00:01Okay, Karen, so just explain what happened, what, you know, what you did.
00:05Right, back in 2023, round about the end of September, beginning of October,
00:13I had what I thought was a tummy bug and nausea.
00:19I had the diarrhoea, I did have the diarrhoea, but I had no vomiting, it was just nausea.
00:24Yeah.
00:24And then I started having pains in my tummy.
00:29Yeah.
00:30And I can only describe them as cramping, and it was mainly towards the right-hand side.
00:38Mm.
00:39And then underneath, it was like, if a woman's watching this or listening, early labour pains.
00:46That's the only way I can describe them.
00:48Yeah.
00:48So anyway, I was just ignoring them, carried on smoking, ignoring the pains, thinking it'll go away.
00:56The diarrhoea stopped, but the nausea never left me.
01:00Right.
01:01When I was eating, I was getting uncomfortable, and about half an hour, a hour later, I'd have pain, severe pain in my tummy.
01:12Right.
01:12So I stopped eating.
01:15So henceforth, I was starting to lose weight.
01:17Yeah.
01:18That still didn't faze me to go to the doctors.
01:20My daughter-in-law, who is a palliative care nurse, Kirsty Nolan, she kept on to me.
01:26When are you going to let me take it to the doctors?
01:30Yeah.
01:31And I was saying, no, it'll clear up, it'll clear up, because I honestly did not think I would have bowel cancer.
01:37So in between this, I had two bowel cancer tests, and I threw them both away.
01:48Really?
01:49One because of pride, and one because of embarrassment.
01:53Yeah.
01:54Do you think there was an element of fear as well?
01:58No.
01:58Really?
01:59No, no, no, no, no, no.
02:01I honestly thought I wouldn't have bowel cancer.
02:03Right.
02:03Right.
02:04I just didn't want to go through the rigmarole of it all.
02:07No.
02:07If I was called to the hospital.
02:09Yeah.
02:09And you've got to have done what you've got to have done.
02:11So it was like the inconvenience, really.
02:13Yeah.
02:13Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:14How deeply I regret that, because my cancer would not have got so far as what it did do.
02:25I went to stage three.
02:27Yeah.
02:28Went into my lymph nodes.
02:34They thought it was attached to the dudene or something underneath the...
02:39Yeah.
02:40So anyway, so we'll go back.
02:43So I went to the doctor's.
02:44I did go to the doctor's ride.
02:47They hadn't got a clue what it was.
02:49They put it down to tummy ache, which I had to give a little laugh at.
02:52Yeah.
02:53So I think I went back to the doctor's.
02:55My daughter-in-law and my daughter took me back to the doctor's about four, five times,
02:59if I can recall that.
03:01Yeah.
03:01In between that, I didn't realise that they'd sent off for a bowel screening kit for me again.
03:08Yeah.
03:09I didn't know that.
03:09So I did do it.
03:12So that was the third one that you did do?
03:14That was the third one.
03:15Yeah.
03:16So my daughter-in-law said, I think you need to do this.
03:20So I did do it.
03:22Right.
03:23Did I have suspicions in my mind?
03:25I'm not quite sure.
03:27Mm.
03:27So not long after, um, I was sent for, um, Mr. Stamatio of the, um, who did my operation
03:38at Stodial Hospital.
03:40Mm.
03:40And there they told me, uh, the outcome.
03:44Right.
03:45Um, stage three advanced, um, intellectual cancer on the right-hand side, which the right-hand
03:53side tumour is so different to the left-hand side.
03:58Yeah.
03:58Because the right side, it's a flatter, it's a flatter mass.
04:04Yeah.
04:04Yeah.
04:05And it can be harder to detect.
04:06Oh, I see.
04:07Yeah.
04:08Right.
04:08So, um, so, there, for the grace of God, I was able to see him.
04:15Um, it had not spread anywhere else.
04:18Right.
04:19It had gone to the lymph nodes.
04:20Right.
04:20And as I say, they thought it might have gone to.
04:22Yeah.
04:23Yeah.
04:23Um, first it went from inoperable to operable to complete cure.
04:32Right.
04:33Um, he did say, um, that I would have to have, um, chemotherapy and radium,
04:40radiotherapy at the Queen Elizabeth.
04:43And I was a bit unsure about that.
04:45I did get a bit nervous about that.
04:47Um, because I know what ordinary, but when I say ordinary chemo, I know what chemo can do
04:52to people, but nevermind, but then it was mentioned that there is an immunotherapy type of cancer
05:00treatment and that that was going to push it for me.
05:04Um, and in me thinking as a 65 year old, um, I wouldn't get it, but they would save it, people, for a younger person.
05:15Yeah.
05:16But you know what, I've still got a heart and it's still beating and I've got a life.
05:20Yeah, absolutely.
05:20So it took about, um, I'd say roughly two weeks.
05:24And I had a phone call, uh, it had been funded.
05:28This immunotherapy had been funded for me.
05:33And I was so, so happy.
05:35I was over the moon because I didn't want to die.
05:38I wasn't ready to die.
05:39Um, so, um, went back to see Mr. Stamatio and the oncologist and, um, all together, I've got to have six months of this treatment.
05:52Yeah.
05:53Um, every three weeks, which only took half an hour.
05:56Right.
05:57Half an hour treatment.
05:58Yeah.
05:58The side effects I had from that were, um, it did start to attack my joints.
06:03Yeah.
06:03But nothing, but I couldn't cope with.
06:07Sure.
06:07And also I just got a bit more tired.
06:10That was all.
06:11So I was, I was really blessed there.
06:13Nothing.
06:14So on the third, on the fourth one, on the fourth cycle, Mr. Stamatio called me and he said, I want to, um, have another CT scan done.
06:26So the CT scan done, right, went back to see him and he went, right, Karen, he said, that's coming out.
06:33Two weeks, I'm having you in.
06:35Right.
06:36It had shrunk that much.
06:38Excellent.
06:40It was just amazing.
06:42So then from inoperable to operable, I could have the operation.
06:47That's great.
06:47So what, so what stage are you at now then?
06:49Where, where are you now?
06:50No, I am in remission.
06:53Yes.
06:53In remission.
06:55Praise God, right?
06:56Brilliant.
06:57I'm so happy.
06:58I'm totally in remission.
07:00They took the lot out and when he did, when, when, when they, when they tested it and it come back, there was no cancer at all.
07:08Brilliant.
07:08None in the lymph nodes, nothing.
07:11I was completely cured.
07:13So regarding, so regarding the, the bowel cancer testing kits, um, what would you say to people, you know, if they find themselves in the same situation?
07:23Right.
07:23If they receive a kit.
07:24Don't be a no at all like me thinking that you would never, ever get bowel cancer.
07:29Please.
07:30And I mean this from my heart to you, whoever's listening.
07:35Yes, it can be a bit embarrassing.
07:38But you know what?
07:39That embarrassment could save your life.
07:42Please do it.
07:44You owe it to yourself.
07:45You owe it to your family.
07:46You owe it to grandchildren, children, anybody.
07:49Please don't be stubborn.
07:51Lose your pride.
07:53Lose your pride.
07:54Just for five minutes.
07:56Take the pride away.
07:57Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:00Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:01Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:01Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:02Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:03Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:04Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:05Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:06Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:07Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:08Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:09Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:10Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:11Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:12Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:13Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:14Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
08:15Go and get yourself tested before it's too late.
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