My CRC journey HI! MY NAME IS ALLISON. MY PASSIONS IN LIFE ARE TRAVELLING AND EXPLORING DIFFERENT CULTURES AND I ALSO LOVE MY JOB! THIS YEAR, I TURNED 40…AND WAS EXCITED WITH ALL THE POSSIBILITIES THE YEAR WOULD BRING.
IT ALL STARTED WHEN I BEGAN HAVING PAINFUL STOMACH ACHES, CRAMPS AND FELT GASSIER. THESE SYMPTOMS WERE HAPPENING MORE AND MORE OFTEN.
I BEGAN TO WORRY; MY BOWEL HABITS BECAME IRREGULAR AND I SAW BLOOD BUT I DIDN’T WANT TO OVERREACT.
I FINALLY WENT TO SEE A DOCTOR AND A NUMBER OF TESTS WERE CARRIED OUT, INCLUDING A COLONOSCOPY.
HOWEVER I HAD NO IDEA HOW TOUGH THIS YEAR WOULD BE.
I HAVE ALWAYS LED A HEALTHY AND ACTIVE LIFE AND COULDN’T UNDERSTAND WHY I WAS FEELING TIRED ALL THE TIME. THEN WHEN I SUDDENLY LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT, I STARTED TO FEEL CONCERNED. I THOUGHT ABOUT MY DIET AND LIFESTYLE HABITS AND WONDERED IF I’D DEVELOPED A FOOD INTOLERANCE. I HAD A LOOK ONLINE AND FOUND PEOPLE HAVING SIMILAR EXPERIENCES. SOME OF THEM ENDED UP BEING DIAGNOSED WITH COLORECTAL CANCER.
FOLLOWING THE TESTS, MY DOCTOR CONFIRMED … I HAVE COLORECTAL CANCER. WHILE THE SYMPTOMS CAN BE ASSOCIATED WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER HEALTH CONDITIONS, I’M GLAD I TALKED TO MY DOCTOR AND RECEIVED THE TREATMENT I NEEDED.
Disclaimer: Allison’s story is representative of many CRC patients around the world. She is a fictional character and is used for representative purposes