Jacinta M’s story

I moved to Australia in September 2024 and was excited to start my new life in what is now my new home. I enjoyed the first three months exploring and then finally settling in, to the new busy Brisbane city life living.

Having no prior medical issues, at all. Zero, none. I was a bit confused by symptoms I started having in April 2025. The first was a very slight change in bowel habits. I would flip flop between normal, diarrhoea and what I now know is constipation. I did not know what constipation was, I didn’t know it could be painful. At the time I wasn’t eating the healthiest, so I attributed it to eating garbage and blamed it on myself. Then I started eating healthy, very little blood started. Then the blood started regularly. Every. Single. Bathroom. Visit. This was June.

At the time I was on birth control, and already having spotting regularly. Again, I attributed it partly to this and blamed myself. Soon I started to get pain when I ate absolutely anything, an unbelievable pain in what I thought was my stomach. I thought it was IBS OR IBD and was recommended a FODMAP diet to find what triggered it. I tried a liquid only diet, and that seemed to make the pain 5/10 instead of 10/10. The blood still continued though.

I pushed through, didn’t take any sick days, just decided to eat less or nothing because if I was empty it wouldn’t hurt. I would be tired and out of breath, half functioning at work but there wouldn’t be pain. It was better that way.

I started searching up chronic pain and how to continue living while being in pain, thinking because of what I had been advised that this was just a lifelong IBS or suspected IBD illness.

The doctor had ordered a colonoscopy, but it was non-urgent, meaning an appointment in six months. I just had to wait.

September comes around and I go to a family holiday in Fiji to attend my late grandfather’s 10-year death anniversary. By now I could not eat a thing without it hurting. Soup, broth, fruit, veg, everything I ate caused agonising pain. I felt dizzy walking a few steps and was just waiting to pass out. The blood was still continuing daily, every single time I went to the toilet even for a number 1.

I come back from my holiday and see my doctor, break down in the room not knowing what to say (I’d already said everything, and he said we just have to wait right?) He ordered some blood tests. The next day, which happened to be my birthday he calls my number, tells me the results – my haemoglobin is at 74g/L and my iron is extremely low too. He says sorry but orders me to go to the ED to get a blood transfusion. He says they know I am coming and will be ready for me.

I reluctantly go, stupid fake smile slapped on my face as usual. I wait and am seen within 40 minutes. The ED doctor asks if we know the cause of the blood loss (I almost laugh out loud) no we don’t, all my limbs are still here, and I have a silly smile on my face don’t I ?

They take my blood again, and it has dropped to 72g/L he does a quick “’check’ for haemarroids, nothing. Since I don’t meet the threshold for a blood transfusion ( <70g/L). He calmly tells me we will just wait for my colonoscopy. I am pissed, the fake smile is gone. I ask about the pain when I eat ‘ibuprofen’ & ‘liquid supplements’ as is recommended. I tell my GP and he is livid but at a loss. He doesn’t think its cancer (I do) but pushes for my colonoscopy to be upped to urgent. I still wait another 2 months.

The day comes, I’m all prepared with my own research of IBD, but at this point don’t care. I just want an answer. Boom, next thing we know, colonoscopy surgeon comes and tells me it’s a big tumour almost entirely blocking my passageway. He asks if I want to be admitted because I’m so close to being blocked.

I decline, it’s a blur, it’s not real. Fast forward a month (I really appreciate the speed) I’ve had a bowel resection surgery and am recovering well. Anxious to find out what the biopsies say about the tumour, and if I will have to do chemotherapy. Well short answer f#$! yes, I do. Its Stage 3C.

My world falls into static. I’m so afraid, so embarrassed, I disassociate. Chemotherapy will start a month after my surgery and will be the most unnerving experience, but the nurses will be there.

The nurses really make the worst situations as comfortable as they can possibly be. NED for now, and hoping to continue that way. I wish I had pushed more and not been so afraid of asking for more to be looked into.