The Bowel Babe Legacy
The sad news came this week of the death of Dame Deborah James after her battle with cancer at the age of 40.
After being diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in 2016 she underwent numerous surgeries and treatments, including experimental drugs, in her fight against the disease.
Unfortunately, after being declared cancer-free in January 2020, she discovered soon after that a new tumor had been found and further surgery would be required.
Throughout her surgeries and treatment, she raised awareness of the disease through her podcast and social media accounts. She encouraged people to watch out for the symptoms of bowel cancer and seek medical advice if something doesn’t feel right. And her Bowelbabe fund has now smashed through the £7million mark.
Bowel cancer isn’t usually something that affects younger people, but it likes to throw the occasional spanner in the works. Dame Deborah was in her mid-thirties when she received her diagnosis, I was in my early fourties. It’s less common, but nobody should be complacent.
There is a link below to the Bowel Cancer UK website where the common symptoms are listed. If you notice anything that doesn’t quite feel right, or if you have any concerns at all, speak to your GP.
Click here to visit the Bowel Cancer UK website.
When I was first diagnosed in 2018, I had probably ignored some of the signs. I can’t say that I saw any blood in my poop, and my toilet habits were pretty changeable anyway due to my horrible diet, so that wasn’t a trigger for me to get checked out. Maybe passing out in a coach toilet half way across France was a sign that something was up. Certainly passing out a second time seven months later had raised alarm bells.
There were less obvious signs that I also ignored; I was often tired and was told by those around me that I had been looking pale for a while. It appears that the anaemia was a big red flag for me.
And this time around, when I received my second diagnosis, I can’t say that there were any serious symptoms that I could put my finger on either. Although, I was told again that my usual rosy cheeks had disappeared again and the greyness had returned.
I usually avoided seeing my doctor as much as possible, thinking that whatever ailment I had would sort itself out and I’d been fine in a week or two. If I hadn’t been forced into going to see a doctor back in 2018 who knows what may have happened.
So, my advice would be to speak to your GP if there’s anything unusual about the way that you are feeling. If you have any of the obvious symptoms like blood in your poop, or new lumps and bumps, a change in your toilet habits or weight loss…book an appointment with your GP. But, if you look at yourself in the mirror and the person looking back at you is a pale, grey version of your former self…book an appointment with your GP. If you are tired and can barely keep your eyes open through a football match or an episode of Masterchef…book an appointment with your GP.
There is every likelihood that your doctor will check you out and the results will come back all clear. But, never think that you are wasting anybody’s time. Early diagnosis can make a huge difference to your recovery should you receive bad news, so the sooner you get checked out the sooner you take the next steps, whatever they may be.