I was rushed back into surgery with bleed after nearly dying in cancer setback, says The Sun’s Deborah James
DEBORAH James was rushed into surgery yesterday with a bleed, just days after nearly dying in a medical emergency.
The Sun columnist has been in hospital for a few weeks, updating her followers on the "traumatic" rollercoaster in her brave fight with bowel cancer.
She wrote on Instagram: "Argh the cancer rollercoaster! Yesterday was the classic ride high and fall flat at the last bend!"
The mum-of-two, diagnosed with incurable cancer five years ago, said she felt good yesterday morning and had even chatted with doctors about going home.
But frustratingly, she said "a small bleed meant I ended up being rushed back into theatre having a colonoscopy and Endoscopy within the hour to check for the source".
This morning she told how she had spent the night with medics trying out new regimes for treatment, and thanked her followers for the love and support.
She added: "Praying today will be uneventful and stable."
Last week she revealed the scare she and her family had, when she had "an acute medical emergency" at hospital.
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Deborah, 40, told her almost 280,000 followers she’d endured multiple operations - adding she's “beyond shattered with a very weak body”.
Her mum, Heather, has been allowed to safely visit her in hospital and is helping update followers of the beloved "Bowel Babe".
Yesterday she posted a picture of her in a mask, sitting next to a smiling Deborah pulling out a double thumbs up while lying in bed.
Heather wrote: "Deborah has just come round from her 5th operation in 10 days today!
"How she does it time and time again blows me away. It’s early hours, but it went to plan.
"The aim was to internalised her bile stent if it was working which so far it seems to be.
"Obviously now she’s kept under close monitoring but she’s really happy (and emotional) because she has no drains for the first time in weeks.
"We just have to pray she remains stable for the foreseeable future now."
'PLOUGHING ON'
The brave former teacher, who writes her Sun column Things Cancer Made Me Say, is ploughing on and determined to get through the latest setback.
On Sunday, she posted: “Today I walked - it’s the first time in 9 days I’ve been able to try.
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“It’s never been so hard to muster the strength and conviction to do so.
“I’ve had 4 operations this week (with more to come), am beyond shattered with a very weak body. But somehow my body is still ploughing on."
Posting a picture of her smiling and giving a thumbs up in hospital on Friday, she said: "In 5 years of having stage 4 Cancer - this has been the hardest, most heartbreaking and scariest of them all.
"I’d always prepared for my death, but I wasn’t prepared for something so blindsiding and traumatic to happen. I can’t quite believe I’m here to write this.
"A week ago my whole family was praying I’d pull through the night. I’m getting a lot of help and support to come to terms with the trauma I’ve been through.”
KNOWING THE SIGNS COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE
BOWEL cancer is the second deadliest and fourth most common type of cancer in the UK.
I was 35 years old when I was diagnosed, despite the disease being more common in the over-50s.
Every year, 42,000 people are diagnosed, and around 2,500 people under 50 are among them.
Catch the disease in the earliest stages, at stage 1 and more than 90 per cent of people will live five years or more.
But catch it at stage 4, when the disease has already spread like mine had, and your chance of living five years plummets to around 7 per cent.
One of the best ways to ensure you are diagnosed early is to regularly check your poo, and your body for the signs of bowel cancer.
To mark Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, I joined forces with Lorraine to help them launch the No Butts campaign.
Like The Sun's No Time 2 Lose campaign, it aims to encourage all Brits to learn the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer.
The red-flag signs of bowel cancer, spell out 'BOWEL':
- : B: Bleeding
There are several possible causes of bleeding from your bottom, of blood in your poo.
Bright red blood could come from swollen blood vessels, haemorrhoids or piles, in your back passage.
Dark red or black blood could come from your bowel or stomach.
Blood in your stools is one of the key signs of bowel cancer, so it's important to mention it to your doctor so they can investigate.
2. O: Obvious change in loo habits
It's important to tell your GP if you have noticed any changes in your bowel habits, that lasts three weeks or longer.
It's especially important if you have also noticed signs of blood in your poo.
You might notice you need to go to the loo more often, you might have looser stools or feel like you're not going enough or fully emptying your bowels.
Don't be embarrassed, your GP will have heard a lot worse! Speak up and get it checked.
3. W: Weight loss
This is less common than the other symptoms, but an important one to be aware of. If you've lost weight and don't really know why, it's worth mentioning to your GP.
You may not feel like eating, feel sick, bloated and not hungry.
4. E: Extreme tiredness
Bowel cancer that causes bleeding can cause a lack of iron in the body - anaemia. If you develop anaemia you're likely to feel tired and your skin might look pale.
5. L: Lump or pain
As with lots of other forms of cancer, a lump or pain can be a sign of bowel cancer.
It's most likely you'll notice a pain or lump in your stomach or back passage.
See your GP if it doesn't go away, or if it affects how you eat or sleep.
In December, Deborah said she was facing another “uncertain phase” with her stage 4 bowel cancer, after a “scary six months”.
Her liver started to fail in the summer because a rapidly growing tumour tried to wrap itself around her bile duct, and she was given an emergency stent.
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In December, the liver stent stopped working and doctors were unable to replace it.
Now she has had a series of operations to stent the liver again, in a bid to get her back home and on treatment again.
