Episode 6: Why Noone Talks About Bowel Cancer

Listen now to Episode 6

Transcription of Podcast:

This is the Mind Your Own Wellness podcast with Rebecca Castano.

Amanda, before we kick off today’s mind your own wellness episode, I would like to mention a disclaimer this episode and all episodes thereafter are for general information purposes only. I am not a medical practitioner and information discussed is opinion only.

Please consult your license. Care practitioner or medical professional for advice as required. Hello. Hello everyone. Welcome back. It has been a hot minute since I got myself in the seat to record a podcast. Honestly, I don’t know that I’ve been feeling it. I’ve had so much going on, uh, mentally and physically that there, I guess there was just so much I wanted to say and I didn’t know how to say it.

And then very unfortunately. And especially if you follow my socials, you may have noticed, um, or seen that, um, I’m gonna be heading into hospital soon, which is an extra little bit of kick in the guts. Um, and I felt the need to record a podcast before I go into hospital because I am quietly pooping myself.

And so let’s get into why. Um. I have, I’ve, I’ve shared a lot on the podcast about my brain injury and how I sustain the brain injury, but one thing that I haven’t really delved into is the other little beast that I’ve had to deal with my entire life, and that is. Uh, bowel issues and probably, um, it probably would’ve been maybe six years ago that I was originally diagnosed with bowel cancer and very, very luckily for me, I pushed really hard and I got it removed and happy days, and I’m still here, which I’m eternally grateful for. But since then it’s been just an ongoing battle to manage it, navigate it, and especially my recent episode with tis, uh, to Greer talks with TIS nutritionist. I engaged her around a year ago because I really needed help with my health and tis was amazing with.

Giving me some guidance on how to really get my bowel doing what normal bowel should be doing, which has proven a huge help. It’s not a cure, it is not a magic bullet, but it has definitely helped, unfortunately for me, uh, about two and a half weeks ago. I don’t, I don’t, I’ve honestly lost all track of time.

Uh, there’s been so much happening and it’s been all consuming, but essentially two and a half. Weeks ago or around then I noticed that my body was really doing some strange things. So if you are easily grossed out, then probably don’t listen ahead. Um, but this is especially helpful because if you have, if you are a woman listening to this and you are in any way concerned that you may have.

Bowel issues, then this could be helpful. So for me, I always have bowel issues. I have been constipated more in my entire life than I’ve been anything else. Literally, there have been times where I have looked, uh, full term pregnant. Because I haven’t been able to have a bowel movement and I kid you not, that has happened more, um, more often than you would like to think.

To a point where I’ve been hospitalized many times to do bowel evacuations. It’s, and unfortunately with anything bowel related, it’s not something that people wanna listen to. It’s, it’s really gross. Like you don’t wanna talk about your poo, people don’t wanna hear about your poo. People don’t wanna look at your poo.

Um, and you certainly probably don’t wanna be sifting through your poo either. And that is literally my life. I have to do that. So a few weeks ago I got quite, um, unwell. I don’t know if it was food related bacterial infection, I don’t know. But I had, um, I had some diarrhea and it was really weird because like I was just saying to you, my issue is constipation.

And so when I’m constipated, that’s kind of the norm for me. It’s not an ideal norm, but it is in fact a norm. So, uh, constipation is something that I’m very well versed in and I kind of go, okay, this is what I need to. Eat, drink or do to try and um, get back on track as best I can. But when I had diarrhea I went, well, this is weird, and it wasn’t gastro and I thought, this is really concerning.

Anyway, that led to, and this is where it’s gonna start getting a little bit more gross. Unfortunately, it led to some bleeding in my bowels and I am no stranger to blood in my bowel movements because that is one of the key symptoms of bowel cancer. Doesn’t make it any easier to. See, in fact, it probably makes it really hard to see because if, if you’re already concerned or doubting how you’re feeling or you are getting overwhelmed or overthinking or just going, what’s going on?

It’s one of those, uh, I guess signals to go. Maybe you’re on something and it’s that the physical side to go, oh, please don’t be anyways, so. My husband is great. I go to him all the time. If I’m feeling overwhelmed and I go, you know, and I’ll, and I’ll say to my husband, can you just talk me off the ledge a little bit?

This is what I’m feeling. This is. And he’ll go, okay, what have you seen? What, what is facty? What do we know for sure? And he’s amusing for. Doing that because I am from zero to hero in 30 seconds, I get very just overthinking very, very quickly. And he’s the one to bring me back down to earth and go, okay, well let’s think rationally and logically.

