“I told my husband, ‘I just don’t feel right,’” Tonnie Lucero, 62 recalls. “I was tired, sleepy, had gained weight and felt bloated. I didn’t know why.” Tonnie picked up the phone and scheduled an appointment with her primary care physician for a complete physical. Blood work revealed she was anemic, which would explain why she was fatigued. To better understand what was causing Tonnie to be anemic, her doctor realized Tonnie had a family history of colon cancer, yet had not had any colon cancer screening, which should have started by well before the age of 62. “I had never had a colonoscopy. I had thought, ‘OK, I’ll do that,’ but never went.”
Tonnie scheduled the colonoscopy and prepared for what she thought would be a routine screening. She admits that fear had played a part in her putting it off for so long. “I was terrified of a colonoscopy,” she explains. “I thought that was only for men.” The reason Tonnie may have thought colonoscopy screening was only necessary for men may have been due to the fact that her family history of colon cancer only came from men. She was one of 12 children and two of her brothers had been diagnosed with colon cancer.
Fortunately, Tonnie had the long-overdue colonoscopy just in time. “I didn’t know I had cancer,” she says. “I found out during the colonoscopy.” Tonnie was referred to Lovelace Medical Group gastrointestinal surgeon Dr. Timothy Perez after an oncologist consulted with Tonnie and explained that she had cancer and would need part of her colon removed. “Dr. Perez explained everything he was going to do to a tee. He is the best doctor I have ever met. After surgery, he said he removed all of the cancer and would have it checked. He said I probably had it for at least ten years. Two days later he said it was stage II colon cancer, but that it didn’t spread. I was lucky.”
Due to her family history, Tonnie underwent genetic testing to determine if she was a carrier of colon cancer. It revealed that she is, in fact, a carrier. Her four sons, ages 44 to 35, will all have colonoscopy screening before the age of 50 – when it is recommended for anyone of average risk to begin colon cancer screening. Her nine grandchildren will also begin colonoscopy screening before the age of 50. In the meantime, Tonnie is advocating for her eight living siblings to be screened now. “I have everyone going,” she adds.
The screening she once avoided is now a part of her annual health regimen. Tonnie is also planning to have her ovaries removed, as the genetic testing revealed she has a 20 percent chance of developing ovarian cancer. She has changed her diet, walks more and has become an advocate for her health and the health of her family.
“It’s a life-saver,” she says of colonoscopy screening. She shares this advice for others: “If you think something is wrong, go right away to the doctor. This is something I never thought would happen to me.”
Care Concierge is available to answer questions and help schedule a screening appointment or consultation. Please call 505-727-2727 in Albuquerque or 575-625-3222 in Roswell or click here.