41-Year-Old Mom’s Severe Stomach Pain Dismissed As IBS For Years—At 20 Weeks Pregnant, Doctors Found Stage 4 Colon Cancer: ‘Listen to Your Body. Don’t Be Brushed Off’

“Make noise. Be the pain in their a**, so you don’t die from one in yours!” she added.

Reflecting on her pregnancy, Adams recalled that the pain she had dismissed for years was still present during her baby’s 20-week anatomy scan. She explained, “And yet there was still that stomach pain, the demon never far away, that had tormented me for years now; had kept me frozen in the fetal position in my bed on holidays or days off work, sweat on my top lip, unable to move without screaming, a knife twisting in my gut.

“It had been explained away by an array of doctors as IBS, a grumbling appendix or ‘just bad period pain.’ I was young and fit, what was I making such a fuss about?”

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She continued, “I have always been tough, taught to push through the pain. You have to be if you’ve grown up as a child athlete, as I did, as a competitive swimmer in South Africa. I didn’t realize that was just the beginning of my relationship with pain. From an early age, I had been trained to ignore my body, always triaging the symptoms and pain levels of stress and anxiety.

“But as a woman of 37 years old, when I started to be in pain beyond any levels I had known before, it seemed I could no longer be trusted to have an opinion about my own body. So when I told doctor after doctor that the stomach pain I was in was something different, I was repeatedly told I couldn’t be right.”

RELATED: Colorectal Cancer Is On The Rise in Young Adults — Here’s What We Know

The London-based mom then shared that being young and healthy led many people to downplay her symptoms, which were initially blamed on IBS, stress, and later, IVF-related hormone changes. Adams felt her concerns were overlooked for years, and the lack of answers even caused some family members to wonder if she was overreacting.

Prior to her cancer diagnosis, Adams faced pregnancy losses and a difficult IVF journey while continuing to push forward despite worsening stomach pain, chronic constipation, and other troubling symptoms that left her concerned about her health.

Despite her persistent symptoms being overlooked, says her doctor reassured she was too young for colon cancer and didn’t need a full colonoscopy.

It wasn’t until she was pregnant again and reached her 20-week scan — where doctors confirmed her baby was healthy — that her increasingly severe, wave-like pain prompted them to finally order additional scans.

Adams writes in her Times essay, “And there on the screen, growing alongside our beautiful daughter like a malignant twin, was the shadow of a mass in my gut, later confirmed by a colonoscopy and a biopsy as a tumor. That sweet private consultant, who had denied me the scan that would have revealed it at a manageable stage, had stolen my life with a smile, robbing my baby of a mother, my fiancé of a wife.

“Now I had stage 4 colon cancer, with a rare BRAF mutation (becoming ever less rare in young, fit female millennials like me) that had also metastasized to my liver.”

RELATED: Colon Cancer Is Not One Disease: Why BRAF & KRAS Mutations Matter

It’s important to note that doctors are increasingly looking at the genetic makeup of each patient’s tumor to guide treatment decisions. These are called molecular or genomic markers, and they’re transforming how colorectal cancer is treated. Among the most important of these markers are BRAF and KRAS mutations.

KRAS mutations are found in about 30-40% of colorectal cancers. For patients, this mutation is important because it can determine which treatments will not work.

Adams decided to undergo a complex surgery that focused on removing as much of the cancerous tumor as possible while keeping her baby healthy in the womb.

RELATED: New Hope for Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Patients: A Targeted Approach With a Drug Called Encorafenib Gets FDA Approval

She then hoped continue the pregnancy until her baby’s lungs were more developed, but at 32 weeks, worsening pain and breathing difficulties caused by tumors pressing on her lung led doctors to perform an emergency C-section.

Her daughter Magnolia Sunshine was born at just 32 weeks, and Adams began further treatment, which included chemotherapy.

Adams, who has raised nearly $100,000 on a JustGiving page she created to help with the financial burden of her cancer journey, continued, “In January this year, I was briefly cancer-free. The BRAF mutation usually spreads like wildfire so there was hope that the super-aggressive chemo had worked. Luke went back to work. I started to hope I might do what I craved to do: walking in the park, maybe even having that wedding.

