Susan Schmidt, a 47-year-old mother of two from Australia, received transformative news in 2023 when she was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer.
This diagnosis followed her initial disregard of mild symptoms — a delay she hopes others can circumvent by learning from her experience.
A sensitive subject
“Unusual” and “subtle”.
That is how Susan Schmidt characterizes the symptoms she encountered prior to her life-changing diagnosis in September 2023.
She now must cope with bowel cancer, but she aims to alert others.
“The diagnosis is incurable,” Susan informed Daily Mail.
“The objective now is to maintain my health for as long as possible. I will likely resume chemotherapy after my next trip abroad.”
Susan articulated that bowel health is frequently regarded as a sensitive subject, which can hinder early detection.
“I never discussed my bowel habits, who does?” she remarked. “That's part of the issue with bowel cancer. Individuals do not raise the alarm soon enough.”
Early symptoms she ignored
Prior to her diagnosis, Susan suffered from fatigue, constipation, and severe pain episodes, yet she never observed any blood in her stool.
Her initial warning sign was persistent fatigue, which commenced approximately four months before her diagnosis. Susan attributed it to early menopause.
“I would drive my daughter for 15 minutes to her rowing practice, then need to stop on the way back to take a 40-minute nap,” Susan, a physiotherapist, recounted.
“That's not typical. That was a warning sign, but I dismissed it.”
Subsequently, during a trip to France for a friend's wedding, Susan encountered constipation for the first time in her life.
“I just wasn't having regular bowel movements. I blamed it on the rich food, excessive cheese, and too much indulgence,” she explained. “I didn't give it much thought.”
Upon her return to Brisbane, the symptoms worsened significantly.
“I found myself on the bathroom floor in excruciating pain. I was vomiting, experiencing diarrhoea, and suffering unbearable pain. It persisted for eight hours.”
Initially, she suspected that she had contracted salmonella from her horse.
“It was more painful than childbirth. I was crawling into the shower, attempting to alleviate the pain with heat. It was a nine out of ten on the pain scale,” she shared with Daily Mail.
Her message to others
Initially, medical professionals did not suspect cancer and assured Susan that she was in good health. Her blood and stool examinations yielded no abnormal findings.
However, shortly thereafter, she was confronted with the heartbreaking diagnosis of stage 4 bowel cancer.
“Upon waking from the colonoscopy, I sensed that something was amiss, as I was not offered any food or drink, and the nurse informed me that the gastroenterologist would be coming to see me. It was then that I learned from the gastroenterologist that he had discovered a tumor,” Susan recounted.
Regrettably, the prognosis from the surgeon was grim. The CT scan and MRI indicated that the rectal cancer had spread to her uterus, pelvic lymph nodes, and right lung.
“I want individuals to be aware of the warning signs. I urge them to seek answers if something feels wrong,” she stated. “Even if your blood tests are normal, even if they attribute it to stress, diet, or hormones, trust your instincts.”
Since her diagnosis, Susan has established The Floozie Foundation, which is dedicated to assisting cancer patients and their families in adult cancer wards throughout Australia.
The 47-year-old mother continues to battle for her life, and according to her most recent updates on Instagram, Susan is still enduring challenging chemotherapy treatments.
Susan's experience serves as a poignant reminder that paying attention to your body and voicing concerns about even seemingly minor symptoms can be life-saving. We are all rooting for you, Susan, and you should know that you are not alone in your struggle!
