Kristin C’s story

✨️ CANCERVERSARY – 6 YEARS CANCER FREE ✨️

My post from 6 years ago laying in the hospital bed, cords everywhere, high on drugs, not able to walk, wondering what the hell is going on:

C. A. N. C. E. R.

The C word…
The word you never want to hear.

🌸 Monday 27 May 🌸
Light pains started just after lunch, by the time bedtime came round they were excruciating. Baby Harry was asleep, and hubby was at work so I just had to deal with it. Took 2 Panadeine Forte but nothing helped and had a completely sleepless night.

🌼 Tuesday 28 May 🌼
No sleep, feeling wrecked. I fought Harry to get dressed for school – both in tears but we got there. Dropped Harry at school, then had a meeting at work I couldn’t miss so managed to do a few hours then drove myself to emergency.
After waiting hours in emergency, having blood tests done and a ultrasound the doctor said I was fine, maybe gallstones that will pass naturally and just prescribed me some pain killers – they did NOTHING!

🌺 Wednesday 29 May 🌺
Kept taking my pain killers that had minimal effect but finally got some sleep.
As the doc said I was fine, Campbell and I proceeded to pack for our 5 day camping trip to Kalbarri – car, boat and camper were all packed and ready to go.

🌿 Thursday 30 May 🌿
Pain had gotten worse, knew our camping trip wouldn’t happen and another emergency trip was on the cards.
Back to the hospital.
Again waited for hours, more blood tests – doctors asking me stupid questions like I was exaggerating the pain.

‘Are you sure you’re not pregnant’ No I’m f#@king not, I just had another failed IVF but thanks for the reminder and for constantly asking and making me feel even worse!

‘You’re just constipated, you’ll be fine’. Surly constipation doesn’t cause this much pain!

Finally they sent me for an X-ray, this immediately showed a large obstruction in my large bowel and thankfully my newly amazing surgeon was on duty and sent me immediately for a CT Scan to be able to see more detail. Not long after that I was wheeled up to a room in the short stay unit, still not being told anything but knew something was wrong – me thinking its gallstones or appendicitis or something like that.

By this time I’d been at the hospital for over 6 hours so Campbell and Harry were at home doing dinner and bath time and I was all alone.

Sitting in my newly acquired room (#13, I should have known it was bad) with a very overly lovely nurse, then a team of surgeons and doctors, all six of them came into my tiny little room looking very serious and had such sad looking long faces… at this stage, I knew $#*! was bad!

The doctor tells me again about the very large obstruction and says he strongly thinks its CANCER, he says: ‘I would be very surprised if it’s not cancer’.

I’ll never forget those words. Like seriously Cancer, what the actual f#@k!

C A N C E R

Cancer – f#@k – no – how the f#@k is this possible, I’m meant to go camping I don’t have f#@king cancer!!!

I’m only 35, I have a young family, I can’t possibly have cancer..!

What the f#@k is this doctor talking about, I must have heard wrong…

He then says I need to undergo major surgery straight away, not keyhole but major surgery which will take many hours with a large surgical team.

I need to call Campbell, I need to call mum, I need to call my brother – how the f#@k do I tell them this…?

As soon as I speak to Campbell, he and Harry are in the car and they’re at the hospital within 10 minutes.

I call mum, she doesn’t answer. I call my brother, then again mum – who knows what I just told them…

Again the surgeons and doctors all come back into my tiny little room and tell my darling husband, Harry doesn’t know what’s going on – heck mum and dad don’t know.

The doctor  starts to tell us about the operation:
‘removal of bowel, or part there of…’
‘Not sure how long will take.’
‘Not sure what we’ll find.’
‘Major surgery, will be hours.’
‘Cancer.’
‘May need a stoma bag.’

Then within in 10 minutes I’m being wheeled down for surgery, Campbell and Harry follow for as far as they can. All of us in total shock, no knowing what the actual f#@k is happening.

Laying in that bed, going down the corridors and just seeing the sadness in my husband’s eyes – I will never forget.

It all happened so fast, laying in that big operating theatre with about 15 people surrounding me, I glance up at the clock that says 6:20pm then drift off to sleep!

6 hours later, I’m wheeled out, drugged up and all cut up. Hubby’s called and told everything went well.

I remember waking up at 3:30am that next morning so out of it, not knowing a thing. I buzz the nurse to get my phone so I can quickly message hubby and mum to let them know I’m okay then back to sleep for me.

The nurse must have told me how to use the magic morphine button, the next morning she told me I attempted to press for morphine over 400 times but only got 44 hits, will only allow every 5 minutes lol!

🌟 Stage 3c bowel cancer.
✨ Cancer tumour removed – 5 x 5 x 2 cm.
🌟 Large Bowel – Right Hemicolectomy surgery, 45 cm removed.
✨ Appendix removed.
🌟 38 Lymph Nodes removed, 6 being cancerous.
✨ 15 staples in my belly.
🌟 Cords and monitors everywhere.

I’m now in the Surgical Ward, dosed up on copious amounts of drugs, still in a critical condition and now a cancer patient!

THAT NIGHT CHANGED OUR LIVES, FOREVER.

6 years later, my life is definitely not the same but I’m ALIVE! Living my best life (when I’m not sleeping, thanks Cancer fatigue) in The Pilbara with my husband and our two sons Harry, now 8 and Tommy, our little after cancer miracle bub almost two.

My one piece of advice:

Listen to your body!!!

Advocate for yourself, if something doesn’t feel right – get it checked and if not happy with that opinion seek other advice.