Hello,
I was diagnosed in January 2025 after having symptoms of a continual cough, weight loss, tiredness followed by blood in my stools. By March, I was in having five and a half weeks of chemoradiotherapy. However, by my next scan in September it became obvious that the cancer was still there and I would have to have surgery. Fortunately at this stage the cancer had not spread to my lymph nodes or any other part of the body. On the 16th December I went in for a three hour key hole surgery to make a stoma. Unfortunately, the cancer had spread and was not only growing inside just above my sphincter muscle but had grown outside too. The three hour op turned into nine hours with a stoma, APR and a vaginal flap. Eventually I got home on Christmas Day down from 9st to 7st 12.
However, although the recovery was blooming hard going, by the 20th April I went back to work full time. So far, the news appears positive with the last scan showing there was no sign of cancer. Fingers crossed it stays that way.
