For those who are uncertain about exactly what cancer is, cancer is the abnormal growth of cells within a body. Normally, a cell stops dividing and growing in number when it has reached its peak optimal levels. Mistakes in gene expression or cell development can cause cells to continue to multiply well past their accepted levels. These cells can then spread to other parts of the body and continue to infect and multiply.
Stomach cancer, specifically, begins in the stomach and develops over time and in small degrees over the span of those years. There’s a pre-cancerous stage that exists before full-blown cancer which occurs in the lining of the stomach. Since the pre-cancerous development rarely causes noticeable symptoms, it can often go unnoticed. This can make detecting stomach cancer difficult.
1. Dark Stool
Dark, or black, stools do not always immediately mean you have stomach cancer. They can arise from something as innocent as eating black licorice or taking iron supplements. Blood that enters from the stomach can turn the stool dark through interactions with certain enzymes during digestion. If you’ve been bleeding for awhile, you should notice stools that appear similar to coffee grounds. The dark color comes from old blood that has been bleeding into the bottom part of your stomach for a long period of time.
The medical term is melaena and means old, dark blood in feces. The consistency is tarry and can accompany vomiting blood. The duration of dark stools matter. If you’re only experiencing a few dark stools over a long period of time, then you may have nothing to worry about. However, if your stools are consistently dark and you notice traces of blood, then they may be indicating a concerning problem. If the stool smells foul, or you experienced pain when passing the stools, and if you see traces of blood, then you should consult your doctor. If you feel dizzy or weak this might indicate that you are bleeding heavily, and you should call an ambulance.
2. Indigestion
This condition is defined by reoccurring pain or discomfort in your upper abdomen. Some of the symptoms of indigestion include: burning in the stomach, acidic taste, belching, gas, abdominal pain, bloating, feeling gassy, nausea, vomiting, and a growling stomach. Keep in mind that many things can cause indigestion. Ulcers, stomach infections, irritable bowel syndrome, thyroid disease, pregnancy, chronic pancreatitis are some of the diseases that could give indigestion as one of their symptoms besides stomach cancer. As can a certain lifestyle. If you eat too much or too quickly, this could increase the chances of indigestion along with frequent consumption of alcohol.
3. Nausea
If you experience persistent nausea, it could be a sign of stomach cancer. Oftentimes, you feel nauseous because of the tumor itself. The tumor promotes feeling ill because it is preventing your stomach from contracting or blocking a pathway in or out of your stomach. Because your stomach is unable to contract, overtime fluid and food gets stuck and builds up, eventually making you feel ill, so you can throw it up instead. In rarer cases, if the case is advanced, the tumor may have spread to your brain and raised cranial pressure. This pressure then makes you feel ill.
4. Vomiting Blood
Similar to dark stools, vomiting blood is a serious symptom of stomach cancer or a similar potentially life-threatening condition. If you vomit blood, you should call an ambulance immediately and get checked out. While you may only vomit a little bit of blood, and it may stop quickly. Other times, the bleeding can last for long periods, and it is in these cases where your life may be threatened. There are two main types of bleeding that you may vomit. Dark blood is old and suggests slow bleeding. Bright red blood means there could be potential quick and heavy bleeding.
5. Cancer-Related Fatigue
One of the most common side effects of any cancer is fatigue that correlates with cancer. The onset comes seemingly out of nowhere and no matter how much rest you get, you just can’t seem to stop feeling tired. It should be noted, too, that this form of fatigue does not stem from large amounts of exertion or high activity. You should also be sure not to confuse fatigue with tiredness. When you’re tired, you usually can just sleep it off for a day or two and feel your energy levels return. Fatigue is a whole-body exhaustion that occurs daily.
6. Loss of Appetite
It’s not uncommon for those with cancer to have a decrease in appetite. Loss of appetite can occur for a few different reasons. Because the cancer is changing your metabolism, it’s also getting in the way of your body breaking down food, which provides you with energy. You may also have an enlarged spleen which is pushing down on your stomach and making you feel full. Ascites, which are a buildup of fluid in a space, could be making you feel full. Since nutrition is important, be sure to speak with your doctor if you’re experiencing a loss of appetite.
7. Abdominal Fullness
As mentioned before, abdominal fullness or bloating could be caused by your spleen pressing down on your stomach, or from ascites. Not only can ascites cause bloating or feeling full, but it can also expand your waistline. The swollen stomach can cause discomfort, but the doctor can remove the fluid. Another possible cause of feeling full is the tumor or tumors themselves. If there is enough of them, or they are large enough, they can push down on your intestine which makes you feel full regardless of how large your meal was. This feeling can develop over a few days.
8. Difficulty Swallowing
Although you might not consider the difficulty in swallowing to be connected to stomach cancer, it very much is. There are two main causes that can lead to the symptom of swallowing difficulty. The process of swallowing involves many different muscles. If the tumor grows within the mucus layer of a muscle, it can negatively affect its performance. It can also infiltrate the nerve which dictates what to do to the muscle. The other cause is if the tumor is obstructing the passage from the esophagus to the stomach. This keeps food from entering the lower portion of the stomach.
9. Weight Loss
One of the staple signs of any cancer is that of weight loss. For some, it may be noticeable immediately. However, you should keep in mind that the weight loss isn’t always sudden. Sometimes it’s gradual, and you can be shedding only a pound or a few pounds a day. if you’re not dieting or exercising in a manner that would lead to weight loss, then you may have cause for concern. This form of weight loss is without seeming explanation or reason. Since this loss can lead to further fatigue and malnutrition, it’s important you speak to a doctor.
