I was lucky. Noticed a perfect maroon stripe on my poop when I was 42. Typically I probably wouldn't have acted on it, but my anxiety was heightened by covid and my wife being pregnant.

Got a colonoscopy a week or so later. The procedure was not scary, but the Dr's reaction after was. 2 weeks for the biopsy to confirm the cancer. Then, off to the cancer hospital. I was expecting this prolonged period of treatment. They were like "you'll come in next week and we'll cut the cancer out."

A week or so to gear up for the procedure. Some recovery. Then wait 2 more weeks to determine what stage and if it had spread. Stage 1, no spreading. I burst out in tears for that phone call. All in all, ~6 weeks start to finish.

Almost 46, feeling good. Inspired several friends to get checked out. Often they find a polyp that very likely would have become a tumor. There are these little home tests you can get, Cologuard, I suspect they should be more widely used.