What We Didn’t Know: My Husband’s Symptom That Was Really Rectal Cancer.

Jun 1

Written By LaLa P.

When my husband first started having diarrhea, we didn’t think much of it. He had always eaten clean—lots of fruits and vegetables, especially before going to the field for an Army exercise.

It was part of his routine: clean out his system, eat healthy, hydrate, get mission-ready. We thought it was normal. We thought it was just his body doing what it always did.

So we weren’t worried at first. Maybe it was a stomach bug. Maybe it was just his usual pre-field diet working a little overtime.

But then the diarrhea didn’t stop.

A family trip to Disney, turned into multiple restroom breaks a day. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. And no matter what he ate, what he took—no matter what he cut out or added—it kept happening.

We went to the VA hospital. They ran blood tests. Everything came back “normal”.

“It’s probably irritable bowel syndrome.”

“Maybe it’s stress.”

“Maybe it’s your diet.”

They told us to monitor it. Adjust his meals. Come back if things got worse.

We trusted them. We waited. We watched.

But by the third month, something deep inside me knew we couldn’t wait any longer. He was losing weight, like clothes falling off of him. He was tired all of the time. His skin looked pale. His energy was gone. The man I knew was disappearing right before my eyes.

I told him we needed to figure this out. I told him to go to Ochsner ER and let’s see if they can figure this out. And for the first time, someone really listened. The ER doctor told us that this has been going on for way too long, and he referred him for a colonoscopy.

We had to wait another month to be seen for that appointment. Then, a week later on November 12, 2021, he called me and told me he received the results and it’s a tumor. I asked if it was benign and him trying to be so strong for me, said, “no babe, its cancer, rectal cancer”.

But the diagnosis wasn’t the end of the waiting. After the colonoscopy confirmed it’s cancer, we waited another month for a PET scan to determine how far it had spread.

That’s when we found out the cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes and lungs.

Stage 4.

I’ll never forget that moment. I was holding our newborn and falling apart from the inside out at the same time.

We thought we were dealing with something early, something fixable, something that had a fighting chance, I mean it’s only been six months since the first symptom. But by the time we got the full picture, we were already in the late stages of a fight we didn’t even know we were in.

After conducting the genetics testing, we later learned that his cancer was most likely caused by burn pit exposure during his military deployments.

Those massive burn pits—filled with trash, chemicals, plastics, and toxic waste—created clouds of poison that soldiers breathed in every day. And like so many other Veterans, my husband came home with an invisible time bomb ticking inside of him.

He wasn’t the only one.

Studies now show a growing link between burn pit exposure and cancers like his. Organizations like the VA’s Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry and Burn Pits 360 are working to bring awareness to these hidden risks.

But for us, that knowledge came too late.

What I Wish We Had Known

Looking back, there are so many things I wish we’d known.

I wish we’d known that diarrhea lasting more than four weeks isn’t “normal”.

I wish we’d known that colorectal cancer doesn’t only happen to people over 50.

I wish we’d pushed harder when the VA told us “everything’s fine”.

I wish someone had told us: “Don’t wait. Get a colonoscopy now.”

But we didn’t know…

And so I’m sharing this now—for every spouse, every parent, every loved one who’s watching someone go through “weird stomach issues” and doesn’t know what to make of it.

Listen To Your Body. Push For Answers.

If something doesn’t feel right, speak up.

Advocate.

Don’t stop until you get real answers.

Early detection is key.

And if you or someone you love served near burn pits, please take a moment to register with the VA’s Burn Pit Registry and learn more from organizations like Burn Pits 360 and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

I wish we had known.

I wish we had found it sooner.

But now I hope that our story helps someone else find answers—before it’s too late.

If this story resonates with you, share it with someone you love. You never know who might need it today.

And if you’re walking a similar journey, know that you are not alone. Subscribe to my newsletter for more stories, encouragement, and resources as we navigate this road together.

With Love,

—La 💙

LaLa P.

