so this will be a longer reply. lol

I believe personally that food allergies contributed to my cancer. I was told it was "environmental". I remember being super constipated my entire life. it wasnt until my kids were born (2007 & 2009) and I saw my daughter going thru the same thing at age 5 that I decided to find out why. my GO is wonderful. she sent me to the immunologist but the problem with allergy testing is you kinda need to know what you're allergic to. I did not. I was tested for the "majors ". I didn't like her response. for instance she said I'm allergic to all bell peppers but I'm not, really it's only green. the immunologists I saw also paints food groups with one big brush. anyway, I then sent my hair follicles to a lab in the UK. based on the report they sent back, I compared the %reaction levels and went with that. this year was far more useful than my allergist's. armed with these results, I went back to confirm. I'm allergic to all the proteins in dairy, egg white, GREEN bell peppers, interestingly I'm also allergic to flax, psyllium husk, oatmeal and barley, millet and a few other grains. and a few other spices that I don't worry about. knowing this i stay away from Metamucil. every single doctor tells you to take that when you're constipated. now I know why I felt like it was killing me.
in the midst of my testing is when I saw my GI guy and he told me i have IBS and (now) diverticulitis. then came my scope with several polyps discovered in my adenum. he removed them then I had my 3 yr follow up only to be diagnosed with cancer.
a fee months after my first colonoscopy I told my dad to get checked out. he'd been very I'll and receiving blood transfusions every few months. cecum cancer. stage 3. but he was 80. he had surgery he refused chemo was given the all clear nearly 3 yrs later (August 23 the same day I was diagnosed)
my father is old school and secretive. his biggest fear is cancer. I had to speak to my aunt. she told me the Dallaire side (my dad's side) all get some form of organ cancer.
I then saw a genetics counsellor (I live in Canada otherwise I'd never be able to afford any of this, these are all included in our provincial health care plans). yes i wasbtested for Lynch (all tumors in Canada are automatically tested for that) . i dont have it.
the "family" history, at best, is a trend according to them. where I live there is a higher rate of colon cancer.
it's interesting because my dad's cousin (genetically, they are siblings) has celiac which led to colon cancer. this is why early on I thought I had celiac and switched to a gluten free diet which helped alot and why I went did allergy testing to begin with. my doctor still want me to eat GF but i simply avoid all those grains.2 au
all this knowledge I now have helps my kids. actually I have just yanked hair out of both the kids and I'm sending it to the lab Monday. their allergy appointments are on March 11. I'd like to at least solve some bowel issues before they need to be removed from them.
in my "line" I'm the only one with any kind of cancer. my cousins have all been checked as has my sister and everyone's clear.
I joined thus group because I put up a wall when I was diagnosed, I dealt with everyone else's emotions...people visiting and just sitting on my sofa crying. crying. I am the strong positive person everyone wants in their life. nothing gets me down. my husband took 2 weeks off work to ... freak out when I was diagnosed, I did not. I went to work. every day. i didn't know how to deal with the diagnosis so... I compartmentalize. for me, knowing i had/have cancer is easy. not knowing [for another 2.5 yrs] if i STILL have it is the most difficult thing for me. this week, my walls have crumbled and I need to repack my emotions and move on. i am glad that the stress and anxiety are normal. i thought there was somethung wrong with me. yes, i see the irony in that statement.
have a great day and thank you for reading, listening.