A mother of two has shared her experience with a common symptom she overlooked before being diagnosed with stage four cancer.
Susan Schmidt was 45 years old when she received the shocking diagnosis of bowel cancer in September 2023, which came after four months of experiencing minor symptoms.
“The diagnosis is incurable,” she told the Daily Mail. “The plan is to stay well for as long as I can. I’ll likely go back on chemo after my next trip overseas.”
At 47, she now hopes to raise awareness and encourage others to speak openly about their symptoms, particularly those related to bowel movements, a topic that remains somewhat taboo in today’s society.
The Australian stated: “I didn’t talk about my bowel habits. Who does?
“That’s the problem with bowel cancer – people don’t raise the alarm.
“I had health literacy. I was a physiotherapist. But it never occurred to me to consider bowel cancer.
“I didn’t have blood in my stool, no dramatic symptoms – just fatigue, constipation, and two extreme episodes of pain.”
The first subtle symptom she noticed was extreme fatigue, which she attributed to early menopause.
Schmidt described how, in May 2023, she was dealing with severe fatigue, so intense that she needed to pull over her car just to rest.
“I’d drive 15 minutes to drop my daughter off at rowing and then have to stop halfway home to nap for 40 minutes,” she explained.
“That’s not normal. That was a warning sign. But I brushed it off.”
In simple terms, Schmidt assumed her exhaustion was due to everyday life.
Another subtle symptom she didn’t pay much attention to was constipation, which she experienced during a trip to France for a friend’s wedding.
“I’d never had constipation in my life,’ she told the publication. “But in France, I just wasn’t going properly. I figured it was the rich French food, too much cheese. I didn’t think more of it.”
Upon her return to Australia, she experienced intense pain that she described as ‘worse than childbirth,’ and after seeing a doctor, she was initially cleared.
“But they weren’t looking for cancer,” Schmidt recounted.
Following her incurable diagnosis, she hopes others will take heed of her warning and not ignore subtle symptoms.
“I want people to know the signs. I want them to push for answers if something feels off,” Schmidt added.
“Even if your blood tests are normal, even if you’re told it’s stress or diet or menopause – follow your instincts.”
Schmidt has since established The Floozie Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting bowel cancer patients and nurses in Australia.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society at 1-800-227-2345 or utilize their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.