She went to the doctor for a stomach infection, but it was colorectal cancer.

A picture of stomach problems between pain, vomiting and nausea caused Gemma Farquhar, a woman who was 35 years old at the time her symptoms began, to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

Currently, at 37 years old, farqhar uses her social networks to make people aware of the symptoms of this disease so that it does not happen to her, who was overlooked by several doctors and diagnosed with simple stomach infections or parasites.

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Although farqhar She presented constant vomiting for months that took her to the doctor almost weekly, it was after several months that, in April 2020, He was diagnosed with stage four colorectal cancer.

Since then, his body has survived several surgeries. In that same year, in April, they performed a resection of the intestine due to an obstruction.

In September, he had to prepare for a highly invasive surgery: a peritonectomy. This is a complicated procedure that involves removing some of the organs with cancer from the body, and then putting them through chemotherapy.

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A post shared by Gemma (@havingthegutstodealwithbadshit)

The surgical intervention was traumatic for the body of farqharwhere she lost almost 20 cm of intestine, her uterus and fallopian tubes were removed, among other traumas.

Also, recovery was slow and tedious. During her first week post-surgery, Farquhar was unable to stand or digest any food or drink on her own, and even after undergoing such an invasive procedure, her prognosis remained dire, with doctors giving her a 14% chance of survival and five years of life.

The new treatment consisted of intense chemotherapy sessions that continue to this day, two years later, when the cancer has already metastasized to his lungs.

However, Farquhar has taken these years to reflect on resilience and one of the most important aspects for her: knowing her body and being her own advocate.

Farquhar fought gastroenterologists, allergists and general practitioners who, despite her constant visits to the emergency room and her symptoms, she was sent home with medication that she ended up vomiting because of discomfort.

She, sensing that something else was happening in her body, insisted that proper tests be carried out to determine what was happening in her stomach. He fought for a diagnosis that, in the end, turned out to be much more complicated than a simple stomach infectionas many times he had been told it was.

Farquhar uses his social networks to share a little about his life and his fight against cancerin addition to the happiness of seeing their 8 and 6-year-old daughters grow up, despite their diagnosis.

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A post shared by Gemma (@havingthegutstodealwithbadshit)

The most important thing for her is to raise awareness about the symptoms she went through, but also to make people understand that she is not an isolated case.

”Very often detected late, preventing early intervention. There is a lack of education and awareness about it. We need to be our own advocates,” Farquhar told Australia’s Daily Mail.

What is colorectal cancer?

These types of diseases usually do not present symptoms at the beginning, so they can be difficult to diagnose.

These types of diseases usually do not present symptoms at the beginning, so they can be difficult to diagnose. (iStock/)

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, is a disease where cells in the colon or rectum multiply out of controlwhich can lead to growths of abnormal tissue, which can turn into cancer.

Initially, this disease does not always cause symptoms and when yes, these can include problems that are related to other diseases such as diarrhea, constipation, abdominal cramps or blood in the stool, so it is important to see a doctor if any of these occur and get regular tests.

Source: Elcomercio