Bowel cancer signs do not always fit a tick list, says Essex mum

A mum diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer has urged people to be aware of its lesser-known symptoms after her early diagnosis helped her chances of recovery.

Laura Seager, 42, first called her GP after noticing she still felt like she needed to go to the toilet after she had a bowel movement.

The mum-of-two from Langham, near Colchester, was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and had a 3cm (1.2in) tumour removed ahead of starting chemotherapy treatment.

“Don’t assume you will have a tick list of all the symptoms as everyone is different,” she said.

Ms Seager, who works for a social housing company, first had stomach pains last Christmas, which she described as “annoying and in the background”.

She initially thought the problems were being caused by her diet, so she tried making changes but the “on-and-off” pains continued.

In July she noticed her bowel habits had changed – including an increased frequency of needing to go to the toilet, as well as feeling tired – so she made an appointment with her GP.

“After I had been to the toilet – it felt, every time, like I had not finished – they call it an ‘incomplete evacuation’,” she said.

She did not, however, spot any blood in her stools, which is one of the better-known symptoms of the illness.

According to Cancer Research UK, symptoms of the disease to be aware of include bleeding from the back passage or blood in poo; changes in bowel habits, losing weight, tiredness and breathlessness.

A faecal immunochemical test – designed to detect small amounts of blood – showed Ms Seager had highly elevated levels so she was placed on to the NHS’s two-week cancer pathway.

She feared cancer was a likely possibility after a colonoscopy could not be completed because a tumour was in the way and a stage three bowel cancer diagnosis was confirmed following a CT scan.

Ms Seager then underwent a five-hour operation to remove the 3cm cancerous tumour.

She added that she was thankful to her GP who “did not rule anything out” at the initial appointment.

“If I had not gone to the GP, then by Christmas this year I think my prognosis would be so much worse.

“People know their own body – so don’t assume you will have a tick list of all the symptoms as everyone is different and certainly don’t expect you will see blood in the toilet,” she said.

Ms Seager’s surgeon at Colchester Hospital has told her she now has a “really good prognosis” and that she will be cancer-free after a course of chemotherapy to “mop up” any cancerous cells.

The mum-of-two is now trying to raise awareness of the symptoms of the cancer in the hope she can save lives.

She was inspired by the campaigning efforts of “Bowelbabe” Dame Deborah James who died from the illness in June 2022 when she was 40 years old.

Ms Seager and her husband Paul, 56, are fundraising for the Bowelbabe Fund for Cancer Research UK.

After setting a modest target of £250 the family has been shocked by the generosity of people’s donations and have already raised more than £6,000.

Ms Seager is walking 44 miles (71km) throughout October to help to continue to raise awareness of the disease.

“I am trying to walk at least a mile each day, depending on how I am feeling.

“I’ve got a good little team who are walking with me and it’s something for me to focus on rather than feeling sorry for myself.

“I really admired Dame Deborah and had followed her even before her diagnosis.

“I have tried to be as positive as possible and get people talking about it like she did.

“Bowel cancer and toilet habits are still one of the taboo subjects that people don’t want to talk about and that still needs to change,” she added.