Sruthi’s story

I’m a 40-year-old mother to two wonderful boys 15 and 6, and a wife to a supportive husband, cancer was the last thing I ever expected. My life was full of laughter, love, and the everyday hustle of being a mom—until everything changed in July 2023.

For years, I’d struggled with anaemia. Every doctor I saw attributed it to my heavy periods, suggesting options like IUDs and pills to manage the flow. Over a decade, I underwent seven iron infusions to keep my levels stable. One infusion triggered an allergic reaction, landing me in hospital.

In March 2023, my GP referred me to a haematologist for my next infusion. A blood test from there revealed I was celiac positive, prompting an endoscopy and colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis.

That colonoscopy in July 2023 changed everything. Doctors removed three sizable polyps, which I didn’t think much of at the time, cancer never crossed my mind. The next day, the surgeon called and asked me to come in, as the pathologist had raised a concern. Even then, cancer didn’t cross my mind. But when I heard the words ‘you have cancer,’ I couldn’t speak. It felt like something was caught in my throat.

The nights that followed were sleepless as I grappled with the thought of leaving behind my boys. My little one is only 5, what would my boys do without me?

I was stunned. I’m healthy, eat well, drink occasionally, and have zero symptoms – no blood in my stools, no constipation, no pain, nothing. Yet here I was, diagnosed with cancer at 39.

Initial CT scans and blood work suggested no metastasis, which gave me a relief. Everything moved quickly after that. I was referred to the colorectal team, and on August 21, 2023, I underwent a seven-hour colon resection surgery. Thirty centimetres of my sigmoid colon and 17 lymph nodes were removed. While the initial scans suggested no metastasis, one of the lymph nodes came back positive, confirming my cancer was Stage 3. Chemotherapy became the next step.

My husband and eldest son were my pillars of strength, while my little one simply understood that ‘Mummy’s very sick.’ I recovered well from surgery, despite a few ED visits for severe pelvic and abdominal pain – this was my fourth abdominal surgery, following two C-sections, an appendectomy and a hernia repair.

I’d been warned chemo was tough, but I wasn’t prepared for its intensity.

In October 2023, I began four cycles of oxaliplatin and capecitabine (CAPOX) over three months, hoping to finish by January 2024. The first cycle finished without much trouble, but on day five of the second cycle, I experienced severe upper abdominal pain.

My GP suspected pancreatitis and ordered blood tests. That night, he called my husband – my platelets had plummeted to 7, raising fears of internal bleeding.

At the ED, scans ruled out no bleeding but revealed extreme swelling in my liver, gallbladder, and pancreas. Doctors noted swelling can occur with chemo, but they’d rarely seen it this severe. My potassium levels were also dangerously low. It was a frightening night of antibiotics, platelet infusions, and a 12-hour potassium drip, just waiting to stabilize. After a week in hospital, my oncologist allowed two weeks’ recovery before resuming a reduced dose.

Chemo took a toll in ways I couldn’t imagine. Nerve damage made touching anything cool painful, and drinking room-temperature water felt like swallowing sharp needles. Muscle cramps, nausea, and overwhelming fatigue became constant companions.

During the third cycle, my platelets dropped to 21 by day three, and organ swelling returned, leading to another four-day hospital stay. The CAPOX regimen proved too toxic for me, so my oncologist switched me to a single-drug treatment for a longer period, another 5-6 months. I was daunted by the duration, but thankfully, my body tolerated it – no more hospitalisations.

As a family of four living far from our homeland, we lack nearby relatives, but then you see friends become family. Their support, alongside my loved ones, carried me through.

Now, I’m 12 months into a five-year cancer surveillance plan, with regular scans and check-ups. So far, the results are promising, and I hold onto hope that it continues this way.

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My one piece of advice:

For anyone reading this, listen to your body, trust your instincts. My only clue was anaemia, dismissed for years. Early detection made all the difference for me. Don’t overlook even the smallest signs – they could be more significant than you think.