Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK, making up approximately 11% of all new cases. Each year, around 44,000 individuals are diagnosed, and over 16,800 people sadly die due to the condition.
Ellie Wilcock, who is living with an advanced form of the condition, has taken to social media to share the four symptoms that led to her diagnosis. She highlighted one symptom in particular that, if she had recognised it earlier, could have potentially resulted in a diagnosis before reaching stage 4.
Pain
“Number one was pain in the left-hand side of my tummy and my pelvis,” Ellie said. “I thought for a long time that it was a urine infection and it might have gone to my kidneys because it’s kind of one-sided and it went from my front round my back.
“But all of my infection markers were coming back clear, so I didn’t have an infection in my body, which is why I went for further tests.”
The NHS lists abdominal pain, a lump in the abdomen area, and bloating as potential symptoms of bowel cancer. Individuals with IBS can often miss these early signs, as their digestive issues may have similar symptoms. If in doubt, you should always speak to a medical professional.
Fatigue
“Number two was fatigue.” Ellie recounted. “So normally I would get up, go to work, come home, then maybe go to the gym or cook dinner or see a friend. But I was basically getting home from work and falling asleep for the rest of the evening.”
Fatigue could be an indicator of various types of cancer, according to NHS guidance, which cites “feeling very tired for no reason” as a possible symptom of bowel cancer, among other conditions that might not be related to cancer.
Changes in bowel habits
“Number three was one I didn’t notice but one in hindsight that I probably had, [it] was a change in my bowel habits and blood in my poo. So this is one to really keep an eye on.” said Ellie
“Check your poo. I’m such an advocate for that,” she urged, noting that noticing changes in her bowel habits sooner could have led to an earlier diagnosis before her cancer progressed to stage 4.
The NHS identifies several early warning signs of bowel cancer including: changes in bowel movements like having looser stools, experiencing diarrhoea or constipation that’s not typical for you, needing to poo more or less often, the presence of red or black blood in stools, bleeding from the rectum, and frequently feeling the urge to poo even after doing so.
Weight loss or changes to appetite
Other symptoms to watch for include unexplained weight loss or changes in appetite.
“Number four, I would say for me, [was] lack of appetite,” Ellie said. “On official symptoms, this goes down as an unexplained weight loss. For me, I wasn’t actually losing weight because the lack of appetite was quite infrequent. Most of the time, my appetite was fine.”
“But in hindsight I remember having, like, nausea and not wanting to eat as much, because my bowel obviously wasn’t normal. Hope this helps.”
According to the NHS, “losing weight without trying” and “bloating” are both symptoms that may indicate bowel cancer. However, these symptoms can also be related to other cancers or non-cancerous health conditions.
If you have concerns, speak to your GP.