If you have a habit of going to the toilet frequently, get yourself checked. A 32-year-old woman in America faced the same issue. She had to use the washroom ten times a day due to frequent diarrhoea. But one day, a situation came wherein doctors had to save her life. Raquel, from California, had diarrhoea and painful bowel movements intermittently for four years, according to The Daily Mail. She could go for a number two up to ten times per day and never feel like she had had a complete bowel movement. She attributed it to a lack of fibre or an unhealthy diet. Raquel suspected irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as gluten or dairy intolerance. She never considered the possibility that she had cancer.
Reports state that doctors these days are perplexed by an increase in colorectal cancer cases, also known as colon cancer, in younger adults who have historically been at low risk of the disease.
Raquel mentioned to her housemate in 2019 that she was constantly going to the loo. She did not have health insurance and therefore avoided going to the doctor. Instead, she began taking Metamucil, a fibre supplement, which temporarily relieved her random bouts of diarrhoea. She moved to Seattle in 2021 and got a job that included decent health insurance, however, her symptoms had then subsided.
In 2022, she began going to the toilet frequently and experiencing uncomfortable bowel movements. Raquel would also feel full after eating and bloated no matter what she ate, even when she tried to go dairy and gluten-free.
In May 2023, she finally went to a doctor and told him about the bowel problems she had been having for four years. The doctor suspected anxiety and gas and suggested a psychiatric appointment.
Three weeks later, Raquel experienced ‘unbearable’ abdominal and lower back pain, almost causing her to faint in her flat. She went to the emergency room and underwent a CT scan, abdominal ultrasound, and blood test. The doctor informed her that she had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
After consulting with an oncologist and performing a liver biopsy, doctors found that the cancer had started in her colon and had spread to other organs. She has stage four colorectal cancer. To conduct a more thorough examination, doctors ordered an endoscopy and a colonoscopy. Her colorectal cancer was so large that doctors struggled to pass the scope through her colon.
Raquel started receiving chemotherapy every two weeks and modified her diet to include more soft foods like mashed potatoes. Her cancer is terminal, so her doctors have informed her that the chemotherapy will eventually run out of steam. She said she is “determined to beat the odds,” even though her chances of survival are 20% two years after diagnosis and 5% after five years.
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