How My Rectal Cancer Was Mistaken for COVID: A Medical Horror Story
I knew something was wrong in 2020—my gut literally screamed at me. And when your gut talks, honey, you'd better listen. But when I went to the doctors at Honor Health in Arizona, instead of answers, I got a nice big fat billing code for COVID-19 symptoms. Persistent diarrhea? Must be COVID. Never mind that my bowels decided to audition for an Olympic swimming team. Watery stools so persistent I started waking up in the middle of the night to poop—definitely COVID. At least that's what they told my insurance.
But COVID wasn’t what was turning my body upside-down. My symptoms were textbook rectal cancer, but no one caught it. Changes in bowel habits? Check. Constant diarrhea and a nagging sense that things were still unfinished down there? Check, check. A sudden uptick in frequency that had me pooping at ungodly hours? Yep, that too.
And then there was the bleeding. But because my rectal bleeding only showed up when Aunt Flo visited, doctors cheerfully dismissed it as menstrual confusion, like my asshole couldn’t tell the difference.
Four times—four times—I went to doctors at Honor Health, Mayo Clinic, and Dignity Health. I had ultrasounds, and CT scans, yet they shrugged and muttered vague guesses: "It’s probably your appendix," or, my personal favorite, "Maybe kidney stones again." My pain was always in the lower right side of my abdomen, near my groin, below the belt line. They were so close, yet so very far from the truth.
Fatigue, weakness, exhaustion—this was the biggest red flag of all. My hot yoga practice, something I had built up over years, suddenly felt impossible. I felt humiliated every time I had to leave class early or sit down mid-pose. I chalked it up to the stress of running my own business and grieving the devastating loss of both my parents. Doctors loved that narrative too. "You're grieving," they said. "You're just tired." No anemia, no sudden weight loss, no obvious lumps—just a sneaky tumor, literally hiding in my asshole.
At one point, I was convinced black mold from my overpriced apartment was causing my symptoms. That landlord from hell was easier to blame than realizing the medical system itself was failing me. I even requested the Shield blood test, a simple, insurance-covered test that could have caught my rectal cancer early. But Paul Kozak M.D. of Mayo Clinic flat-out denied it, offering zero explanation. If a doctor denies you a potentially life-saving test, demand that they document their refusal in your medical records. Trust me, you might need it later.
So here’s the bottom line (no pun intended): If you're experiencing changes in your bowel habits, diarrhea, rectal bleeding (even if you think it aligns with your period), unexplained fatigue, persistent abdominal pain, bloating, or a gut feeling something isn't right—please, get a colonoscopy. And if any doctor dismisses your concerns, push back. Document everything. And if there are medical attorneys reading this, call me—let’s talk.
Don't wait until your body screams louder. Trust me; early detection is everything.
A blog post by Rachel Smak on grief, loss, and lessons from stage 3C rectal cancer