So he did that and he was great, and he said, look, it could be just the fact that you know, you are not your, your body is not used to doing these bowel movements and it’s burst a hemorrhoid. And again, another gross thing. So I did warn you before that if you weren’t ready for. With the gross stuff to stop listening.

But, um, so anyway, that was fine. And that went on for about two weeks. So I was losing extensive amounts of blood, um, from my bowel for about two weeks, which obviously then led to me losing a lot of blood, feeling blah and dizzy, yuck, just not myself. And my iron levels had dropped, so I didn’t wanna go to the doctor.

I didn’t want, and I think I have. Not only personally experienced it, but I’ve also been in a situation where I’ve, I’ve seen my friends, I’ve seen people that I care about very deeply suspect something’s wrong and they, and we don’t go to the doctor and there’s one, normally, one reason for that is because we don’t wanna hear.

What, what our worst fear are coming to, and here it comes, the water wax. I’m gonna try and hold myself together for this episode. But, so I went to the doctor. Um, so firstly I called the hospital because I’m on a surveillance program, which is great because I have had a 20 millimeter tumor removed. Um, oh, I can’t pronounce the word.

I think it’s a adro a, something like that. I have had a 20 millimeter. Cancerous tumor removed from my bowel, and that was approximately five years ago. And so I am very fortunate to be on a surveillance program. Of course, that surveillance program lives and dies with government funding. So government funding has been heavily reduced, uh, for people like me.

Therefore, getting into, um, a colonoscopy through the public system is incredibly challenging. But here we are. So I have a 12, I’m on a 12 month, um, surveillance program, which means every 12 months I should. Be going into hospital for a colonoscopy to ensure that no other tumors have grown back. And if they have, there’s, um, hopefully time to remove them without it spreading or becoming, you know, a, a later stage of cancer.

So, so far that has. Been very helpful. Unfortunately, this year, um, I thought to myself, hold on a second. April last year was when I had a colonoscopy and we’re now in June and all of these symptoms are rearing their ugly little bloody head. So I called the hospital because I was terrified that I had been removed from the wait list, which is not uncommon, especially in the public system.

So luckily I called the hospital and they said, no, no, no, us. Still very much on the wait list, and I was literally overcome with joy. I was so happy. And they said, you’ll receive a call. This was on June 10th, you’ll receive a call within 30 days. So I’ve been counting down those days since June 10th, unfortunately, two weeks ago, as I previously said, uh, that’s when symptoms kicked in.

So I was extremely dizzy. I was having lots of fainting spells, which the problem for me is because I have a brain injury, these symptoms don’t always. Point in one direction. I’m a complicated person and it drives me nuts because one symptom isn’t always this, it, it could be a myriad of things that are just brewing into a perfect storm.

So, um, after I found the blood in my stool and I was feeling all the things, and I have. A lot of weight. Um, and that could be, and I honestly assumed that that was because I had completely flipped my life around with the help with my nutritionist. Um, but that may not entirely be a hundred percent of the case.

So whilst I contribute, I can contribute much of the weight loss probably to a healthier lifestyle. It could, could be because of the bowel cancer returning. So again, at this point, I don’t know anything, um, but I’m going into hos. But soon to find out for sure. So I went to the doctor, sorry, I called the hospital, and the hospital had said basically, thank you for updating us with your symptoms.

In order for us to escalate your position on the wait list, you’ll need to go to your gp, as I’m sure anyone who has been in this situation will know in order to be taken. Um, in order to be, to go up the wait list, um, because you have symptoms, you always need to go to your GP or your specialist for them to send an updated referral.

Else, that’s exactly what I did Monday night. So the Monday just, um, Monday, I don’t even know what day it is, but on a Monday night, very recently, I went to the GP very late at night and I was waiting for hours and hours and hours, which again is not uncommon. So I was also waiting for my gp. Um. I finally got called in and I had, again, anyone who has had problems with their bowels or their movements and have been required to, I guess, take evidence of this IE photos.

Yes, it’s gross. So don’t ever look through my phone ’cause you will see things you don’t wanna see. Um, pardon me, not naked photos, but, um, definitely my p. So when I went into the doctor, she weighed me. Um, she provided me with an examination which the hospital also requested. So that was deeply unpleasant and uncomfortable and not at all what I was wanting, but it was a requirement.

