So how did I miss the warning signs?

Oops!

Well you ask. The truth is I missed all the clues my body was giving me. Of the six leading signs of rectal cancer I had four. I figured the periodic blood in my stool was probably from hemorrhoids. If I had bothered to look up what hemorrhoids really were I would have known better. As for occasional diarrhea, that can be explained by any of a number of different things. I am always tired, so nothing new there. Except that after two years of night school I had taken the summer off and still found myself tired. I think the one sign I should have noticed was the increase in bowel movements and the narrower, odd shaped stools. But again, I wasn't really paying attention. Any of these signs in isolation was just a nuisance. I wasn't looking for rectal cancer. After reading some literature from the National Cancer Institute, I learned that it is very common for patients to not connect the dots pointing to their cancer. But from the moment of diagnosis there is suddenly complete clarity. Amen to that, brother. I can see clearly now!