Kristin P’s story

In the beginning, I wrote off the changes I noticed. Blood when I wiped – must be haemorrhoids. Back pain – probably sitting askew at my desk job. Exhaustion – isn’t that expected for a perimenopausal 46-year-old mum? Still, something in my gut said this isn’t right.

I visited my GP who suggested a few things, with encouragement to return if they didn’t work. Nothing worked.

Back at the GP, I got all the questions: Are you usually anaemic? No. Any family history of bowel issues? None. Do you exercise? Yes, I swim and run and bushwalk. Eat well? Most of the time. Smoke? Never. Drink? Not really. My GP reassured me that the colonoscopy referral was out of an abundance of caution.

I was looking forward to the tea and sandwiches after my first colonoscopy, instead, I awoke to the news that they removed multiple polyps, and I had at least one tumour. No further details. Just: you have cancer.

From there things moved quickly – scans, another colonoscopy, more scans. Then I was told the best of bad news: I had Stage 1 rectal cancer. Robotic surgery was scheduled for 3 days later, on Friday the 13th.

I woke up from surgery feeling relieved that the tumour was gone, though the temporary ileostomy bag dangling from my abdomen took a bit more getting used to. A few weeks of practice and a great stoma nurse helped it become manageable, just in time to book the reversal.

Following reconnection, nothing could have prepared me for the full impact of losing a section of bowel so close to the exit. With the support of Bowel Cancer Australia’s nutritionist and support groups, as well as regular exercise, I am working on managing the urgency, frequency and consistency of bowel movements. Most days I am doing fairly well. Other days, I throw caution to the wind and eat something delicious that I know I’ll regret (with toilet proximity always at the front of my mind).

I was lucky to detect bowel cancer at an early stage, optimising my chances for a positive outcome. The best advice I could give others is: do the screening, attend scheduled colonoscopies and if your bowel routine changes – trust your gut and follow it up.

My one piece of advice:

Trust your gut! When you notice bowel changes, speak to your GP and follow up as many times as you need to.