So I had a deep examination. Um, my weight was checked, all the things. I showed her the photos of my bowel movements, and that’s when it was basically you need to get in as urgently as possible and. So I then got the confirmation from the hospital that I’m going in and I got a phone call today to book me in.

So, yay for me. And that’s, I guess what has triggered me to wanna do this podcast is my, just a way to document this before I go in for the procedure to see who I was beforehand, because some balls are terrified. So the symptoms, like I’ve discussed the blood in the bowels. So a burst hemorrhoid is, is quite different because it’s this almost just, it doesn’t last for long and it’s, it’s just thin, bright red.

Um, but the, the blood that I had found was like little veins, I guess, in my stools. Um, and that’s not ideal. And obviously when the doctor has seen photos, she realized that it also wasn’t ideal. So there we are. So there’s a lot of symptoms with bowel cancer and unfortunately as women, when we go to the doctor and complain of these symptoms, we often get from our gps, unless you’ve got an epic gp, um, you’re a woman, it’s bound to happen.

Go home, get rest, take it easy. All the things you need to take iron tablets, you need to have an iron infusion. All the things and that’s great. Yes, absolutely get the iron back up and running, but that. It does not support the underlining cause if it is something more sinister than just being women, having our menstrual cycles and losing blood.

So as a woman especially, it is very, very challenging sometimes to be taken seriously and it pisses me off to no end. Um, but a very good friend of mine who. Very sadly, passed away from bowel cancer. Had said, advocate for yourself and push hard. And I do remember that there was a time before I ever had my first colonoscopy and I was terrified that I had bowel cancer because it does run in my.

Family, and I said to them, this is the problem. This is what I think is happening, and I’m not leaving here until I get a referral for a colonoscopy. I was terrified. I thought security were gonna come take me out. I didn’t do anything scary. I just said, I’m not leaving here until I get a colonoscopy.

Because I remembered her words and I got it. And I will forever then advocate for myself because we have to. Because sometimes people just won’t take us seriously. So I got the call today and I’ll be going in on the 14th of July for the colonoscopy and potential removal of any cancer tumors 20 millimeters.

Is I, to my understanding, the absolute maximum size it can be before a major surgery is, um, needed. So my, my colon grows tumors. I don’t know why I have asked specialists. No one can give me an answer. So if anyone will, listening to this has an answer for me, I would love. To hear it because I am all about solving problems and addressing what I need to.

And I would love to know why my body’s growing tumors and how I can stop it or what I can do within my control to try and live longer, um, and not have tumors growing in my bum all the time. So that’s the one part. So I’m going into hospital, which is fantastic. So I start my prep on in a few days, um, because when you go in for a colonoscopy.

Your any bowel, um, surgeries, especially colonoscopies, um, you need to do bowel prep because they can’t put a camera up your bum if there’s poo in there and they can’t see anything. So you have to go through this really unpleasant bowel prep, which is disgusting if you have ever, um, tasted your own bile.

That’s basically what the bowel prep tastes like. Or at least it’s the same. If it’s what I have had to drink in the past, it literally tastes like, um, vomit that you have to drink again. It is bloody foul. So I. I do the whole pinch the nose and skull it. And then there’s, um, a diet that comes with it for seven days as well, which is unpleasant.

But at the end of the day, and people have said to me, oh, you know, how do you go with that? It must be gross. And it’s like, yep, it, it is gross and it is deeply unpleasant, but I’d rather do an unpleasant seven day meal plan than be in the ground. And that’s honestly at this point, what it’s coming to for me.

Um, which is pretty terrifying in itself. So Monday, um, coming in July, Monday, coming in July. I’m so delirious. So Monday, 14th of July, I’ll be heading into hospital for the procedure and the removal. If there is anything. Hopefully if there is anything and it is small enough, they can remove it on the spot.

I will obviously update everyone in a future podcast about the outcome because this podcast is not only just. For supporting people or supporting women with their wellness journeys, but also a bit of therapy for me just to get out of my head a little bit because honestly, when I get inside my head it’s, it’s a bit dark.

Um, there’s a bit of honesty for you, so I’m going to hos. Hospital. My history with hospital is not great. I, I detest it with every inch of my being. Um, I haven’t had great experiences, so I just have to, I have a psychologist who’s been amazing and I do need to try and remember to reset and, and truly believe that every hospital visit is a unique visit in itself.

