Mel Schilling, a public figure best known for her role in Nine reality show Married at First Sight, has encouraged people to be proactive about their health after being diagnosed with colon cancer.
Schilling told followers of her Instagram account that she'd been told about the cancer last week and was having surgery to remove the 5 centimetre tumour.
With nearly 175,000 followers, Schilling used her high profile to encourage urge people not to write off symptoms.
"If something doesn't feel right, please, please don't ignore it and if you don't think the answers you have got are right, keep going until you do — it might just save your life," she said.
Schilling is expected to make a full recovery.
But she says that while the cancer will be "relatively easy to eradicate" she's facing a "rough road ahead".
And while the tumour will be removed, she says that it would have killed her if it had gone undetected.
Stomach cramps were a warning sign
"About a month ago when I was filming in Australia I developed severe stomach cramps on set, I put it down to all the travel I'd been doing and the upset it caused to my system," she says.
"I saw my GP in Sydney and he put it down to constipation, gave me some laxatives and sent me on my way.
"Fortunately I knew something still wasn't right so I booked in for a scan when I returned to the UK."
Schilling says she'll be spending her Christmas in hospital and getting rid of the tumour will be "the best present of all".
What are the symptoms for bowel cancer?
Not all bowel cancers show symptoms, the Cancer Council says.
And if you've got symptoms, it doesn't necessarily mean you have bowel cancer.
The Cancer Council says you should see your doctor if you notice the following:
- bleeding from the back passage or any sign of blood after a bowel motion
- a change in usual bowel habit, such as straining (constipation) to go to the toilet or loose motions (diarrhoea)
- abdominal pain or bloating
- weight loss for no obvious reason, or loss of appetite
- symptoms of anaemia, including unexplained tiredness, weakness or breathlessness
How is bowel cancer detected?
There are a few diagnostic tests for bowel cancer, with the Cancer Council advising people to discuss those options with their doctor.
A faecal occult blood test (FOBT) looks for hidden traces of blood in a stool sample and can be done at home.
The Cancer Council says it can help detect bowel cancer in its early stages in people without symptoms.
If blood is detected by the FOBT, your doctor will usually recommend further investigation — which is often via a colonoscopy.
A colonoscopy is when a long, thin, flexible tube with a video camera lens on the end is used to inspect your bowels.
It's usually a day procedure — meaning patients are admitted and discharged from hospital on the same day — because patients are typically put under sedation.
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2023-12-20 01:16:25Z
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