Woman, 24, diagnosed with stage three cancer after she began burping more than usual
A 24-year-old woman was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer after she noticed she was burping more than usual.
Bailey Mcbreen, who is now 25, says that she had no idea something that seemed so normal could be a symptom of something as deadly as cancer, and hopes to encourage other people to listen to their bodies.
Bailey, a nurse from Sarasota, Florida, US, added: "We were joking about my burping on holiday because I never used to be able to do it.
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"We didn't think it was anything alarming as burping is so normal for everyone else.
"I casually mentioned it to my doctor on my next visit, but again, they also didn't think anything of it and it was put down to anxiety.
"I had no other symptoms and eventually everything just went back to normal until January this year.
"I had been planning my engagement party so I was really busy and preoccupied, but then after the party, I realised I hadn't gone to the toilet in a couple of days which was not normal for me.
"As the week went on, my symptoms started snowballing. I had excruciating abdominal pain, cramping, and nausea, and I couldn't keep my food down.
"As a nurse, I knew they were the symptoms of small bowel obstruction, so I tried to resolve it on my own. However, by the time the weekend came around, I was in so much pain my mum said I needed to go to the hospital.
"I had a CT scan and within ten minutes I was told that I had a mass on my colon and that they believed it was colon cancer until it was proved otherwise.
"I was admitted to the hospital straight away.
"When my biopsy results came back, it was confirmed that I had stage three colon cancer.
"I felt the blood rush out of my head when I heard those words, and my entire body froze. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"I then just went into nurse mode and started asking lots of questions. I was thinking about IVF, losing my hair, and chemotherapy."
Bailey has since undergone more surgery and has had part of colon and some of her lymph nodes removed.
She recently finished 12 weeks of chemotherapy and is now awaiting her results to determine her next steps.
"I'm in a waiting game at the moment to see if I will need more surgery. The doctors couldn't get a clear margin the first time round to remove the cancer as it had also attached itself to my spleen.
"Or I may need further treatment such as radiotherapy.
"I couldn't believe that burping was a symptom of my cancer. It's something that is so easily dismissed.
"However, my oncologist said that is it one of the biggest symptoms that they're seeing in young adults with colon cancer.
"I've learnt that anything that is not normal for you, is abnormal.
"Since finishing chemo, I've been feeling lost. It's weird just waiting around and praying that I won't have a reoccurrence.
"However, I have been planning my wedding in the middle of all of this, which has given me something to focus on and keep my mind occupied.
"We're having a small destination wedding in November. It's been amazing to have something that's giving me light during something very dark and scary.
"I can't wait to get married. I'm doing everything I can to keep fighting, even holistically and within my lifestyle.
"My biggest takeaway from all of this is to not let medics dismiss your symptoms. You know your body better than anyone and if you think something isn't quite right, don't let it be covered by modern medicine.
"Symptoms are our body's way of telling us that something is wrong."
Claire Reid