It is not the same as before. There are new doctors, new nurses, whatever. So I just need to go in there. And just reset my mind and go, this is a whole different experience. I can’t relive that trauma. That trauma is gone. I’ve released it. This is a new experience, but what I am excited about is I recently met this wonderful woman, Gemma, who owns ENS Apparel, and her own story is, and I actually wanna really get her on for a podcast because, I don’t know, I think it’s energies that are attracted to one another.

But gosh, this woman is powerhouse and the trauma that she has existed through, which I will not share because that is not my story to tell, but if she ever does wanna share it, I would love her. To come on and share it with you. But Gemma is, um, and she has, I, I honestly don’t even know the technical, the, the clinical words for her qualifications, but she’s absolutely next level.

And she owns ENS apparel, which is basically, um, in layman’s terms, which is right up my alley sensory, uh, clothing, which I have got socks for. So Gemma gifted me some socks, and I have, I as. You know, with a brain injury, I suffer from constant migraines and I had to do, um, I didn’t have to do, my gosh, I sound like it’s a chore.

I have dream wellness workshops where I teach. Um, anyone who wants to come along, how to make their own skincare and haircare products so that you don’t, um, need to go and buy the ones with the chemicals in them. So I teach you how to make your own. And I told her one day that I was really struggling with migraines and I was not looking forward to the workshop because I was in so much pain.

And she said, you know what? She gave me a pair of socks. And I swear, I mean, it wasn’t the magic bullet much like nutrition isn’t the magic bullet, but it certainly, and it could be placebo. I don’t know. But these socks felt so. Calm and like a, um, I think they’re called weighted blankets. It felt like a weighted blanket around my feet and my legs, and I felt like the pressure in my brain had just eased a bit.

So, because I’ve tried them, I’m gonna take a pet to hospital with me if, if nothing else, even if I’m not in any. Um, pain and I, I’m pretty confident I will be, I am excited to wear the socks because they hopefully will just help calm my mind down a little bit. Because keeping in mind when I go in for this procedure, I will be going in, um, without any, it’ll be in the afternoon, so I won’t have any food or anything sugar, nothing in my system.

And I’m talking about natural sugars here, like fruit sugar. Things like that for about 24 hours in my system and automatically I know that my headaches are gonna spiral outta control because every time I’ve had a colonoscopy or a procedure and I’ve had to fast, I’ve not coped well and I’ve been in insane amount of pain in the lead up.

So I am definitely excited to take those socks along with me for the procedure. And then I guess we’ll find out the outcome when I wake up, um, which is freaking me out. But that basically is where I’ve been at and there’s been so much going on. Um, with me. That’s why I haven’t jumped on. But, and, and I, and even when I have wanted to talk, I haven’t necessarily had the energy to jump on and talk.

It’s so weird. You always think that. When, when you see someone who is struggling or sad or they’re unwell, you always, the first thing you wanna do is if you ever need to talk about it, just let me know. And then you wonder why that person isn’t reaching out to you. And I think energy is a major factor in that.

It’s the lack of energy and I feel like the more I talk, if I talk to people about it, especially this recent sort of situation. With my symptoms and the bowel cancer. I feel like if I talk about it, I’m just gonna break. I really, really do. And I guess that’s exactly why I jumped on today to do the podcast before I go in, um, you know, in on the 14th because I just needed to get outta my head and I don’t wanna talk to people because you see the look of concern on their face.

You see them, they’re going, oh, ah, and, and I get it and I. Appreciate it, but it just makes me break a little bit more and I’m just trying to hold it together and be as, I guess, as delusional as possible that everything sunshine and rainbows and everything’s gonna be perfectly fine. Oh, but thank you for listening because this is as much about, you know, me healing and my therapy and, and hopefully trying to help you if you’re listening, because getting out of my head is one.

That I need to do more often. So I’ve discussed my symptoms. Um, if you do have any questions about, um, any current symptoms that you may have? I’m not a doctor. I have no, um, I’m not a gastroenterologist or anything like that, but I can tell you from personal experience what I’ve had, what I’ve experienced, um, going into surgeries.

Uh, I recently just had, um, a woman contact me who has just. Had surgery recently. And I was, I didn’t tell her my exact, um, experience because my exact experience is always gonna be different to yours or someone else’s. And I didn’t have very good experience in the last, um, in a couple of surgeries ago.

