My name's Elaine, and I have Bowel Cancer

Hello! I was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer in September 2020, aged 40, and I kept it to myself, close friends and family for a long while. I have now reached a place where I can talk about it more openly and I felt like telling a wider audience on my social media. It was suggested I start a blog, so that's what I'm doing!

Here is that first post, written 7 June 2022.

I've written this post a million times in my head, but now, with more media attention on Bowel Cancer, it seems to be the right time.

I want this post to raise awareness, and potentially help people spot symptoms sooner rather than later. I'm certainly jumping on the Never Too Young band wagon, and it is definitely not a 'woe is me' post, and I will thump anyone who gives me the cancer sad eyes - so be warned!

I was diagnosed with Bowel Cancer in September 2020 - just to top off what was already a wonderful year for everyone. It was discovered by chance when I went for a scan to see if I had gall stones after a concerning blood test. I had been going dizzy and been feeling tired. Thankfully, the sonographer doing the ultra sound scan spotted the tumour and got the ball rolling for treatment. Needless to say I've been probed and prodded alot, but those are stories which require wine.

Frustratingly, I had been back and forth to the GP with symptoms for about 5 years, change in bowel habits, but I've always been told, it's IBS, it's lactose intolerance, You need more fibre in your diet, You should exercise more, You're too young for Cancer, and, my personal fave, have you tried Oats for breakfast? I had fatigue too - but who doesn't when they're working full time with an active child and home to run?

So, my misson now is to make sure everyone I know is aware of the signs, to be confident in advocating for themselves, and to know they're never too young.

As for my own treatment, I'm now on an Immunotherapy drug called Nivolumab and we're in a control and contain situation. Surgery isn't possible yet, because of the tumour's awkward size, shape, and position - very close to my liver. For the moment, I'm coping well with the treatment and side effects, and I'm living life.

So, know your body, and be your own best advocate! As for me, I've just had round 28 of Nivolumab, I'm expecting a gold watch for round 30!

I will probably make more posts about poo 😊

Comments

The one I didn't want to write

Well, I’m not sure how to write this one.You all know I’ve had a pretty rough start to the year. In the past month or more however, the pain has really ramped up. This, along with the dodgy arse explosions and absolutely no energy, meant my scan was brought forward and treatment was delayed. A week later a very frank discussion was had with my lead oncologist. We all know that my cancer is incurable, however we’ve never put a time frame on that. Very much a ‘treat it till we can’t’ scenario. This time was different. Although the scans show the disease as stable, my blood work and progression of symptoms show a different story. My cancer is weird, and doesn’t behave like ‘normal’ cancer. Bowel cancer likes to move to other organs, mine hasn’t done that. This bastard tumour has been unpredictable from the get go. So with trepidation I asked 12 months? I was answered with a sad shake of the head and the answer “probably less”. Maybe 6-12 months. To be honest we were expecting this kind of...

Shit storm in a teacup

OK, I’m a bad blogger, I’ve not written anything in aaaaages. I’m not sure I have anything to write about now to be perfectly honest, but I felt like I needed to write something - d’ya know what I mean? No? I’ll carry on anyway. By and large, the combined drug combo of Bevuzzzzzzimab-or-something-or-other and Lonsurf has been keeping my tumour in check. Not without incidents though. My constitution being all delicate (like a bomb, not a flower) has meant that every so often I’ve landed up in hospital. Most recently, I started 2025 2nd Jan, with a 17hr stint in A&E needing blood because my HB levels were in my boots and I had a cold. Having a cold is normally a run of the mill event for people with an immune system, however as my immune system is as elusive as the ruddy Scarlet Pimpernel it floored me. A hot toddy wasn’t quite going to cut it. The hospital also has to assume that you, as a cancer patient, have Nutropenic Sepsis, until tests show that you don’t. I was in hospital aga...

2024 Update: It's been emotional

Photographic evidence of 2 bored people in a waiting room Hello! Happy New Year! Is it still ok to say that in May? I’m saying it anyway, why not eh? My last post was in September 2023, and well, quite a lot has happened. Quite a lot I wasn’t ready to write about, but I was in hospital and bored when I started writing this, so here goes. Please note this is a long post and is NOT MANDATORY reading, we’ll still be friends if you don’t feel like reading on. A little aside which might amuse you is that back in November ‘23 we discovered that I’m sensitive to a new brand of IV steroid that the buyers in the NHS have bought. “How do we know that?” I hear absolutely nobody asking, but as you know, I like to over share. Before the immunotherapy drug is administered, I have a lil’ pre-med cocktail of Steroids, Antihistamine, and Paracetamol to prevent a reaction. The steroid used thus for the past 18 months of treatment has been a powder which the nurses mix themselves with saline a...

Lainey's Log: A Bowel Cancer Diary

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