A young mother (27) from the British Kent is fighting for her life after how for years, her doctors claimed that her health problems were caused by irritable bowel syndrome. She was only diagnosed after six years of repeated visits to the general practitioner stage 4 colon cancerinforms
Beth Stichbury began to feel problems with constipation and bleeding already at the age of 20. She visited the doctor several times over the following years, but always left with the same answer, “nothing to worry about.” When she finally had a colonoscopy, the tumor was clearly visible on the screen. “I stopped the car when I got the results. My world came crashing down at that moment,” Beth recalls.
A few days later, the diagnosis was confirmed, the cancer had already spread to liver and lungs. Beth is currently undergoing chemotherapyno he suffers from severe pain, fatigue and has an established stoma. “I miss a normal life, taking my daughter to the park, not feeling pain. But I’m not giving up,” he says.
The case sparked a discussion about the need for early examination even in younger patients. Beth claims that her age played a role in that doctors underestimated the disease. Now he is considering lawsuitbelieves doctors missed clear signs just because she was young. “I visited them eight times. If they had sent me for tests sooner, maybe today I would be healthy” describes Beth.
Warning signs of bowel cancer:
- blood in the stool or from the rectum,
- changes in digestion and constipation,
- abdominal pain or bloating,
- unusual tiredness and weight loss.
“Age means nothing,” Beth refers. “If something is wrong, don’t be put off. Get checked out. It could have saved my life.” a young woman is grieving.
