Colon Cancer Connected Community Guidelines

[Nicole_GCCA]

Welcome to the Colon Cancer Connected Community for support of Colorectal (Bowel) Cancer.

We’re very glad you have chosen to be a part of our community. The Colon Cancer Connected community - offered by the Global Colon Cancer Association and HealthUnlocked (HU) - supports individuals affected by colorectal (bowel) cancer. Whether you are an individual who has been diagnosed, a care-partner, family member, or friend, we hope this community is a safe and supportive place for you to share your experiences and find information and support.

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The guideline highlights:

• Be kind, respectful, and understanding of one another

• Post from your own experience - “For me, this worked…” rather than “You should do this…”

• This is a space for emotional support - keep the medical advice to the professionals

• Only share third-party information from credible sources, and site your source

• No political content - it only causes disagreements

• This community should not be used for commercial or personal promotion - no selling, no fundraising, no spam

• If you see something you’re concerned about, use the reporting functionality to flag it to the moderation team

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This community is moderated by the Global Colon Cancer Association and HealthUnlocked.

The Colon Cancer Connected community is part of HealthUnlocked, a network of over 200 conditions and wellness communities from organizations you know and trust. By using HealthUnlocked (HU) you are accepting these posting guidelines and agree to HealthUnlocked’s site Guidelines and Terms of Use. Members of the Colon Cancer Connected should read HU’s Guidelines in conjunction with the Colon Cancer Connected Community Guidelines outlined below.

HU Community Guidelines: support.healthunlocked.com/...

HU Terms of Use: healthunlocked.com/policies...

Below are the Colon Cancer Connected Community Guidelines, which are aimed at creating and maintaining a safe and supportive community for all of our members. Many of HU’s guidelines are repeated here.

Professional Health Information:

The Colon Cancer Connected Community strives to provide useful, up-to-date information on matters of concern to individuals with colorectal (bowel) cancer and other members of the colorectal (bowel) cancer community. The information posted on this site should not be used as a means of diagnosis, determining treatment, nor replace the relationship between you, your doctors and other healthcare professionals. For diagnosis and treatment options, you are urged to consult your physician.

Community Atmosphere:

The Colon Cancer Connected Community is a safe, supportive, informative, and friendly community for people affected by colorectal (bowel) cancer. Your participation in this community should be with respect, honesty and in the spirit of supporting and learning from fellow users.

Please note that while Global Colon Cancer Association (GCCA) is an organization based in the United States, members may be located worldwide. As such, details on approved medications, treatment protocols, healthcare, insurance, and other related topics may differ and should always be verified depending on your specific location.

Posting Content (Posts/Questions/Replies/Private Messages):

Content posted by individual members does not represent the views of the GCCA or HealthUnlocked.

Posting content on this community is taken as your agreement to post information that is true and accurate to the best of your knowledge, and is primarily drawn from personal experience. You are encouraged to post content about your own experience with colorectal (bowel) cancer (or that of a loved one), ask questions, and offer support and advice.

Content should never be abusive, derogatory, sexually explicit or suggestive, or deliberately misleading. If you believe someone else’s content violates this rule, please report it via the “Report” option. Content that is felt to violate this policy will either be edited or removed. All reports are read by admins and moderators and it is their judgement on what action, if any, is taken.

Neither GCCA nor HealthUnlocked is responsible for any offence or injury that a member may draw from another member’s content.

Any content posted on this community can be read, used, reproduced, and cited by other users of the site. You have the option to delete content you posted.

When you post third-party information, such as information about new treatments, you are asked to provide references and links to sources wherever possible. Please ensure links are to a reputable site.

Moderating Content:

Content posted on this community is moderated by GCCA and HealthUnlocked. Moderation occurs only after content is posted.

Moderation helps maintain a safe, positive environment for all members of the community. Content may be edited or removed to ensure that the community remains supportive and responsive for all members.

The community is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Moderation occurs after posting and primarily between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM EST Monday through Friday.

Solicitations:

Please note that GCCA does not endorse or recommend any specific products, services, therapies, or activities mentioned by any third party (individual or company).

Online Safety:

In this community, there may be discussions of health-related issues and sharing of personal information.

Please note that the Colon Cancer Connected Community is an open site, meaning that any posts are searchable by internet search engines and can be shared via social media platforms. The default setting of posts allows them to be visible to individuals who are not members of the community. If you would rather your content was not searchable, you can change the visibility of your post by selecting "Only followers in my community" before clicking submit. This will result in only the post title and first line of text being visible to those who are not members of the community. However, doing this will limit the number of people who will find and benefit from the information you have shared. We suggest members leave posts open for everyone to find if they are comfortable doing so to ensure more people find communities and benefit from the wealth of information on HealthUnlocked.

For your own safety, you should not disclose personal information such as your full name, email address, home address, telephone number, or any other information which could directly or indirectly identify you.

For more information on general online safety guidelines please visit: How to Keep Your Personal Information Secure (consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0...

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi VicR,

Thank you for posting in Colon Cancer Connected. I'm sorry that these symptoms are causing you anxiety.

You have a lot going on here. We are so sorry to hear about your dad and understand the grief that it brings. On the other hand, we are so happy to hear about your pregnancy and you are right, you need to be feel happy and enjoy the journey. You need to be that "normal pregnant lady looking forward to this amazing experience." Well said. So please do that. For you and your baby.

You are doing the correct things to get answers. Do you know what your CEA number was from your blood test or are we still waiting on the results? Is there some history in your family of cancer?

Heads up information ... the FIT test will probably turn out positive because you are already experiencing blood in your stool. The test looks for hidden blood in the stool. We know this already, so this shouldn't cause you any further worries.

As hard as it is, try to not let the anxiety get to you too much. (I know that it is a lot easier said than done!). Our GI systems are very sensitive to stress and anxiety and can make symptoms worse. I'm sure being pregnant escalates the anxiety. Please focus on this ... "normal pregnant lady looking forward to this amazing experience." You're looking for answers. So work closely with your GP.

There are many causes for blood in the stool, some are very treatable with medication, diet change, and minor procedures, and of course, there are more serious reasons for blood in the stool as well. For that reason, we always advise patients to seek medical care when they have blood in the stool.

I hope I can convince you to be that "normal pregnant lady looking forward to this amazing experience." Print that out and tape it to your inside door so you'll read it every time you leave, tape it to the mirror in your bathroom, tape it everywhere.😂👍❤️🤟👼🍼

Please check back with us and let us know when you have more information. We are rooting you to have great doctor visits and positive results to all your tests. We wish you a happy healthy pregnancy and healthy happy baby.

~Tom, GCCA Survivor - Colon Cancer Connected Site Administrator.

Just a reminder - this group is here to offer support, share experiences, and offer our thoughts - but this is not medical advice, and you should always consult your medical professional(s). Additionally, for all emergencies, seek urgent medical care, never delay.