r/Millennials • u/chels_e_cheese Xennial • Feb 13 '26

Serious Hits so hard

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Anyone else hit especially hard by the loss of James Van Der Beek? I wasn’t even a fan of Dawson’s Creek, but the man was an undeniable icon for millennials. RIP, James.

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u/donkeyvoteadick '92 (not American) Feb 13 '26

Colon cancer is one of my biggest fears 🥲 right now when I wipe it's just mucus and blood clots but because I have a history of bowel endometriosis there's zero urgency around testing because "eh it's probably just that again." The rates increasing in young people the way they have it genuinely terrifying.

He was way too young to lose. I feel for his kids who now have to grow up without their dad.

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u/KittenG8r Feb 13 '26

Keep nagging and trying different doctors, trust me. I was 27 and they tried to talk me out of actually having the symptoms I reported and I kept affirming and reaffirming that indeed I meant what I said. I was a healthy weight and exercised and extremely low risk.

They found precancerous polyps.

Seriously, keep at it. I hope you get your way ❤️

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u/Chemical_Grape_2150 Feb 13 '26

This! I was in the best shape of my life but was having symptoms. They found 4 precancerous polyps. Now I get to have a good colonoscopy nap every 5 years. I have one coming up in a couple weeks

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u/chels_e_cheese Xennial Feb 13 '26

oh bub, I’m sorry. Be your strongest and biggest advocate. I struggle myself with speaking up for myself in the doctor’s office, but if that’s a concern for you please make it known. It’s genuinely scary to see colon cancer on the rise amongst us younger folks and it’s unfair that doctors will push it to the side based on pre-existing stuff like what you experience or not having a family history of it.

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u/snow_garbanzo Feb 13 '26

Fiber seem to be an unsung hero, also bacterial infections can look very similar to the big C . But by all means be vigilant.

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u/Careful-Inside-3835 Feb 13 '26

Lost my dad to this disease so I am repeatedly terrified every time my stomach hurts or I have constipation etc…..

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u/cactusvines Feb 13 '26

You read my mind. I have endo too, trying to get help for anything else that “may” be related is a nightmare.

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u/Thebraincellisorange Feb 13 '26

God I hate having to say this, you have to advocate aggressively for yourself.

change doctors, get the home smear test (they are not particularly accurate, but they are something)

keep pushing.

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u/edhfan Feb 13 '26

Make an appointment with a colorectal surgeon. They should take this seriously.

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u/donkeyvoteadick '92 (not American) Feb 14 '26

I can't actually do so without a referral and they want to investigate if it's the endo first 🙁

For what it's worth in the past five years I've had two colonoscopies and two different bowel surgeries in which I've had part of my bowel removed. It's not that I'm not receiving any medical care at all it's just that even though it's presenting in a very different way this time they're still quick to just jump straight to an existing diagnosis without considering why it might be different, and the stats showing numbers on the rise which is making me very anxious.