‘DON’T IGNORE THE SIGNS’
Cancer survivor campaigning to increase awareness of symptoms
A 36-YEAR-OLD woman is urging people to not ignore possible signs of cancer – no matter how small or vague they may seem – after her own brush with the disease.
Rachel Reed was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 33, but for two years prior to that, she believed she had irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), until finally a colonoscopy confirmed it was cancer.
Now three years on and clear of cancer – but still at high risk (stage four) – Rachel is eager to spread the message for people to push medics if they believe their bodies are telling them something is wrong.
It comes as a six-month campaign is running in Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil urging people to seek help for potential symptoms of cancer.
Dubbed as “vague” symptoms, the new drive is being led by Cardiff University and funded by Cancer Research Wales.
Over the coming months the campaign will target parts of south Wales with poor cancer survival rates and highlight six possible symptoms, namely unexplained weight loss, loss of appetite, nausea, persistent fatigue, abdominal pain and “not feeling yourself ”.
The initiative aims to encourage adults in the Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board area to contact their GP if they have had these symptoms for at least three weeks.
Rachel, who lives in Pen-y-coedcae with husband Dean, said: “I was suffering with stomach pains and rushing to the toilet, I thought it was IBS. I was reacting badly to food and changed my diet, I couldn’t eat bread or pizza, thinking it was a gluten, wheat or a lactose intolerance, but the symptoms kept coming.”
At the time she also had severe psoriasis and there were possible side-effects to the medication she was on.
After raising her concerns with her dermatologists, she was finally referred for a colonoscopy.
In November 2018, Rachel found out she had bowel cancer.
Before that Rachel had visited her GP several times and a hospital admission in April and May 2018 discovered she had an ovarian cyst.
A CT scan, MRI scan and ultrasound found nothing else.
Following the cancer diagnosis, she said: “I was shocked – I just could not believe it.
“Because of my age I don’t think the doctors were factoring in cancer, it was thought I was too young, that was something in older people, but sadly that wasn’t the case. At the time they thought they had caught it early, but no, it had spread everywhere.”
As a result Rachel had a full hysterectomy as well as the removal of two sections of her bowel and a stoma created.
Now she has had the stoma reversed but is urging anyone with “vague” symptoms of potential cancer to seek help.
She said: “If your body is still sending you messages and things are not right, keep pushing.
“I know that can seem daunting, but you owe it to yourself to keep on at them if you feel something isn’t right.
“Please don’t ignore symptoms if you feel there is more going on with you. That is why I am supporting this new campaign.”
Professor Kate Brain, a health psychologist from Cardiff University, said it was vital to seek help early for “vague but concerning” symptoms.
As part of the new campaign, trained “cancer champions” will raise awareness of non-specific cancer symptoms and support people to seek help from their GP.
They will visit supermarkets, community centres, GP surgeries and pharmacies to offer help and support.
The campaign will also promote the message that finding cancer early saves lives, via buses, Facebook and local radio.
As the campaign goes on, researchers from the university will assess whether it has been delivered effectively and whether people in local communities in the Cwm Taf area were aware of it happening.
They will also explore what the public thought of the TIC-TOC (Targeted Intensive Community-based campaign To Optimise Cancer awareness) campaign – and the findings will be used to improve cancer services in Wales and the UK.
Prof Brain said: “We have developed a campaign designed to enable people to seek help early for cancer symptoms, particularly those which may seem vague but are still concerning, such as feeling tired all the time or losing weight for no reason.
“If you or someone you know is experiencing any unusual or persistent symptoms, then I would encourage you to contact your GP at the earliest opportunity.
“In most cases it won’t be cancer, but if it is, finding cancer early gives the best chance of successful treatment.”
■ The study is being run in partnership between the Centre for Trials Research at Cardiff University, which is funded by Health and Care Research Wales, and the Division of Population Medicine at Cardiff University.