A woman with stage 4 bowel cancer has taken to social media to share four symptoms she experienced before being diagnosed, and said she wished she had spotted one of them sooner to get an earlier diagnosis.
Today is World Cancer day, a day when we are encouraged to think about our health and the symptoms of this potentially fatal disease. Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer in the UK. It makes up approximately 11% of all new cases; every year, about 44,000 people are diagnosed, and more than 16,800 lose their lives to the illness.
Ellie Wilcock, who was diagnosed with an advanced form of the condition, has taken to TikTok to share the four symptoms she spotted before receiving the bad news.
Pain
“Number one was pain in the left-hand side of my tummy and my pelvis,” Ellie shared. “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 cites tummy pain, a lump in your tummy and bloating as potential symptoms of bowel cancer. Those suffering from conditions like IBS can sometimes overlook these signs, as common digestive issues can cause similar symptoms.
When in doubt, it’s always advisable to seek medical advice.
Fatigue
Ellie added: “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 can signal several types of cancer, as noted by the NHS. It associates “feeling very tired for no reason” with symptoms of bowel cancer, although it could also indicate various other conditions.
Changes to bowel habits
“Number three was one I didn’t notice but one in hindsight that I probably had,” Ellie added. “[It] was a change in my bowel habits and blood in my poo. So this is one to really keep an eye on.”
Ellie recommends people keep an eye out on their bowel movements. She said: “Check your poo. I’m such an advocate for that,” adding she may have noticed the disease at an earlier stage had she followed this advice.
Changes to appetite or unexpected weight loss
“Number four, I would say for me, [was] lack of appetite,” Ellie concluded. “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.”
“Losing weight without trying” and “bloating” are recognised symptoms of bowel cancer, according to the NHS, however they can also be signs of other cancers or conditions unrelated to cancer.
Anyone with concerns should consult with their GP.