Katie Houston, West Lothian

I was diagnosed with stage 2 bowel cancer in August 2022, aged 43. 

I've always had bowel issues but put these down to IBS (irritable bowel syndrome), but in the summer of 2022 my symptoms worsened. I would wake up every day and have an explosive poo, wind, diarrhoea and I could see mucus. I was also sleeping more than usual but I put all these symptoms down to the stress of moving house.

My husband convinced me to go to the GP. He took bloods and I had two at home tests and referred me for colonoscopy. This became crucial in my diagnosis as my bloods and test results came back as inconclusive.

The nurse told me during the colonoscopy that I had cancer, I remember bursting into tears. I was so shocked as didn’t feel ill at all. I had no idea how I was supposed to tell my husband, our children or my family. My world had fallen apart; I was too young to have cancer. I felt lost and didn’t know what to do.

Following my colonoscopy I was referred for an MRI scan, this showed my bowel tumour as well as a group of cells on my liver and my right breast. I then had my consultant appointment on 5 September 2022. Neither myself or my husband were prepared for what we were told that day. We'd convinced ourselves that it wasn’t cancer and I would be ok. Instead, I was told I needed surgery and possibly a stoma bag and chemo or radiotherapy.  

My surgery was on the 17 October 2022 and I was under for six hours, I had a lower anterior resection by robot. Thankfully I was lucky and didn't need a stoma bag or further treatment. Following surgery, I had a long physical recovery, but the mental recovery is still ongoing.

I remember the day I was discharged from hospital being told to go live my life and eat and drink as I pleased. Sadly, this was not the case and I suffer from issues with certain food and drinks.

Mentally the cancer shadow still hangs in the background and to be honest I’m not sure it will ever go away. 

I've been cancer free for three years now but am still scheduled for a colonoscopy for the next two years due to my age. I also meet with my cancer nurse every six months. I should've been signed off from her in March but emotionally I was not ready and she agreed to stay with me for another year.

Throughout my diagnosis my husband and best friend were my support. I held off telling my parents and the rest of my family until I was ready, I think telling everyone meant it was true. When I did tell them, they were a great support — bringing shopping and whatever was needed.

Early diagnosis is key so if you have any issues please go to your GP. Although cancer is a scary word it’s definitely a case of the earlier it’s caught the better. No one wants to hear that word and it never leaves.