Linzie Woods, Aldershot
I was diagnosed with stage 1 bowel cancer in 2022, aged 39.
After years of living a happy, active and healthy lifestyle, I never imagined cancer featuring as part of my story.
In 2022 I started experiencing extreme tiredness, extreme bloating and pain, all of which I put down to my endometriosis and IBS. Eventually the bloating got so bad, along with pins and needles and a feeling of something pressing against the inside of my body that I went to the doctor. My doctor immediately put all of my symptoms together and arranged for some blood tests and a FIT test (faecal immunochemical test) for me to do at home, but they felt it was highly unlikely that we were dealing with cancer due to my age and lifestyle.
After my FIT test came back with a positive result, I had a colonoscopy where a tumour was spotted and some biopsies were taken. I asked my consultant after my colonoscopy how much he needed to rely on the biopsy results to know what he was looking at. He was very honest and told me with his experience, he was 99% sure that we were dealing with cancer, despite first thinking that it was too unlikely to be the case. I actually appreciated his honesty, as I realised I didn’t need things sugar coated, but wanted facts.
On 20 August 2022, my biopsies confirmed my tumour was cancerous. At this time, my partner Scott and I had only been together a few months, but he was with me every step of the way, for every appointment, test, scan and surgery. The support I’ve had from him, my family and friends has been beyond explainable. Every day I feel so grateful and thankful for every single one of them.
Once I was diagnosed, I was assigned a colorectal team, but I didn’t have the best experience or support with them however. Outside of my partner and family, I felt quite alone in my bowel cancer journey. That’s when I reached out on social media, looking for others in a similar situation and I found support on the Bowel Cancer UK forum and from Macmillan. I would definitely recommend Bowel Cancer UK to anyone that’s looking for support. I post constantly on social media about my journey and on the Bowel Cancer UK forum, just in case someone feels scared or alone. The forum was the one place where I found people that I could relate to, and the place outside of my home where I felt safe to reach out and speak about how I was feeling.
The month after my diagnosis, I had a high anterior resection and had 24 lymph nodes removed. All were clear, meaning I didn’t need to have chemotherapy. I was diagnosed at stage 1 at this point too. I coped really well right up until my surgery, and it was then that depression kicked in. I was having bad dreams, feeling fear and panic of everything and anything, which was then followed by guilt. I started struggling to go out, and I suddenly felt like I was made of glass and would break. I realised I wasn’t indestructible and the vulnerability became far too much to bear some days. Survivor’s guilt then joined the party too. A school friend was diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2022 also and then lost her life in January 2023. So personally, survivor’s guilt really affected me and I still struggle over a year on.
After my operation, my partner, family and friends were fantastic. At the time, my partner was a farmer living in Shrewsbury, so he and my family were doing rotas for helping with my care and recovery. My employers were brilliant too, supporting me the whole time I was away and were so supportive when I finally returned to work too. It was daunting returning after being away so long, but they made me feel right at home again in no time.
I’ve just had my 12 month check-up and feel relieved that there’s been no reoccurrence. For the first time since the start of this journey, I’m feeling more positive about the future. I’m learning to control my anxieties and fears so they aren’t quite so controlling over my life. I recently turned 40, and after a whirlwind year in 2022, 2023 has been a lot kinder on the whole. I got to marry my best friend recently and I feel so lucky that I got to walk down the aisle, healthy, and able to look forward.
I cannot express enough how important early detection is, and how important it is to be aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer. Without that FIT test, my early diagnosis would never have happened. My hope for the future is that people won’t be afraid to speak up or let symptoms be ignored. This just might just save lives, and this is why I speak up about awareness of bowel cancer. I've always felt that in life, there was something I was meant to do, or change I was meant to bring about. If this is it, then I will scream as loud as I can, until my lungs are blue, if that helps save others.
