Steve Taylor, West Country
I was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in February 2022 at the age of 39.
My name is Steve Taylor (nick named Unit). I am 39 years old and have been diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer. I live with my beautiful wife Jessica in the West Country and work as an Area Sales Executive for Used Trucks by Renault Trucks UK. I am a devoted husband who loves family and friends, works hard and is passionate about sport and music.
In December 2021 I went to my GP complaining of bloating in my stomach to be told to keep a food diary of when this occurred. This coincided with my birthday and Christmas – a difficult period considering the extra food and booze that would find its way into my daily consumption.
Despite the excesses of my birthday and Christmas the bloating subsided in January and coincided with us moving into our new home. Life was good, despite the number of boxes that needed moving!
By February my stomach bloating flared up again and I went back to the GP and this time was given a male MOT, bloods, stool sample and body check (yes fingers up the bum).
A couple of days later the results were in! My stool was clear, but they had found a very small sample of blood in my urine. As a precaution I had telephone appointment the following Tuesday with Bath Royal United Hospitals oncology department.
During the few days that followed my stomach got bigger and bigger and constipation set in. The night before the call I went for a Valentine's Day meal with my wife and family. My mother – never one to pull punches – informed me I 'looked like sh*t, was grey under the eyes and needed to get checked out'. Always listen to your mother gents!
The following morning, I contacted the GP again and she prescribed some laxatives – I needed some industrial strength medication to help to clear me out.
My phone call with the hospital was very quick and they asked if I could come straight in as I hadn't passed wind for two days, apparently alarm bells should go off if wind is trapped!
I arrived on the ward to be assessed again (yes fingers up my bum twice in week). Because the ward was so busy my assessor booked me back in the following day at 8am.
So at 8am I'm dropped off at the Bath Royal United Hospitals by my wife and following this I had a CT scan done.
I sit back on the day bed and within 15 minutes I am asked if I would come around to the night beds, I thought brilliant something is happening. The nurse asked if I wanted the curtains closed and I said no as I love to people watch, at this point my mother's intuitions kick in and I am alert to every nurse and doctor walking past and their reactions.
I see a surgeon in blue scrubs walk past look over to me to basically clock who I am with a concerned look on his face, he walks to the reception desk, walks back to me, and closes the curtains. I don't know how they do this part but he was unbelievably compassionate and professional when he put his hand on my knee and said "I am sorry Mr Taylor, it isn't good news you have bowel cancer and we need to go for an emergency procedure to remove the blockage in your bowel. Is there anyone you can contact?"
My mind didn't have a chance to process what had just been said to me and this was definitely for the best as I called Jess straight away and said "Can you come in, I have cancer?" I didn't tell her at this point I need an emergency operation as I didn't want to worry her and wanted to tell her in person. I called my Mum and Dad also but knew the way the surgeons were reacting that they wouldn't get to the hospital in time.
What felt like minutes I could hear Jess in reception – which was a huge relief as the surgeons were asking how far away she was and that they were prepped and ready to go.
Jess came in helped me get changed into my gown and I explained what was going to happen, the look on her face will stick with me forever but the brave heart she is, she took it in her stride and kept herself together – in front of me at least.
We literally had five minutes together when a young lad came over wiped the wheels away and was like "Mr Taylor, we are off."
ICU and my stay in hospital
1,2,3 bang I am back in the room eyes open five hours later I am being pushed into Intensive Care Ward which I recognised straight away having spent a lot of time visiting my sister years ago.
Jess, Mum and Dad had a few minutes with me before they had to go as it was close to 10pm now at night. It really did help me seeing the three people closest to my heart. At that moment I could see their relief that I was awake.
Once they had gone my eyes were everywhere and my mind was in overdrive, I then felt down the scar on my stomach and thought okay this is huge, but I am in no pain so can deal with that in due course. Then I looked at my new mate Stevie Stoma for the first time, I have to say at this point I wanted to cry as I thought it was the most disgusting thing I had ever seen in my life.
The 48 hours in intensive care was incredible as the nurses are unreal literally there at any point you need them. I can only describe what they do as angels the lot of them.
Dosed up on drugs to the maximum those two days of basically water and drugs took its toll and I felt horrendous. Jess came and saw me and I managed to get into the chair next to the bed and said to her I didn't feel right, with that I projectile vomited. It was like a scene from the Exorcist – it went everywhere. That actually did the trick – and within minutes I was sleeping like a baby.
The next morning, I was told I would be going on another ward that night as they needed the space and I was out of urgent attention.
However the next day after being moved to a different ward the nurse comes back and says it ok Mr Taylor you need to move as you are now a COVID suspect, hold on role the clock back pardon. Oh has no one told you the guy opposite you in ICU had COVID so hospital rules are you are now classed as a suspect.
My brain clicked in at this point although I was fuming and thought keep calm Steve as you're now getting what you need a room on your own to recover from major surgery and sleep.
A few days spent getting my stoma sorted and keeping food down I was then met with the surgeon who did my operation and was given the good news that I can go home.
My conversation with him will remain private medically, practically he had no problem with me going home getting on a high protein low fat diet and to get back onto my Peloton as soon as I felt well enough.
Recovery
Back home and in your own bed felt amazing, Jess had cleaned the house from top to bottom and had flowers everywhere from concerned friends which felt awesome.
