Rachel Bernardo: I was diagnosed with bowel cancer after doctors dismissed me

Rachel Bernardo was only in her 30s when she started feeling so tired she needed to go to bed at 6pm. These are the three symptoms she had before her bowel cancer diagnosis.

Bowel cancer survivor Rachel Bernardo. Picture: Supplied

“You feel tired because you’re a busy mum with three young kids.”

That was the explanation doctors kept giving me when I asked what the cause of my relentless fatigue could be.

Most nights, where possible with the children, I was so tired I’d go to bed at 6pm and sleep until the next day.

I had also lost weight, but didn’t think much of it as, at the time, I often struggled to find time to eat between working full-time and chasing after a toddler and two primary school aged kids.

Something most parents can attest to.

There was the odd bout of stomach pain, which seemed a bit unusual but wasn’t cause for alarm.

That was until I had intense stomach pain that lasted three days, which prompted me to visit my GP.

She advised I was constipated and to take some laxatives.

My fatigue continued but was again put down to being a busy mum.

A year later, I woke up with stomach pains so bad I couldn’t walk.

I was bloated to the point I looked pregnant.

Rachel Bernardo. Picture: Supplied

I ended up in emergency and blood tests showed I was severely anaemic.

I had iron infusions and a colonoscopy.

I was sitting in the waiting room hearing other patients being told their results, when I got called into a consulting room and asked if I had someone to accompany me.

I was thinking the worst but denying anything was happening.

Then I heard the shattering words: “Sorry you have bowel cancer, you have a tumour”.

My diagnosis didn’t fully hit me until about three weeks later when I broke down and cried.

I kept thinking, ‘I’ve got a young family. How could it be me? I’m so young’.

I was 38.

But bowel cancer doesn’t discriminate by age, contrary to the perception it only affects older people.

Looking back, I had three key symptoms: fatigue, unexplained weight loss and stomach pain.

The cancer was aggressive – when surgeons cut out my tumour, I had 33 lymph nodes removed including 20 that were cancerous.

I underwent fortnightly rounds of chemotherapy for six months and didn’t work for a year after that.

Now, I’m 41 and in remission.

I have checks every quarter, biannual CT scans and annual colonoscopies to ensure early detection if my cancer returns.

I’ve become very passionate about raising awareness of bowel cancer and advocating for people to push for testing if something doesn’t feel right.

Bowel cancer survivor Rachel Bernardo. Picture: Supplied

In my opinion, many young Australians with signs of bowel cancer are still dismissed by GPs, particularly mums who often have their symptoms attributed to motherhood.

It’s an unfortunate reality that I want to draw attention to through my advocacy work with Bowel Cancer Australia and online.

The reality is, if detected early, bowel cancer is treatable.

The five-year survival rate for early-onset bowel cancer is 94 per cent, when detected early. So please, don’t ever accept you’re too young to have bowel cancer or let a doctor tell you that you’re experiencing symptoms due to being a busy mum.

Keep advocating for your health until you get answers.

Rachel Bernardo is a Bowel Cancer Australia advocate, who lives in Deception Bay north of Brisbane.