A young woman was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer after mistaking her symptoms for a urinary tract infection (UTI).
Ellie Wilcock, 25, from Peterborough, was diagnosed with the disease in 2022. She initially attributed her sharp abdominal pains and bouts of fatigue to a UTI.
Despite the pain being localised to one side of her abdomen, doctors suspected issues with her reproductive system or an ovarian cyst. However, the diagnosis was far more serious – Ellie had the most severe grade of cancer, which had spread across her body.
Recalling her symptoms, Ellie said: “It [the pain] was in my left hand side. It was because the tumour was obstructing my large bowel. I thought it was more like urinary pain… doctors thought it was a UTI.”
Ellie revealed that some doctors believed she had an ovarian cyst, but she had symptoms more commonly associated with bowel cancer. Changes became frequent in her bowel habits, including both diarrhoea and constipation.
She said: “For me, it was a constant change between the two but it just wasn’t normal for me, and fatigue. I would come home from work and just want to lie down and go to bed. I was really tired, I was really fatigued. Even sitting at my desk, I was falling asleep and I was so tired.”
She also noticed a key warning sign when she saw blood in her stool, adding: “At the time I didn’t think I had this but on reflection I did and just didn’t notice it. This could be a range of colours, it could be bright red or a dark red. But anything that isn’t normal for you and you’ve noticed consistent blood in your poo then get it checked out. It is nothing to be embarrassed about. The sooner you look at it, the sooner you get it out the way.”
According to the NHS, anybody with symptoms lasting over three weeks should consult with their GP. While many symptoms may be due to conditions like irritable bowel syndrome, it’s crucial to seek medical advice. Ellie first visited her GP in April 2022 but when pain worsened, she went to A&E, where she received the devastating diagnosis.
She was told that the cancer had spread to her ovaries, liver and the peritoneum. She bravely underwent several operations before being given the all-clear in August.
Ellie said: “I always say cancer can happen to anyone, it doesn’t discriminate. It is just a bulldozer that moves into people’s lives and it fills waiting rooms with people, all with their own stories, their own families fighting this horrible disease,” and she highlighted the importance of prompt medical checks if symptoms are present.
With bowel cancer rates increasing in under-50s to the bewilderment of medics, the NHS website lists persistent symptoms such as fatigue, breathlessness, headaches, which could indicate anaemia caused by the condition.
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