In June 2023, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer after I sought medical attention for a case of piles. I have a family history of cancer — my brother had cancer in his neck and my dad had lung cancer. Since then, I have undergone chemotherapy, radiation therapy and took pain medications to manage my condition. Eventually, I was declared cancer-free in March 2024.
My name is Ber, I’m a homemaker from Ireland and this is my cancer story.
I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer after seeking medical attention for a case of piles. Other symptoms that I had include:
When I first heard the news of my cancer, I remembered feeling fearful, sad and surprised. I was frightened as I lost my brother to cancer at 41 and I remember the pain it caused. I have two children, a husband and siblings and I didn’t want to leave them.
I put my trust in the doctors and followed their recommendation, opting for chemotherapy, radiation therapy and pain medications. However, I still felt fearful due to the thought of leaving my children. I also recall that waiting for test results for me to start treatment was terrible. The waiting was awful.
My treatment started off with radiotherapy and chemo tablets, followed by intravenous (IV) chemotherapy. I had to stop taking the chemotherapy tablets after 19 days as I got a full body rash. Nonetheless, I completed my treatment and was declared cancer-free in March 2024. Overall, I underwent 28 rounds of radiation therapy over a period of 2 months and 6 rounds of chemotherapy over a span of 3 months. I was also on pain medications for 3 months.
In terms of medical costs, I was covered by insurance.
The most severe side effect due to the treatment that I’ve struggled with was diarrhea. I had diarrhea everyday and I had no control over it. Beyond this, I also experienced fatigue and peripheral neuropathy. To manage this, I took prescribed medications, namely Imodium for the diarrhea.
I want to be as healthy as possible and enjoy my life.
When I was diagnosed with cancer, I faced significant hardships in terms of my day-to-day life. I coped with this by learning how to eat and manage going to the toilet amidst my frequent diarrhea episodes.
Even though I have been declared cancer-free, there are still challenges that I have to face as a cancer survivor, namely:
- Emotional or psychological impact of cancer
- Physical side effects
- Fear of recurrence
Thankfully, I have great family and friends whom I can talk to and express my fears. This really helped me to cope with these challenges.
Throughout my cancer journey, I've felt fearful of not surviving or dying as well as a fear of the cancer returning. I tried to overcome these fears by seeking support from family or friends.
Even though I am now cancer-free, I still feel fearful today. I am nervous every time I have to get checked as I am afraid of the cancer coming back.
Just take it day by day and be kind to yourself. It’s tough, you try to please others by not showing them how tired or afraid you are. Everyone said I was so strong but I don’t think I was. I was brave.
It’s frightening stuff to take in. Push for appointments, MRIs, scans, etc. Follow up on everything. No question is stupid. My first question to my radiotherapy oncologist was ‘Can I wear my makeup?’. It seemed so stupid but that bit of makeup got me through many days. Take all the help you can get. Be kind to yourself. Treatment is tough but you will get there. Be brave.
This patient's story is published and shared with their full consent. Any personal data that can be used to identify the patient has been omitted.
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