“But a scan in March showed that the tumours had come back in both sides of my liver; that we had run out of ways to obliterate them; that from here on in, my treatment would be management not cure[d.]”

With her daughter on her mind and other women across the globe, Adams insisted, “We have to be alert to cancer sneaking up on us.”

She concluded, “It took three years of blood, sweat and pain for my cancer to be diagnosed; this cannot happen again. …If I can help even one woman avoid my grueling journey of misdiagnosis, misinformation and mistakes, then my story will have the legacy I want it to have and my fight can finally stop.”

As for the crowdfunding page she created, Adams admitted the “extreme financial stress is weighing heavily on all our hearts, at a time when we deserve to be cherishing every moment of this wonderful, well-deserved chapter of our lives.”

“Any contribution will help to give us the gift of stability, comfort, dignity and strength as we enjoy Magnolia in our world, and carry on this fight together. Thank you all for your kindness and support. Thank you for not allowing us to walk this path alone,” she said.

Colon Cancer vs. GI Symptoms

Gastrointestinal problems can be caused by many factors. One important thing to remember is that colorectal cancer is usually a slow-growing cancer, so symptoms may not be apparent until the cancer has spread. In other words, getting a routine screening, such as a colonoscopy, is very important, rather than looking out for concerning symptoms.

Dr. Zuri Murrell previously told SurvivorNet, “all colon cancer starts as these small growths called polyps. And these polyps have no signs, no symptoms. The only way you can know you have them is if you do a colonoscopy, and you see them.” Moreover, he adds, during the colonoscopy, the polyps can be removed.

However, there are some key symptoms that should prompt you to check with your doctor about potential colorectal cancer. According to the CDC, these include:

• A change in bowel habits
• Blood in your stool
• Diarrhea, constipation, or a feeling that you’re not completely emptying your bowels
• Persistent abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss

According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, while IBS and colorectal cancer share some symptoms, especially in bowel habits, “Colorectal cancer may have additional symptoms of blood in the stool, weight loss, fatigue, and a feeling of incomplete bowel movements.”

Cancer Research Legend Urges Patients to Get Multiple Opinions

Understanding  & Treating Colorectal Cancer

Colon cancer is a type of cancer that affects your large intestine (colon) or the end of your intestine (rectum). Your doctor might call this type of cancer colorectal cancer.

The cancer starts when abnormal lumps called polyps grow in the colon or rectum. If you don’t have these polyps removed, they can sometimes change into cancer.  It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become a full-blown cancer, according to SurvivorNet experts. If you get the recommended screenings, your doctor will have time to remove any polyps that form, before they can cause problems.

While experts don’t know exactly what causes colon cancer, they do point to certain risk factors, such as diet, smoking tobacco, and drinking alcohol. Having a family history of colorectal cancer can also increase the risk.

Both men and women can get colon cancer. Overall, it is the third most common cancer in people of both genders in the United States. But it’s also very preventable, with the recommended screenings.

Dr. Heather Yeo, colorectal surgeon at Weill Cornell Medicine, wants to remind people how far the treatment of this disease has come.

“One of the most exciting things about my job is that we’ve made a lot of progress on treatment options,” Dr. Yeo said in a previous interview with SurvivorNet. “However … while they’re living longer, [patients] are still living with colon cancer.”

She explained that patients with stage I to III colon cancer typically need to undergo surgery.

Choosing the Right Surgery for Your Colon Cancer While Avoiding Marketing Gimmicks 

During surgery, the surgeon removes the section of the colon with the cancer, along with nearby lymph nodes — a procedure that’s known as a partial colectomy. Surgeons can perform it through an open incision, but increasingly it’s being done laparoscopically through several small incisions using specialized tools. Surgery is followed by chemotherapy to get rid of any cancer cells that might have been left behind.

