Claire on living with stage 3 bowel cancer – ‘Bowel habits aren’t fun to talk about, but it’s necessary’
In the middle of training to become a solicitor and having just finished with the stress of organising a wedding, Claire Lynch admits that news of her bowel cancer diagnosis in 2019 was probably the last thing she needed at the time.
In hindsight the 36-year-old from Drogheda recalls that her symptoms first started up to a year prior to her diagnosis, but a hectic period meant she was tempted to dismiss it as a passing concern.
Claire is candid when she says she “couldn’t face the prospect of health problems” on top of everything else that was going on, but she did go to the GP when she recognised her symptoms had progressed from constipation to seeing small amount of blood after using the toilet .
“I was told initially when I went to the GP that it could be hemorrhoids or something like that.
But when things hadn’t improved after coming home from honeymoon I knew I had to go back.
Lymph nodes
“I was referred for follow-up tests and things progressed quickly from there, but I remember I was due to see the consultant on the Wednesday of the following week and I called on Friday saying I couldn’t wait that long, and thankfully my consultant agreed to see me on the Monday.”
By that point Claire had a strong feeling that the news might not be good, and it was confirmed that a tumour had been discovered in her bowel with some activity also picked up in her lymph nodes.
She began chemotherapy in December 2019 which continued through to April the following year before commencing 28 sessions of radiotherapy starting in May 2020, the last of which coincided with the start of her final examinations.
After all she had been through Claire was thankful to be able to celebrate passing her exams and has since started her career as a solicitor.
She still goes in for regular check-ups but has been progressing well, and has had a positive experience of being supported in the workplace through her journey but says that if anything she can on occasion push herself too hard.
“Bowel habits aren’t exactly fun to talk about, but it’s necessary. It can be an embarrassing issue, that said my GP was great, I felt really comfortable talking about it to her and she listened to me.
“If ever there was anything I wasn’t sure about I did follow up and chase people. Doctors have lots of patients and so you can’t be on their minds the entire time, so my main advice to people is if at any point you feel things changing or getting worse you need to go back to them.”
Be aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer and seek help if you have any concerns. The BowelScreen programme offers free screening for eligible individuals
Contact the Irish Cancer Society Support Line
If you have worries or concerns about cancer, you can speak confidentially to an Irish Cancer Society Cancer Nurse through the Freephone Support Line on 1800 200 700.
Monday to Friday, 9.00am - 5.00pm
For more information
Phone
1800 200 700
