PEOPLE – Sydney Stoner from Little Rock, Ark., was a newlywed in her 20s when she started suffering from severe abdominal pain and frequent bouts of diarrhea and constipation, spending months suffering in silence.
In 2019, she knew she needed to seek medical attention after collapsing in pain at work, unable to move. However, Stoner said doctors dismissed her symptoms, telling her she was “too young” to have any concerning health problems.
“People would say it was just that time of the month or that it was just ‘female stuff’ but I thought, no — it can’t be that painful,” she told Kennedy News and Media via The Daily Mail. “When I finally spoke to a doctor, he told me I was too young for it to be anything serious.”
“At that point, I wasn’t really given any other explanation, but I do remember one doctor saying it was probably IBS,” she added, referring to irritable bowel syndrome.
Stoner’s pain ultimately continued, explaining that it felt like her “insides were being twisted.”
Unable to continue dealing with her pain, Stoner — who had gotten married the previous year — decided to lie to her doctors about having blood in her stool, a symptom she knew they couldn’t ignore.
Stoner, now 31, is now encouraging others to stay on top of their health and advocate for themselves regardless of the age recommendations for screening.
“I know it’s difficult but keep advocating for yourself because no one else is going to get that done for you,” she added. “Find a new doctor, or whatever that may be. Find someone to listen to you because I know people that were diagnosed at 18 years old.”
“The screening age needs to be lower or there shouldn’t be one at all,” Stoner said …
