NHS shares cancer signs to look out for as woman who ignored ‘embarrassing symptom’ gets sad diagnosis
A woman who was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer ended up sharing her story in the hopes that others wouldn't overlook symptoms as she did.
Jelena Tompkins noticed something was off in 2016, but dismissed the warning signs as she was otherwise healthy.
At her annual check up, she told her doctor about the blood and they thought it might be because of her diet, but months later as doctors tried to figure out whether a specific food was causing the blood, she went in for a colonoscopy.
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The results came back as stage 3 cancer, leading her to go in for 28 days of chemotherapy and then surgery to remove the tumour, which resulted in 12 inches of her colon being removed along with 17 lymph nodes.
"I was in some of the best shape of my life. I ate healthily and never thought that cancer would strike me at such a young age," she'd told The Patient Story of her diagnosis.
Her symptom was a bit embarrassing as her gas smelled worse than usual, but at first she put it down to her healthy, leafy diet.
She took probiotics to improve the bacteria in her gut but this did nothing to improve the smell, and it wasn't until Jelena noticed blood in her stool that triggered her worries.
She now goes through regular scans, and shared her story in the hopes that others might spot the signs earlier.
Being aware of the possible signs is one of the best things you can do, and thankfully the NHS has a pretty clear list of the possible symptoms of bowel cancer, which you can check whenever you like.
A lot of the symptoms are to do with your poo, so blood in it is one possible sign as are changes to what you'd consider to be normal pooing for yourself.
The NHS said if your poo feels softer or you have diarrhoea or unusual constipation those could be signs, as might needing to go to the toilet more or less then you usually would.
Feeling like you still need to go when you've just been is another possible symptom, as is blood coming from your rear, end even if you've not been to the loo.
Other symptoms can include pain in your belly, or feeling what could possibly be a lump in there.
If you're bloating or losing weight without trying then those are other symptoms to be watching out for, as is feeling very tired for no reason.
If you have these symptoms and they persist for three weeks or more, then the NHS would like you to see a GP.
"Try not to be embarrassed. The doctor or nurse will be used to talking about these symptoms," is their advice for those worried about discussing it.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.
Joe Harker