The time to speak with your healthcare professional is NOW “I was 29, didn’t drink, and was super healthy, but decided to see my GP after noticing a very small amount of blood in my stool. He referred me for a colonoscopy which I wasn’t looking forward to. I called a week before, hoping it had been cancelled due to COVID restrictions.
Fortunately/unfortunately for me, it wasn't,” said Sam, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer in April 2020, at the height of the pandemic. +++ “I have no family history of bowel cancer, had no other symptoms, and my age wasn’t a concern, so doctors, as well as a specialist, suggested my symptoms were likely due to food intolerances, or irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). A few months later a CT scan revealed a bowel obstruction. I found myself having emergency surgery and was diagnosed with stage 3c bowel cancer. Shortly thereafter it was discovered that I had a metastasis on my ovary, not previously detected, and my cancer was restaged to stage 4. All this was happening when COVID-19 was in full swing,” said Gemma, who has just finished 12 rounds of chemotherapy. +++ Although fewer colonoscopies, sigmoidoscopies, and bowel cancer surgeries were performed between January and September 2020 compared to the same period in 2019, Sam and Gemma’s lived-experiences highlight the reality that bowel cancer continues through the pandemic.
Delays in diagnosis and treatment resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic have serious implications for bowel cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.
So, if you have experienced new symptoms, received a positive test result, missed a medical appointment, or had your treatment adjusted now is the time to get back in touch with your healthcare team.
And remember, Bowel Cancer Australia is here for you too. | 