I’ve had so many. It’s very un um, unpleasant. But I guess when I was saying to you before about the trauma that I have to let go, I don’t, I release it, but I remember it. Because it’s always good to remember things, not hold onto them. Just have it in the back of your mind because if you ever need to tell someone about something you’ve experienced or something that has occurred, or you know something that happened that wasn’t successful or something that happened that was successful, it’s really good just to keep those in your memory so that you can share them.

So for example, um, one particular colonoscopy I had shortly after my car crash, uh, was that my. Um, and I don’t know the technical terms for these, but it was something to do with the, my neuroreceptors weren’t playing nicely with the rest of my body, so when I was actually under anesthetic, my brain decided to wake up sporadically or I had brain activity.

Something along those lines. Sporadically, which meant that under anesthetic I had been forced awake, which is obviously not ideal when you have doctors with instruments in you. Um, and at that point I had begun coughing and gasping for air and, um, that was not good. And I was put in intensive care because of the suggestion that, uh, the preexisting brain injury had affected.

Um, my body’s ability to stay under anesthetic, and I won’t go into detail with that. If you have any questions about that, you’re welcome to contact me and I can share them with you, but I don’t want to panic anyone and unnecessarily with the those details. And again, that is my own personal experience.

This is not common. This doesn’t happen often or ever. Um, I’ve spoken to many people, well, I’ve never had. That happened before, so it’s not something that does happen often. Um, I think it was a very unique situation, but one again, that I’ve lived through and that I have the, um, experience now to adapt to.

Thanks for listening. That was really good to get off my chest. And, um, if, if anyone, actually before I do leave you, if anyone does have any concerns about their bowel, so I’ve, I’ve met a wonderful woman again, I meet so many wonderful people who has Crohn’s disease. And she has not seen a nutritionist. So I was lucky enough to pass on some guidance from my nutritionist.

And anything that I say, you take it and you leave it, it’s entirely up to you. I am just living through it and my experiences are my own. They might help you. They might not. So don’t take anything I say is gospel. It is only my experience and the experience of when I talk to people. But this, um, lovely, um, young woman has Crohn’s disease and I said, Hey, my.

Nutritionist said two Kiwis a day and four liters of water. And honestly, it’s worked a really good treat for me. Again, not a magic bullet, not a silver bullet, not a cure or anything, but it certainly helps me. And if nothing else, you know what, b uh, having my bowels not move is painful, but it’s also stressful because then I go, oh.

Oh, I haven’t had a bowel movement today. Oh my goodness. And I know you probably, you might be listening to this going, oh my gosh, you’re really stressing about these bowel movements. Lots of people don’t have a bowel movement every day. And that’s fine. That’s perfectly okay. Um, and all I can say to that is I, I live it every day.

So that is something that, um, I need to manage for myself and I need to watch for myself because it overwhelms me and scares me. And if that’s what it’s doing to me, then that’s, I need to find out ways that I can overcome. That for myself. So for the young lady who has Crohn’s disease, um, irritable bowel syndrome, all the things, it was really great for me to be able to say, my nutritionist said this.

I don’t know if it’ll work for you, but it’s certainly been, um, a little bit of a life changer for me. I met, um, a lovely woman who owns, I think it’s Dream two Decor, um, and she’s at Helens Ville Farmer’s Market, and I met her when I was morbidly unwell, like I. Is really, really unwell. Um, and I remember her saying, you know, you need to see a nutritionist because you have lots of things going on in your body.

And I reckon it’s all starting in the gut. She’s not her doctor. Um, but she gave me some epic advice through personal experience. So I immediately found a nutritionist and here I am. So sometimes it’s just really good to talk to other women and embrace what they have to say. You don’t have to take what they’re saying.

As gospel, you don’t have to follow what they say, but it’s just really good to hear things and to learn from others’ experience. So that was life changing for me to say, okay, I’m gonna go see a nutritionist, and here we are. So, um, I think that, that, that brings us to the end. I’m so grateful to be able to, um, finally jump on and give you another podcast.

I’m hoping to get some more guests on board soon when I get my head. In the right space, and I hope that I’ll be tuning in with another episode after the 14th because I’m really, really excited to be on the other end of this. So thanks again for listening. You are all amazing, and I hope you are all well and have a wonderful day, afternoon, evening, and say hi to your family for me.

Yours in wellness, Rebecca. Bye.