Ashima Sharda Mahindra • 19 Apr 2025
Woman Dies of Bowel Cancer 3 Days After Diagnosis; Doctors Dismissed Her Initial Symptoms As Food Intolerance
Maria’s doctors initially put down her concerns saying her symptoms could be due to food allergies and intolerances
A 76-year-old woman died just three days after she was told by the doctors she had terminal bowel cancer when they initially dismissed her symptoms as food intolerances. "She had a noticeably significant change in bowel habits," said Maria Paszkiewicz’s daughter, Anne-Marie.
This included "the need to go more frequently and often with some urgency," she added.
According to experts, those suffering from bowel or colon cancer go to the toilet more frequently because the tumour irritates the gut and speeds things up. It also blocks part of the bowel, making stools looser or harder to pass. The cancer can stop your body from absorbing water properly, which makes you go more often.
Maria’s doctors had initially put down her concerns about food allergies and intolerances, saying that it could be due to having too much dairy. But according to Anne-Marie, for Maria, this "didn't feel right." When her symptoms—constant bowel movements, stomachache, and bloating—got worse, she insisted on a blood test, and further tests revealed she had stage 4 bowel cancer—which spread to her liver.
Maria underwent two cycles of chemotherapy, which worked initially, but the disease soon became resistant. However, she passed away suddenly just three days after the firm diagnosis. "After that initial prognosis, we spent the next few days calculating how long three months was and milestones coming up and what we can do as a family - but we didn't get to do any of that," Anne-Marie added.
What is bowel cancer?
Also known as colorectal cancer, this is a kind of cancer that develops in the large intestine or rectum. According to doctors, it is a serious condition, but early detection and treatment can significantly improve outcomes.Statistics estimate that millions across the world are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year, with the average age being 69 years. Bowel cancer is the fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer. Doctors say around 90 per cent of bowel cancers are adenocarcinomas, which start in the glandular tissues lining the bowel.
What causes bowel cancer?
A few factors that increase the risk of bowel cancer include:
- Low-fibre diet
- High consumption of red and processed meats
- Being overweight or obese
- High consumption of alcohol
- Smoking tobacco
- Inherited genetic risk
- Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease
Signs and symptoms of bowel cancer
A few signs and symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- Change in bowel habits including diarrhoea, constipation, or the feeling of incomplete emptying
- A change in the appearance or consistency of bowel movements, such as thin bowel stools
- Blood in the stools
- Severe abdominal pain, bloating and cramps
- Anal or rectal pain
- A lump in the anus or rectum
- Unexpected weight loss
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Anemia
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