WHEN Donna Bauer first felt fatigued she put it down to the relentless workload of being a state MP and working mother.
“I was working very long days in Parliament and in the community and by the time I’d get home I’d be so exhausted,” she said.
After a battle with bowel cancer, the former Liberal MP for Carrum hopes others may be able to learn to seek early diagnosis and treatment to save lives.
The 44-year-old mother of four first noticed “twinges” of pain in her stomach while training to walk the Kokoda track in mid-2013.
“When I was in Kokoda I had extreme abdominal pain but I pushed through and finished the track,” she said.
The abdominal pain was “spasmodic” upon her return to Australia, flaring up every three or four weeks.
“I just lived with it. I ignored it and it wasn’t really until nine months later than I started looking into what was causing that pain.”
Tests revealed she had advanced bowel cancer.
“I got so involved in my career, my busy professional life and being a mum … that I put my own health last like a lot of busy people do.”
June is bowel cancer awareness month and Mrs Bauer said it is not just “an old person’s disease”.
Bowel cancer claims the lives of 77 Australians each week, according to information from Bowel Cancer Australia.
More than 1000 Australians under the age of 50 are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year.
“Bowel cancer is preventable through raising awareness and taking a bowel kit test or colonoscopy. Having polyps removed prevents bowel cancer,” Mrs Bauer said.
She said people should be aware of the danger signs such as fatigue, stomach pain, unexplained weight loss and blood in bowel movements.
Seeking out a family history of bowel cancer is also paramount to assess the risk factor. An uncle and cousin of Mrs Bauer both died of bowel cancer aged in their 40s.
“People need to be alert that if they have a change in bowel movements then go and see a doctor and get it checked out.”
If bleeding or pain persists, Mrs Bauer recommends insisting on a colonoscopy.
She considers herself lucky to have had such expert medical treatment after the delayed bowel cancer diagnosis.
“Don’t wait until it’s too late … it nearly cost me my life. I was told if I presented three months later I would have had a 50 per cent change of survival and six months later the cancer would have been inoperable.”
See bowelcanceraustralia.org for details of bowel cancer testing or call 1800 555 494.
First published in the Chelsea Mordialloc Mentone News – 3 June 2015
