Nick Davidge, Wiltshire

My story begins in June 2023, I was involved with another health challenge at the time, an annoying Achilles heel, albeit self-inflicted from running the London Marathon the October before. Physiotherapy wasn’t working so I sought the advice of my GP for a referral to an orthopaedic consultant who’d done wonders previously on my other foot.

A few weeks before, I’d noticed blood on toilet paper, so after convincing my GP for a referral, I explained my other concern. He raised an eyebrow as to my process of prioritising conditions but reassured me the blood was unlikely to be of concern. However, he issued me with a test called FIT - Faecal Immunochemical Test, that looks for traces of blood in your poo.

I thought nothing more after completing the home test but was surprised to receive a follow up call from my GP around a week later. I was told to report for a colonoscopy as a day patient in the local hospital.

An appointment was confirmed and following the examination, still drowsy after sedation, I partially understood a brief conversation with the consultant, but he'd book a follow up to explain his findings. When my wife Sarah collected me, I shared my concerns that I felt things weren't right.

A week later I had the appointment with the consultant, who explained he'd discovered an early-stage cancerous tumour in the bowel and that I would require surgery to remove a section. He also confirmed I’d require an ileostomy, medical words that were meaning little, but he mentioned needing a stoma bag. It was a glass half empty moment. 

CT and MRI scans followed, another consultant appointment and this time Sarah accompanied me. He set out his plans and we agreed a date of 19 October for the operation, it could have been sooner, but I wanted to celebrate my youngest son’s 10th birthday.

Despite my fears and there were a few, one positive takeaway for me from this conversation with the consultant was with a colorectal cancer specialist, he explained how he performed the operation he was going to do on me around 160 times per year so clearly I was in good company. 

There were pre surgery checks and a meeting with the stoma nurses, who were supportive throughout, we also had a few lighter moments during our time together. Whilst my stoma was going to be a temporary arrangement to allow the resection surgery to heal, they guided me through what to expect during the following few months. The stoma and new way of living was daunting at times, but their support was incredible, and it became a normal part of my living routine.

It was an early start on the day of my surgery which was planned for 8am, Sarah dropped me off, and my mindset now was one of, its game on and let’s do this. I checked in, met nursing staff, was introduced to the anaesthetist, had a quick catch up with the consultant, the stoma nurse made an appearance to mark an X as to where the ileostomy would be located.

Waking up following the procedure around midday, I’d had an epidural so that was strange as feeling returned. I had some discomfort but was up and about in a couple of days and I left hospital within a week. I slept a lot, went walking and set about getting used to living with a stoma. I needed to follow a strict diet and there were the practical issues to get used to, but it wasn’t that bad a deal, I was alive and living a normal life with support all around me.

I had the challenging wait until early November to learn if I’d require chemotherapy, however luckily for me the resection that removed the tumour was all that I required, it had been caught early and no further action needed, beyond my surgery. 

In December I had a further x-ray to check the healing process, and at the end of January I was booked in for a reversal procedure, in simple terms reconnection of the bowel and a phased return to a normal diet. 

With one last hurdle, life was quite normal I’d returned to work, started my training again and overall was feeling fit and well. It was unfortunate the final surgery was more challenging and I spent nearly two weeks in hospital whilst things settled down. There were a few dark moments but the support the medical professionals, family, friends and colleagues gave me was outstanding. 

In hindsight the recovery from treatment is longer than I anticipated; I just buried it once the physical aspect had healed. I think it is key to understand the mental recovery too, as this year I have struggled and sought some help and support to guide me through this.

The consultant has been amazing and I see him regularly as part of the five-year surveillance programme I am on.

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