A father-of-three has revealed how he mistook his colon cancer as a sign his new diet was working.
Pedro Guerrero from Houston, Texas, lost 40lbs within two months after recently starting a low carb keto diet.
He was so pleased with how effective his new diet appeared to be that he ignored other signs such as stomach cramps, tiredness and constant diarrhea.
He reveals in a TikTok: ‘The pain eventually got so bad so I rushed to the ER. A quick CT scan detect a huge mass in my colon.’
Mr Guerrero was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer – meaning it had spread from his bowel to other parts of his body – at the age of 32.
Colon cancer used to be disease of elderly. But Mr Guerrero is one of the grownig no of victims of soaring colon cancers in young people under 50.
Dr Suneel Kamath, who is a gastrointestinal cancer specialist at the Cleveland Clinic, told DailyMail.com that weight loss is a ‘hallmark symptom of almost every cancer, including colorectal cancer’.
He added: ‘I don’t think we fully understand why this happens but we know that cancer induces a wasting state called “cachexia”.
Pedro Guerrero from Houston, Texas , lost 40lbs within a two month span and he was pleased with his svelter physique at first. Left, before his weight loss and right, while battling cancer
‘Basically it releases signals into the blood that lead to our normal cells not receiving or being able to use our nutrition normally so the body loses weight and the cancer cells take up more of that nutrition.’
Dr Kamath says the best way to spot unusual weight loss is to weigh yourself once every morning after urinating as this will give the most consistent reading from day to day.
The medic highlights: ‘And if someone is trying to lose weight, they need to be honest with themselves about how much they have actually lost intentionally.
‘A lot of people are losing weight very rapidly (like 10 pounds in two weeks) and they think their dieting and exercise is going extremely well, but in retrospect they realize that wasn’t the case, it was actually cancer.’
Luckily, while Mr Guerrero’s tumor had spread to nearby lymph nodes, it had not spread to other parts of his body.
After his diagnosis in May 2022, he was rushed in for surgery the next day and he underwent a procedure to remove the right side of his colon to prevent the cancer from spreading further.
After a two-month recovery period, Mr Guerrero started eight weeks of chemotherapy.
He says this was one of the hardest parts of his illness.
On a GoFundMe fundraising page he launched to help him pay his mounting medical bills, Mr Guerrero wrote: 'Chemotherapy in my opinion has been one of the toughest things I have ever had to endure.
'The symptoms and complications of it have scarred me and I would never wish any of what I’m going through, even to my worst enemy.
After his diagnosis in May 2022, he was rushed in for surgery the next day and he underwent a procedure to remove the right side of his colon
After a two-month recovery period, Mr Guerrero started eight weeks of chemotherapy. He says this was one of the hardest parts of his illness
'I keep thinking about being there for my wife, my kids, my parents, my in-laws further in life and that’s what kept me pushing forward.'
Following his shock diagnosis, Mr Guerrero started posting TikTok videos in a bid to help others detect colon cancer in its early stages.
In one clip, he describes the severe abdominal pain which finally led him to seeking help, telling viewers: 'I mean this abdominal pain was horrible.
'I was literally in a fetal position, just grabbing my stomach in pain.'
Before his symptoms worsened, Mr Guerrero also suffered from hemorrhoids around the age of 30.
While this isn't a sign of colon cancer, the symptoms overlap with rectal bleeding, rectal itching and lumps in the anus being among the shared complaints.
This meant when he developed colon cancer and experienced rectal bleeding, Mr Guerrero put this down to his hemorrhoids returning.
He now realizes that with colon cancer, the bleeding is typically more persistent and the blood can be darker in color.
Thanks to his prompt treatment, Mr Guerrero has been cancer free since January 2023.
Since his cancer battle, Mr Guerrero has made several lifestyle changes and he now tries to avoid eating processed meats and rarely drinks alcohol.
He says in the past his diet was pretty bad.
In one clip, he reveals: 'To be completely honest diet before this wasn't great at all.
Along with helping people to recognize symptoms of colon cancer, Mr Guerrero says he hopes his TikToks offer people hope of remission
'We grew up pretty poor, so you kind of just had to eat what you could at the time... so cheap meats, a lot of frozen stuff.
'I did drink a lot [of alcohol] from like age 20 [and] I mean Coca Cola was my addiction.
'I never really thought about it you know and I think that's just how most Americans really are.'
Along with helping people to recognize symptoms of colon cancer, Mr Guerrero says he hopes his TikToks offer people hope of remission.
He writes in the caption to one clip: 'Colon Cancer was never something I thought I would have at age 32.
'I'm sharing this to spread awareness in hope of helping someone who might be having the same symptoms and is contemplating going to see a doctor.
'This disease is very curable as long as it is caught in time. Please listen to your body when its giving you signs.'