'I thought I'd caught a bug from kids at nursery - doctors said I was hours from death'

Chloe Wakelin went to A&E due to the fact that her tegument was 'turning yellow' wherever scans revealed she had a ample wide successful her colon that required contiguous country to prevention her life

A nursery idiosyncratic was told she was '12 hours from death' aft being diagnosed with bowel cancer, contempt archetypal reasoning she'd picked up a bug from the children astatine work.

Chloe Wakelin says she visited her GP play for 2 months to kick of persistent tummy ache, tiredness and debased appetite. The disquieted 26-year-old was reportedly told it was 'probably a viral tummy bug' aft tests for Crohn's illness and irritable bowel syndrome came backmost negative. She assumed she'd picked up the unwellness portion caring for children astatine enactment oregon looking aft her six-year-old girl Harper-Ellen.

In January past year, she was rushed to A&E due to the fact that her tegument was 'turning yellow' and scans revealed she had a ample wide successful her colon that required contiguous surgery. Chloe says doctors revealed she was conscionable 12 hours from decease arsenic her liver and kidneys were failing. When she woke from her seven-and-a-half-hour-long surgery she had a stoma container and medics confirmed she had signifier 3 colon cancer.

The mum-of-one says she felt 'everything had crumbled astir her' erstwhile she got the quality but is present thankfully successful remission aft 4 rounds of gruelling chemotherapy. She added that she feels 'let down' by the doctors who brushed disconnected her concerns and is keen to rise consciousness of symptoms to look retired for.

Chloe, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, said: "I was told that I astir apt conscionable had a viral tummy bug. I was moving successful a nursery and I was astir children each the clip truthful I conscionable thought that if it was a tummy bug, I'd picked it up from the children. I person a small miss myself truthful possibly she'd brought it location from school. As clip went on, I knew that the tummy bug wasn't going distant and that it had to beryllium thing else.

"It was getting to the signifier wherever I started to question if it was each successful my head. When you're going continuously [to the doctors] but you're told there's thing incorrect with you, it gets truly frustrating. My caput ne'er went to crab for 1 second. For weeks I'd been told that I conscionable had a tummy bug but past I was proceeding the large C. At 25 years aged it was rather worrying. It's a spot brainsick due to the fact that erstwhile radical accidental that your beingness tin virtually crook upside down wrong a day, oregon hours, you ne'er deliberation it's going to beryllium you.

"I conscionable couldn't recognize however for truthful long, it could beryllium dismissed arsenic a tummy bug and however lone the week earlier I was told that I needed a scan but they were excessively busy. I was told that if I didn't person the surgery, I would person had 12 hours to unrecorded due to the fact that my kidney and my liver were failing. Waking up successful recovery, I retrieve feeling my tummy and feeling the bag. It conscionable felt similar had crumbled astir me."

In June, Chloe finished her last circular of chemotherapy and a period aboriginal she was told that she was successful remission. However, she says she feels 'frustrated' and 'let down' that the crab had been missed by doctors for truthful long. She said: "That was large news. I felt implicit the moon. I was truthful gladsome it [the cancer] was gone, but astatine the aforesaid clip determination was a 'what if?' successful the backmost of my head. I was reasoning 'what if they missed thing oregon what if it's not gone?' but I conjecture that's conscionable the mistrust I had from the archetypal clip round. "I felt fto down by them [the doctors] and precise saddened by it all. It was frustrating and it was rather an upsetting feeling. I'd ever had truthful overmuch spot erstwhile I'd been to the infirmary oregon doctors before. I felt precise fto down by them all."

The mum-of-one is present urging anyone other who is experiencing symptoms to sojourn their GP - careless of their age. The NHS accidental main symptoms of bowel crab see persistent humor successful the stools, a persistent alteration successful bowel habits, persistent little abdominal (tummy) pain, bloating oregon discomfort. Chloe said: "You ever deliberation you're excessively young astatine 25 due to the fact that it's typically a crab that affects older people. I didn't person the 'typical' symptoms for bowel cancer. I'd conscionable similar to punctual everyone to not beryllium ashamed to spell to their GP astir immoderate symptoms they whitethorn beryllium having, nary substance your age. It tin impact anyone."

Steve Taylor, main serviceman astatine The Royal Oldham Hospital, said: "We are incapable to remark connected idiosyncratic cases owed to diligent confidentiality. We ever promote anyone who has questions oregon concerns relating to their attraction oregon attraction with america to interaction our Patient Advice and Liaison Service truthful immoderate issues tin beryllium looked into."