TRANSCRIPT

Real Patients
I exited the Air Force in 2008. And you know I had to do the closing physical before you leave to make sure everything is okay. Just like you were when you came in. They want to make sure you are fit to exit. So that was one of my things I complained of that I had going on, which is abdominal pain.

I was 12 years old, and I noticed that, you know, I was bleeding when I was using the bathroom.

I was having diarrhea and a little bit of blood also. And I wasn't really sure what was going on.

I have bouts of pain, of course, nausea, vomiting.

It was a hassle. Especially like with work and going, having to leave patient care and everything like that to go use the restroom. And you don't really want to explain that to your coworkers. So it's... it was uncomfortable and a hassle.

I didn't really have any symptoms of any kind. But when I started to come in, my blood pressure was getting high and from that led to, well we need to do some diagnostic screenings on you as best we possibly can.

I reached out to the doctors and the techs and got an appointment.

My parents were concerned. We went to see the doctor.

Because I had worked in the GI clinic, you see a lot of scary things in people my age, like young people. So when I saw blood in my own stool I knew it was important to go check it out at least.