What We Didn’t Know: My Husband’s Symptom That Was Really Rectal Cancer.

When my husband first started having diarrhea, we didn’t think much of it. He had always eaten clean—lots of fruits and vegetables, especially before going to the field for an Army exercise.

It was part of his routine: clean out his system, eat healthy, hydrate, get mission-ready. We thought it was normal. We thought it was just his body doing what it always did.

So we weren’t worried at first. Maybe it was a stomach bug. Maybe it was just his usual pre-field diet working a little overtime.

But then the diarrhea didn’t stop.

A family trip to Disney, turned into multiple restroom breaks a day. Days turned into weeks. Weeks turned into months. And no matter what he ate, what he took—no matter what he cut out or added—it kept happening.

We went to the VA hospital. They ran blood tests. Everything came back “normal”.

“It’s probably irritable bowel syndrome.”

“Maybe it’s stress.”

“Maybe it’s your diet.”

They told us to monitor it. Adjust his meals. Come back if things got worse.

We trusted them. We waited. We watched.

But by the third month, something deep inside me knew we couldn’t wait any longer. He was losing weight, like clothes falling off of him. He was tired all of the time. His skin looked pale. His energy was gone. The man I knew was disappearing right before my eyes.

I told him we needed to figure this out. I told him to go to Ochsner ER and let’s see if they can figure this out. And for the first time, someone really listened. The ER doctor told us that this has been going on for way too long, and he referred him for a colonoscopy.

We had to wait another month to be seen for that appointment. Then, a week later on November 12, 2021, he called me and told me he received the results and it’s a tumor. I asked if it was benign and him trying to be so strong for me, said, “no babe, its cancer, rectal cancer”.

But the diagnosis wasn’t the end of the waiting. After the colonoscopy confirmed it’s cancer, we waited another month for a PET scan to determine how far it had spread.

That’s when we found out the cancer had already spread to his lymph nodes and lungs.

Stage 4.

I’ll never forget that moment. I was holding our newborn and falling apart from the inside out at the same time.

We thought we were dealing with something early, something fixable, something that had a fighting chance, I mean it’s only been six months since the first symptom. But by the time we got the full picture, we were already in the late stages of a fight we didn’t even know we were in.

After conducting the genetics testing, we later learned that his cancer was most likely caused by burn pit exposure during his military deployments.

Those massive burn pits—filled with trash, chemicals, plastics, and toxic waste—created clouds of poison that soldiers breathed in every day. And like so many other Veterans, my husband came home with an invisible time bomb ticking inside of him.

He wasn’t the only one.

Studies now show a growing link between burn pit exposure and cancers like his. Organizations like the VA’s Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry and Burn Pits 360 are working to bring awareness to these hidden risks.

But for us, that knowledge came too late.

What I Wish We Had Known

Looking back, there are so many things I wish we’d known.

I wish we’d known that diarrhea lasting more than four weeks isn’t “normal”.

I wish we’d known that colorectal cancer doesn’t only happen to people over 50.

I wish we’d pushed harder when the VA told us “everything’s fine”.

I wish someone had told us: “Don’t wait. Get a colonoscopy now.”

But we didn’t know…

And so I’m sharing this now—for every spouse, every parent, every loved one who’s watching someone go through “weird stomach issues” and doesn’t know what to make of it.

Listen To Your Body. Push For Answers.

If something doesn’t feel right, speak up.

Advocate.

Don’t stop until you get real answers.

Early detection is key.

And if you or someone you love served near burn pits, please take a moment to register with the VA’s Burn Pit Registry and learn more from organizations like Burn Pits 360 and the Colorectal Cancer Alliance.

I wish we had known.

I wish we had found it sooner.

But now I hope that our story helps someone else find answers—before it’s too late.

If this story resonates with you, share it with someone you love. You never know who might need it today.

And if you’re walking a similar journey, know that you are not alone. Subscribe to my newsletter for more stories, encouragement, and resources as we navigate this road together.

With Love,

—La 💙

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