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‘LIFE CHANGED FOREVER’
I thought my bloating was just down to eating too many carbs – then I was told I had advanced cancer
Nikita reveals how doctors dismissed her common symptoms as IBS
A MUM who thought she simply needed to cut her carb intake was shocked to be diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.
Nikita Williamson was suffering from bloating and blood in her poo, but initially put her symptoms down to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
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The 37-year-old reduced the amount of certain foods she was eating, and noticed she also felt better when she consumed fewer carbohydrates like porridge.
But her condition worsened, and she was later diagnosed with advanced bowel cancer.
Nikita, from Ipswich, said: "I'm still overcoming the hardest obstacle and that is learning who I am now - accepting the new normal.
"I will never be the person I was before diagnosis."
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The mum-of-two first noticed unusual bloating and blood in her stool in late 2022.
Assuming her symptoms were the result of IBS (a common digestive condition) and piles (lumps inside and around the bottom), she stopped eating certain foods and started taking over-the-counter pain medication.
"I cut out things like porridge and tried to cut down on the number of carbs I was eating as this seemed to bloat me the most," she said.
"The doctors never mentioned an intolerance - piles was always their answer, even when I’d tried all the over-the-counter and prescription meds.
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"My GP still didn’t think it was anything else when I came back with a vitamin D deficiency from my bloods, which is an indicator of bowel cancer."
However, when Nikita started to feel unwell at Christmas, her partner Millie persuaded her to speak to another doctor.
The bowel cancer body checks Deborah James wanted you to know
She had a faecal immunochemical test (FIT) which came back abnormal and was later sent for a colonoscopy.
Nikita said: "I was taken through to recovery, and a while later the doctor and nurse returned.
"It was at this point the doctor told me, 'It's likely bowel cancer.'
"I will never forget how I felt when he said this. I felt completely numb but also relieved.
"Finally, I knew what was wrong, and I could deal with it.
"My partner was also in complete shock but has been an incredible support from the moment I found out."
Nikita waited until her scans confirmed her treatment plan to tell her children.
"I have been very honest with them every step of the way and they know they can ask me anything they want and I will always try my best to answer," she added.
I was incredibly shocked when my surgeon told me this and that I would also be having my cervix, ovaries and uterus removed
Nikita Williamson
Nikita underwent six rounds of FOLFOXIRI, a cancer drug combination used to treat advanced or metastatic bowel cancer, between May and July 2023.
She also had an operation to remove the tumour, her cervix, ovaries, and uterus, and 102 lymph nodes in October.
Nikita, who is learning to live with a stoma, said: "During my first few cycles of chemotherapy, I didn't feel too bad.
"It was around cycle three that things got a lot tougher.
"I was struggling with my mouth and developed oral thrush.
"Alongside this, I was struggling with my stomach and fluctuating between diarrhoea and constipation.
"I had to go to a different hospital for my surgery because it was more complicated than they expected.
"I was incredibly shocked when my surgeon told me this and that I would also be having my cervix, ovaries and uterus removed.
"This meant a further two-month wait. I felt I was back at square one."
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The surgery was successful and Nikita, whose cancer had spread, is currently in a stage that specialists call 'no evidence of disease' (NED).
But she is still struggling with the mental and physical repercussions of her cancer and treatment.
"I live in pockets of time between appointments," she said.
"I can relax and enjoy life, but I am changed forever.
"I not only have a stoma but I am also currently waiting for urodynamic testing as I have been unable to pass urine without catheterisation since the surgery.
"Prior to my diagnosis and treatments, I was an incredibly fit and healthy 36-year-old woman.
"While I am slowly building my fitness back up, I am in pain constantly.
"I continually struggle with fatigue and I rely heavily on various medications just to be able to get through the day."
TRYING TO FOCUS ON THE FUTURE
Despite everything, Nikita is focusing on the future.
"I am going to continue enjoying as many precious moments with my wonderful family and friends as I can, while I can," she added.
"You don't truly realise how loved and by whom you are loved until you go through something like this.
"Cancer has taught me to never take a single day for granted and to go for something if I want it because who knows what tomorrow holds."
She added: "I often get called 'inspirational' due to the way I have handled my diagnosis but I wish people understood how much of a fraud this makes me feel.
"To me, being inspirational is doing something you don't have to do for no other reason than to give back and make the world a better place.
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"I have got through tough treatments and surgeries but that's only because I didn't have any choice.
"I will do anything to have more time with those I love."
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Bowel Cancer Signs That Could Save Your Life
BOWEL cancer is the fourth most common form of the disease in the UK - but the second deadliest, claiming around 16,000 lives a year.
Yet it can be cured if it’s diagnosed early.
Fewer than one in ten people survive bowel cancer if it’s picked up at stage 4, but detected at stage 1 - before it’s spread - and more than nine in ten patients will live five years or longer.
There are two ways to ensure early diagnosis, screening and awareness of the symptoms.
Brits have been subjected to a postcode lottery when it comes to bowel cancer screening, with tests sent out in Scotland from 50, while people in England, Wales and Northern Ireland have to wait until they are 60.
That’s why The Sun launched the No Time 2 Lose campaign, calling on the Government to lower the screening age, to save thousands of lives a year.
In summer 2018 The Sun and its readers secured a huge win with the Health Minister at the time, Matt Hancock, agreeing to start screening at 50, however, this is yet to be widely rolled out.
While screening is an important part of early diagnosis, so is knowing the symptoms and acting if you spot the signs.
The five red-flag symptoms are:
- Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in your poo
- A change in your normal toilet habits - going more or less often for example
- Pain or lump in your tummy
- Extreme tiredness for no real reason
- Unexplained weight loss
If you’re worried, don’t be embarrassed and speak to your GP - doctors see and deal with bowel problems all the time.