The American nurse Bailey McBreen, 24, did not imagine that frequent belching attacks could be a sign that she had bowel cancer. The problem started in 2021, when the young woman started to burp up to ten times a day, something that didn’t used to happen before.
“The first sign that something was wrong – although I didn’t know it at the time – was when I started burping excessively. I burped five to ten times a day. That wasn’t normal for me,” Bailey told NeedToKnow.
The American said that she only gave due attention to the problem when she began to have other unusual symptoms such as excruciating stomach cramps and reflux – which doctors initially attributed to anxiety.
In January of this year, Bailey began to complain of a lack of appetite and constipation. That’s when she began to suspect an obstruction in the intestine. A CT scan confirmed that the young woman had a tumor in the highest part of the transverse colon, a region located just below the other organs in the abdominal cavity.
“I never thought that the vague symptoms I had were actually stage three colon cancer. I felt like I was sitting in the corner of the room watching myself get diagnosed. I was in complete shock,” she recalled.
“I remember the first thing I could say was, ‘I’m not ready to die.’ All I could do at that point was cry and mourn the life I used to have and mentally prepare myself for what is to come,” she continued.
Also known as colon and rectum or colorectal cancer, it encompasses tumors that start in the part of the large intestine – called the colon -, in the rectum and anusGetty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoAccording to data from the National Cancer Institute (Inca), it is estimated that the problem caused the death of about 20,000 people in Brazil in 2019 alone.Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoThe month of March is dedicated to disseminating information about the disease. If detected early, bowel cancer is treatable and the patient can be cured.Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoThe main factors related to a higher risk of developing bowel cancer are: age equal to or above 50 years, excess body weight and diet low in fruits, vegetables and fiberGetty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoInflammatory bowel diseases such as chronic ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease also increase the risk of bowel cancer, as well as inherited diseases such as familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) and hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC)Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-drawingOther factors include a family history of bowel cancer, a personal history of bowel, ovarian, uterine, or breast cancer, and smoking and alcohol consumption.Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoThe symptoms most associated with bowel cancer are: blood in the stool, change in bowel habits, abdominal pain or discomfort, weakness and anemia, weight loss without an apparent cause, change in stool and abdominal mass (tumor).Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoDiagnosis requires biopsy (examination of a small piece of tissue taken from the suspicious lesion). The sample is taken by means of a device introduced through the rectum (endoscope)Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-drawingTreatment mainly depends on the size, location and extent of the tumor. When the disease is widespread, with metastases to the liver, lung or other organs, the chances of cure are reduced.Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoSurgery is usually the initial treatment, removing the affected part of the bowel and the lymph nodes within the abdomen. Other stages of treatment include radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy, to reduce the possibility of the tumor returning.Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoThe maintenance of adequate body weight, the practice of physical activity, as well as a healthy diet are fundamental for the prevention of bowel cancer.Getty Images
***bowel-cancer-photoIn addition, the consumption of processed meats should be avoided (for example sausage, mortadella, sausage, ham, bacon, turkey blanquet, turkey breast, salami) and limit the consumption of red meat to 500 grams of cooked meat per weekGetty Images
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bowel cancer
Intestinal cancer, also known as colon and rectum or colorectal cancer, is one of the most common types in Brazil, according to data from the National Cancer Institute (Inca). It covers tumors that start in the part of the large intestine called the colon, in the rectum – end of the intestine, and anus, and can cause obstructions in the digestive tract, leading to excess gas.
Bowel cancer symptoms
The most common symptoms of bowel cancer are:
- Gases;
- Unjustified change in bowel habits;
- Recurrent diarrhea or constipation;
- Blood in the stool (light or dark in color)
- Painful bowel movements;
- Thinning of stools;
- gastric discomfort;
- Intestinal constipation;
- Unjustified weight loss;
- Constant fatigue;
- Hemorrhoids;
- Verminosis;
- Gastric ulcer.
The disease has treatment and the chances of cure are high when the problem is identified at an early stage. After receiving the correct diagnosis in January, the nurse underwent emergency surgery and began chemotherapy sessions the following month. The treatment should continue until the end of August this year.
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