Doctor with stage 4 colon cancer shares key warning signs to watch for

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A doctor who diagnosed herself with stage 4 colon cancer has explained the key warning signs that led her discovery.

Dr. Lauren Juyia, a gynaecologist, had only two mild symptoms when she identified her own stage four colon cancer in 2022 at the age of 37.

The gynaecologist said she was only experiencing two "mild" symptoms at the time, and has been raising awareness about these early warning signs ever since. She believes many people may dismiss them as something else - which is exactly what she did.

She explained she began feeling fatigued in August 2022 but initially put it down to just being a part of getting older and living a busy life, reports Surrey Live.

That changed when her fatigue was accompanied by a "sense of pelvic heaviness," leading her to have a gut feeling that something was off.

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When that feeling of "heaviness" evolved into what Dr Juyia referred to as a "pelvic mass," she realized she needed to schedule an ultrasound. During the procedure, it was found that she had larger-than-normal masses near her ovary, leading to her diagnosis of colon cancer.

Speaking to Good Morning America, she said: "Having a background in obstetrics, we describe size by weeks of pregnancy, and so I was like, 'Oh my God, I have a 16-week-size mass'. From experience, I could tell that this was my ovary."

After consulting with two other doctors, getting multiple opinions, the mass increased in size from 8cm to 24cm within two weeks, which is when the doctor from Florida knew it wasn’t “going to be good.”

Dr Juyia remarked that she had "never seen anything benign" grow that quickly, leading her to suspect the masses might be cancerous. However she initially thought it was ovarian cancer due to the location of the mass.

By September 2022, she underwent surgery to remove the masses, which had spread to her ovaries, uterus, omentum tissue, appendix, and even her abdominal region. The doctor stated that despite the rapid growth of the masses, she wasn’t experiencing any severe symptoms apart from “pelvic heaviness” and tiredness.

She explained: "I was a little tired in the afternoon for about two months previous to this and as a mum with two little kids - I had been recently nursing them, they were still waking up in the night, I work full time - I didn't think anything of saying, 'Oh, I think I need a tea in the afternoon'. Whereas maybe someone in their 50s or 60s would be much more tired from stage 4 tumours taking up their energy."

Bowl cancer symptoms to never ignore

According to the NHS symptoms of bowl cancer may include:

• changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
• needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
• blood in your poo, which may look red or black
• bleeding from your bottom
• often feeling like you need to poo, even if you've just been to the toilet
• tummy pain
• a lump in your tummy
• bloating
• losing weight without trying
• feeling very tired for no reason

Additionally bowel cancer can lead to anaemia (a condition where you have fewer red blood cells than normal), which can result in fatigue, shortness of breath, and headaches.

Dr Juyia was ultimately diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and started six months of chemotherapy. Throughout this time, she continued working to distract herself from her health struggle, explaining that assisting her patients was "therapeutic" for her.

In March of last year, Dr. Juyia had another surgery to remove an inactive tumour, and by April, tests indicated that she had "no evidence of disease".

After her experience, the mother of two aims to raise awareness about the early warning signs of the disease, including fatigue and a feeling of "pelvic heaviness," particularly for younger individuals.

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In the UK, bowel cancer screening is available to most people over the age of 50, but it does depend on your location. In Scotland and Wales, bowel cancer screenings are available every two years for people aged 50-74. Whilst in England the age range is 54-74.

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