A mother of two who was diagnosed with bowel cancer at age 38 has urged others not to ignore persistent tiredness, which she initially dismissed as a normal part of parenting and working life. Laura, who received her stage 3 diagnosis in June last year and has since undergone four rounds of chemotherapy, shared her story on TikTok, where she has 18,000 followers.
In a video captioned 'I would have done things A LOT differently', Laura said: 'I was so tired all the time and I just thought this is normal. I think a lot of us, especially working parents with young children, think it's normal to feel tired.' She added that fatigue was her only symptom and that she wished she had visited her GP sooner, as earlier detection might have avoided chemotherapy.
Laura advised anyone feeling unusually exhausted despite adequate sleep to get their blood checked and discuss anaemia with their doctor. She also recommended a Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) if anaemia is found, as it can detect hidden blood in stool, a key sign of bowel cancer.
The NHS lists persistent tiredness or shortness of breath as potential signs of anaemia caused by bowel cancer. Other symptoms include changes in bowel habit, blood in stool, abdominal pain, and unexplained weight loss. The NHS advises contacting a GP if symptoms last three weeks or more, and seeking urgent care for black or dark red stool or heavy bleeding.
