Hi all, thought I'd share my story so far after getting diagnosed last month.
I occasionally had low level sporadic pain when going for a poo since September '25 but this escalated in December when I started to significantly increase the frequency of needing the toilet, and found drinking just 1 beer caused me to be very gassy and have stomach cramps. Struggled to even get a GP appointment, was given a FIT test and a blood test. Bloods came back fine, pain got even worse and I generally felt I was dismissed as not cancer due to be 34, seemingly fit and healthy. FIT test came back with a score of 600, and a colonoscopy confirmed a tumour.
The first week was easily the hardest of my life, the unknown, worrying of knowing I had cancer but not much else. Had CT scan and an MRI, before urgent further MRIs of the liver had me fearing that it had spread. Thankfully it was a benign cyst on the liver.
Now due to start chemo radiotherapy on Monday for 5 weeks, and then potentially watch and wait due to the position of my tumour surgery would likely mean a permanent stoma. Followed by a further round of chemotherapy after regardless.
I feel in a much better place than those first few weeks, and I've been a long time lurker of this forum which has really helped - so thought I'd share my journey so far.
Nervous for what's coming up, how I'll feel, how I'll manage work during treatment. I've also found it hard feeling like I was very fit and healthy, and now suddenly over a few months feel very far from it. But do feel much better as each week progresses that we have a plan that I'm working towards.