Related: The Type of Colon Surgery Depends on the Location of the Tumor

After a partial colectomy, surgeons typically reconnect the two ends of the colon. But in some cases, the surgery creates enough of a disruption in the colon that it becomes difficult to have a normal bowel movement afterward. In that case, the surgeon will perform a procedure called a colostomy, creating a temporary or permanent opening through the belly through which stool can exit the body. Wastes collect in a pouch worn on the outside of the abdomen, called an ostomy bag.

“A colostomy or an ostomy, is taking the bowel and attaching it to the skin so the bowel movement would go into a bag, rather than out the anus and rectum,” Dr. Daniel Labow, chief of surgical oncology at Mount Sinai Health System, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview.

Colostomy sounds much worse than it is. “Once you get over the psychosocial effects, you can lead a totally normal life,” Dr. Labow says. “It’s not painful. It’s just getting used to a different way.”

The Spike in Colon Cancer Cases in Young Adults

The average age people are diagnosed with colon cancer is 68 for men and 72 for women, according to the American Cancer Society.

However, the National Cancer Institute reports that since the 1990s, colorectal cancer cases have been rising among adults younger than 50. Research published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians found that the proportion of cases in people younger than 55 “increased from 11% in 1995 to 20% in 2019.”

“We know rates are increasing in young people, but it’s alarming to see how rapidly the whole patient population is shifting younger, despite shrinking numbers in the overall population,” cancer epidemiologist and lead study author Rebecca Siegel said.

Researchers are still trying to determine why younger people are being diagnosed in more significant numbers. Some experts point to risk factors, which include obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking, as a possible explanation for the increase.

“We don’t know for sure why we are seeing earlier onset and death from colon cancer,” Dr. Yeo explained.

“It is likely a combination of factors, including diet and genetics as well as access to care and some environmental factors.”

WATCH: How Doctors Look for Polyps.

Most colon cancers can be prevented if people are regularly screened. The screening usually involves a colonoscopy, in which a long, thin tube attached to a camera is used to examine the colon and rectum. If no polyps are discovered, the following screening won’t be needed for ten years.

“We know that colon cancers can be prevented when polyps are found early,” Dr. Yeo told SurvivorNet. “Lowering the screening age helps somewhat with this, but access to care is a real problem,” Yeo added.

The American Gastrointestinal Association lowered the recommended initial age for a colorectal screening from 50 to 45.

Pushing For A Correct Diagnosis

When it comes to your health, be a little pushy. You know your body better than anyone else. When you see a doctor for a problem, don’t hesitate to make sure that your question is fully answered and that you are comfortable with the plan moving forward. From a doctor’s perspective, every problem should have a diagnosis, a treatment, a plan for follow-up, and a plan for what happens next if the treatment doesn’t work.

As a patient, if you don’t feel like each of these four things has been accomplished, just ask! Even if it requires multiple visits or seeing additional providers for a second opinion, always be your own advocate.

The Importance of Being Your Own Advocate

Dr. Zuri Murrell, director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, previously told SurvivorNet that healthcare guidelines are meant to do the right thing for the largest number of people while using the fewest resources.

“The truth is you have to be in tune with your body, and you realize that you are not the statistic,” he said.

Dr. Murrell told SurvivorNet that not every patient will “fit into the mold,” so it’s important to educate yourself and be your own health care advocate.

“Every appointment you leave as a patient, there should be a plan for what the doc is going to do for you, and if that doesn’t work, what the next plan is,” Dr. Murrell advised. “And I think that that’s totally fair. And me as a health professional that’s what I do for all of my patients.”

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

If you have a cancer screening coming up or have recently had one, you may have questions you want answered. SurvivorNet’s proprietary AI tool “My Health Questions” is designed specifically for patients and caregivers.

WATCH: How One Cancer Survivor and Her Sister Used “My Health Questions” to Navigate Care

This powerful resource is embedded across the SurvivorNet website and delivers structured responses grounded in clinical guidelines and medically reviewed research to help people better understand their treatment options and feel more confident navigating care.

My Health Questions can also help patients come up with useful questions ahead of their next appointment.

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Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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