Common Questions: Dehydration
What are the symptoms of dehydration?
How long does it take for your body to rehydrate?
How long does it take you to recover from dehydration?
How can you treat dehydration?
When should you go to the ER for dehydration?
Common Questions: Colon and Rectal (Colorectal) Cancer
What are the early warning signs of colorectal cancer?
How long does it take for colorectal cancer to develop?
Are colon cancer, rectal cancer, and colorectal cancer all the same?
Can you die from colorectal cancer?
Where is the first place colorectal cancer spreads?
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Thirst is the most obvious sign of dehydration. Other signs include fatigue, lethargy, dizziness, headache, and muscle cramps. You may also urinate less often than you normally do or have dark urine. In addition, your skin may be drier and less elastic than usual, and you may be prone to confusion and feeling faint.
Blood in the stool, a change in bowel habits marked by constipation or diarrhea, fatigue, weakness, abdominal pain, bloating, and weight loss are among the early signs of colon cancer.
It usually doesn’t take long at all to replenish your fluid stores, and in many cases it’s as simple as reaching for a drink of water or sports drink with electrolytes. Even when dehydration is severe enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room, most people can leave the same day after being replenished with intravenous fluids.
Most cases of colorectal cancer begin as a polyp, and it may take as long as 10 to 15 years to become cancerous. For this reason, regular screening to identify and remove polyps is the best way to prevent colon cancer.
Dehydration usually clears up quickly when fluids are restored, but sometimes it can leave health effects, such as constipation, muscle damage (a complication of heat illness, which can happen if you’re dehydrated), kidney damage, or kidney stones.
Colon cancer begins in the colon and rectal cancer begins in the rectum, but both areas are part of the digestive system. Because of this, cancers that occur in either area are sometimes referred to as colorectal cancer.
Ice chips and sports drinks with electrolytes, such as Gatorade or Powerade, can help you rehydrate. If you’re in a hot, humid environment, move to a cooler or shaded place. When you have severe dehydration, a healthcare professional needs to give you intravenous fluids.
Yes. The odds of survival are highest for colorectal cancers caught at an early stage. For example, localized colorectal cancer that has not spread outside the colon or rectum has a 90 percent five-year survival rate, while those cancers that have spread to nearby or distant organs have 75 percent and 14 percent five-year survival rates, respectively.
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If dehydration becomes severe (particularly if you have a fever, are vomiting, having diarrhea, losing consciousness, or having seizures), seek medical attention immediately.
Colon cancer typically spreads to the liver first, though it can spread to other areas of the body, including the lungs and brain.
