It's been almost ten months since Dame Deborah James passed away after a lengthy five-year-battle with bowel cancer. Tonight, the BBC will air a new documentary on the late journalist who spent her final years campaigning to raise awareness about her tragic illness which she was diagnosed with in December 2016.
The documentary, which airs at 9pm, will explore an intimate insight into the last few months of Deborah's life as she openly shares the realities of what living with bowel cancer was like for her and her family. The emotional short film, which is narrated almost entirely by Deborah herself, will feature never-seen-before footage of personal moments with her loved ones, You Me and the big C podcasts, and voice notes she took during her cancer battle.
Before her death last year, the BBC podcast host relentlessly urged others to start checking for any signs of bowel cancer in their own bodies. Deborah kept her own blog BowelBabe where she posted regular updates throughout her cancer journey before she passed away on June 28, 2022 at age 40. Her family previously said in a statement that the inspirational cancer campaigner 'broke down barriers' and 'challenged taboos' about the condition.
Upon her passing, her family announced the news online with some final words from Deborah to her followers which read: "Find a life worth enjoying, take risks, love deeply, have no regrets and always, always have rebellious hope. And finally check your poo - it could just save your life".
So, what symptoms did Deborah notice before she was diagnosed with bowel cancer? Here's everything you need to know including warnings signs of the disease.
Deborah's early bowel cancer signs and diagnosis
Deborah went to her doctor to voice her concerns after she started to notice a change in her bowel movements that she originally put down to drinking 'too much wine', a new job and the pressures of being a mum.
However, the results of her medical tests led her GP to conclude that she had irritable bowel syndrome. However, this was unfortunately not the case and Deborah's symptoms worsened before she was later diagnosed with a tumour and stage 4 cancer.
The mum wrote in a 2017 blog post not long after her diagnosis: “I was still losing weight, passing blood and going what felt like 100 times per day and feeling shattered.
“I knew there was something wrong with me, a sixth sense if you will, because the first time I was afraid - very afraid about taking this further.”
Those were the main symptoms that Deborah had noticed. She said that people often weren't frank enough about their symptoms, leading to late diagnosis in a lot of people. Because of this, it's the second biggest killer behind lung cancer.
Bowel cancer signs and symptoms
Bowel Cancer UK has listed five early warning signs that people need to be aware of.
The charity has stressed that the cancer is generally 'very treatable' if caught early and there is a far higher survival rate than those whose cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
In a statement, it said: "If you have any symptoms, don’t be embarrassed and don’t ignore them. Doctors are used to seeing lots of people with bowel problems."
Here are the main bowel cancer symptoms to look out for.
Change in bowel habit
Make your GP aware if you are experiencing any unexplained and persistent changes in your bowel habit, especially if you are bleeding from the behind. You may have looser poo and may need to pass bowl movements more often than usual. You might also feel like you're not going to the toilet often enough and when you are, you're not fully emptying your bowels.
Bleeding
There are several reasons why you may be passing blood in your bowel movements or bleeding from your bottom. Bright red blood could possibly be down to haemorrhoids or piles in your back passage or it could be bowel cancer. Blood that is dark red or black in colour may come from your bowel or stomach. It is important to always tell your doctor about any bleeding so they can find out the cause of it.
Tiredness
Bowel cancer could lead to iron deficiency in the body which can cause anaemia which means you are lacking in red blood cells. If you have anaemia, you are likely to feel very fatigued and look pale.
Weight loss
Despite it being a less common symptom than some of the others, you should inform your doctor if you have lost weight and don't know why. You may not feel like eating if you are feeling sick, bloated or just don't feel hungry.
Pain or lump
You may be suffering from pain or a lump in your abdomen or rectum. You should always see your doctor if these symptoms persist or if they're affecting your sleeping or eating patterns.
BowelBabe: In Her Own Words will air on BBC Two and BBC iplayer on Monday April 17 at 9pm.
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