A 25-year-old young woman discovers that she has colon cancer when her abdominal pain led her to believe that she was only suffering from a simple urinary infection.
- A 25-year-old woman suffered from abdominal pain that she thought was related to a urinary tract infection.
- In reality, she had colon cancer that had spread to her liver, ovaries and peritoneum, the membrane that covers the abdominal cavity.
- Colon cancer is the deadliest disease among men under 50 in the United States.
At 25, Ellie Wilcock suffers from abdominal pain. She then imagines that she has a urinary infection, a health problem from which she had already suffered in the past. Her stomach pains are severe but Ellie Wilcock waits until they become very severe to see her doctor.
Abdominal pain that indicates cancer
The doctor gives him a screening test for urinary infection: negative. On the other hand, her blood tests worry the healthcare professional because Ellie Wilcock’s inflammatory markers, which can indicate cancer or another disease, are elevated, as explained by the Daily Mail. The practitioner then asks him to do an ultrasound.
But, as the days passed, the pain became unbearable and Ellie Wilcock was urgently hospitalized. There, she underwent scanners which detected a mass in her lower abdomen. A biopsy is performed…
Colon cancer, a disease that affects young people
And the verdict falls, in February 2022: Ellie Wilcock has colon cancer which has spread to the liver, ovaries and peritoneum, the membrane that covers the abdominal cavity.
After several operations and chemotherapy treatments, doctors announced to the patient, in August 2022, that there was no longer any trace of the disease. Today, Ellie Wilcock wants to alert and encourage young people to consult quickly if they experience symptoms of the disease.
According to health insurance, the signs of colon cancer are not very specific. For example, these may include intestinal transit disorders (constipation, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting, etc.), general symptoms (unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain, fatigue, etc.) or blood in the stools, which should be a warning sign. According to the Panorama of cancers in France – 2023 editionthe earlier cancers are detected, the greater the chances of cure: this is 9 times out of 10 for colorectal cancer.
Like Ellie Wilcock, more and more young people are facing colon cancer. This disease has also become the deadliest among men under 50 in the United States and the second among women under 50, according to a recent report from the American Cancer Society.
