancer risks
If someone had only said “Don’t wait, go now,” we may have caught it sooner. Instead, we found ourselves fighting a war we didn’t even know we were in yet, and by the time we realized we were in the fight…it was already late.
Listen To Your Body, Push For Answers
If you or someone you love is dealing with stomach issues, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, or symptoms that don’t go away, please don’t ignore it. Please don’t wait for it to get “bad enough.” Advocate. Ask questions. Request tests. Get second opinions. And if your spouse, child, or relative is a veteran who served near burn pits, register with the VA Burn Pit Registry and reach out to Burn Pits 360 for support and screening guidance.
Early detection is everything.
From Our Story To Yours, You Are Not Alone
I wish we had known. I wish someone had told us to push harder, sooner. I wish we had started treatment before the cancer had drifted into other parts of his body. I cannot change our story. But I can use it. And I can share it in the hope that it saves someone else’s life before it’s too late.
If this feels familiar or if your gut is telling you something is off, listen to it. Please.
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