WHEN Anisha Patel started to suffer with bloating and cramps, she put it down to irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
The doctor was fit and healthy with no signs of cancer in her family.
But at 39-years-old, the mum-of-two, who is also married to a bowel cancer doctor, was diagnosed with stage 3C cancer.
Stage 3 cancer means that the cancer is larger and may have spread to the surrounding tissues and/or the lymph nodes.
Appearing on Lorraine this morning, in support of the show’s No Butts campaign, Dr Patel said it’s important that people listen to their bodies.
She said: “I was just 39 when I was diagnosed and I’m a doctor, I didn’t think it could happen to me”.
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Alongside Dr Patel, Trending In The News’s columnist Deborah James also appeared on the show via a recorded clip.
The 40-year-old has been documenting her bowel cancer journey since she was diagnosed in 2016.
She has also supported Trending In The News’s No Time 2 Lose campaign which paved the way for screening to be lowered to 50-years-old – with people previously having to wait until their 60th birthday.
Deborah is currently in hospital after contracting an infection.
She said: “I’ve had quite a ride recently with my health but I’m getting better.”
The mum-of-two is living with bowel cancer and said that spotting the signs early can help saves lives.
Dr Patel said that both her and Deborah are younger people who have been impacted by the illness – proving you’re never too young to get it.
“We know that over 2,600 people are diagnosed with this cancer under the age of 50 every single year and those numbers are equal to those diagnosed with cervical cancer in all age groups or testicular cancer – so it’s not a rarity.
“We should know the signs, know our normal, listen to our bodies and see your GP if you’ve got any concerns.”
Dr Patel added that there is still a lot of fear and taboo around bowel cancer screening and the tests that are sent out in the post.
She added: “We are not hitting high rates of uptake on the tests.
“We are only getting about 60 per cent uptake and this fell during Covid.
“Please, please, please, if you get this kit through the door, ask your mums, dads, aunties, uncles, to get this tests done, I plead with you.
“The bottom line is this test is a no brainer, it detects bowel cancer when you don’t have any symptoms and this kit could save your life”, she said.
Dr Patel previously said that she probably had what she thought were new-onset IBS symptoms for the year before her diagnosis.
Speaking to Bowel Cancer UK she said her symptoms also included an urgency to go to the toilet.
She also said she occasionally saw fresh blood on the toilet paper, but said that after giving birth a few years prior, that this would sometimes happen due to a pile – so she didn’t think anything of it.