For the next five days I relaxed caught up with friends on the phone and got used to Stevie Stoma's antics, within a few days me and Jess had the changing of the bags like a Formula One time swift!
One thing I was so keen to get started on was the recovery and over those five days from Wednesday until Monday I planned in my head what I was going to do.
At the start of 2022 I said to Jess I was going to buy us a Peloton having moved house it made perfect sense to both of us to have a piece of gym equipment in the house that we both had access to and could use at any time of the day. With this I set myself an ambitious weight loss target for the year but was determined to work my way through 12 months to get there and look good for my 40th birthday party.
Little did I know in January that by February this purchase has paid for itself a million times over already in my mind and is aiding my recovery and fitness goal to a whole new world.
Mindset and future
With my fitness schedule now up and running and in full force I felt my mind becoming so clear quickly in the first week of being home. I had spoken to work, and they have been great putting no pressure on me which is greatly appreciated as I don't know all the answers but will return when I am well enough to do so as I enjoy what I do there.
Positivity is a word which gets banded about a lot and sometimes I think when I hear this word isn't that how everyone is when they open their eyes each day! Evidently this isn't the case and you really do have to dig deep into your mind to start.
Not everyone knows this, but I struggle with anxiety and two years' ago picked up the phone to Bupa for support as I felt lost in my mind with the start of the pandemic and being put on furlough.
Reflecting back on those Cognitive Behavioural Sessions helped me massively. It put conversations, people, and circumstances into the right boxes in my mind.
It was looming over me that I had to go and see the doctor four weeks after surgery to discuss the future, this is genuinely the only time throughout what has happened when I felt scared. It was my first time in a lifetime of visiting Bath Royal United Hospitals that I had to go to oncology.
Again, the contents of that appointment will remain confidential but I can safely say thank the Lord I had Jess with me as it was information overload and she took in a lot of what was being said better than I did. Now knowing that I would start my chemotherapy treatment in two weeks for three months relaxed me and off home we went. On the journey home I went and got my fourth COVID jab as I was now classed as vulnerable.
Friends and family
I have had fantastic support from those friends and family I cherish the most, had messages from friends I have no issues with but have not seen in years and have closed out those who I know are just noisy and wanting gossip. Plus, the oncology team and local doctors and nurses have been fantastic with me, I will never have a bad word said about our NHS it is stretched but the best in the world and those who work hard within it are angels.
Cutting out the 'white noise' doom, gloomers and drama is the key I think to a successful recovery, some people can't help themselves but talk all about themselves and try and turn every conversation into their own experience and thoughts.
My suggestion is limiting these conversations and move on quickly, try not to be too rude but trust me the journey is yours and negativity breads negativity.
I cannot conclude this account without a special mention to my beautiful wife Lady J and my Mum, the two strongest women I have ever met in my life. Me and Lady J just work perfectly she is kind, calm and extremely considerate always reassuring me that I will be okay.
My Mum has and always will be my world she is a truly remarkable women who is stronger than an Ox. This can sometimes be misconceived by some over the years that she is 'scary' far from it. Straight talking is the way I have been brought up and I love how this has been installed in me from a young age to talk and not bottle anything up.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy the more times you hear this word the more conclusions your mind will transfix on, don't get me wrong at first it scared me like the word cancer it has such a negative stigma attached to it that its inevitable to feel scared.
However, putting my follow up appointment with oncology to the side as this was information overload, and my advice would be to take someone with you. Once I had the schedule from the doctor I was relaxed and very much looking forward to getting started. My schedule is on a three-week cycle. Week one is a Oxaliplatin infusion at the hospital aka an IV Drip which last two and a half hours followed by Capecitabine tablets (chemotherapy tablets) a combination of Xelox and Capox drugs twice a day. Week two is Capecitabine tablets twice a day only. Week three is complete rest then the cycle starts again.
You receive a phone call a few days before you start treatment from a nurse, and they run through any questions. It's really relaxed and a great opportunity to get any questions out of your system.
My first infusion was on Tuesday 5 April and by then I was chomping at the bit to get started as it had been seven weeks since surgery and I felt two weeks before I was fully recovered and ready for it.
The two hours flew by and the half an hour wash through at the end was really straight forward, so in a blink of an eye I was done my first round of Oxaliplatin complete, and I was allowed to leave. I called Jess and she was waiting in the car park, so I made my way out the hospital and within minutes of going outside I felt the cold and tingling in my hands and pins and needles in my lower arm. Again, all of this is completely normal and on the drive home I said to Jess I felt fine just had pins and needles and needed the windows in the car kept shut so I didn't get a chill.
We arrived home and that night I was fine ate my tea and took my first dose of Capecitabine tablets. I slept well and woke the next morning with no side effects apart from pins and needles still in my hands and lower arm. When you think of it the drugs go in through the cannula and up your lower arm into your body so it's going to take a bit of time before it starts flowing everywhere as it's designed to do.
Over the next 24 hours I didn't have any activity from my stoma so called my stoma nurse who reassured me that this was completely normal, and it could take up to 72 hours for your bowel to kick back in. Great advice as the next day Stevie Stoma was back in action, and everything passed through formed and well.
So far, I am feeling well the pins and needles have subsided and I am cracking on daily with my fitness which I personally believe is aiding this recovery no end.
