'I was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer after six strange things happened to my body'
A British man who sensed he was “heading into a problem” was eventually diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer.
Jon Imondi, 43, felt unhappy and unfulfilled while working from home post-pandemic but his health was suffering too.
Speaking about the warning signs, the IT engineer told SurreyLive: “There was probably about eight months of strange things happening.
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“I actually think 18 months or two years before that I found some blood in the toilet but I pretty much dismissed it stupidly. Then eight months before my diagnosis I had Covid and I was having really bad night sweats and waking up soaking wet.
“I kept getting up to pee - my immune system was just about shot. I was tired all the time. And literally about six weeks before my diagnosis I had a chest infection and also developed a shingles rash on my back.”
Like a lot of people, Jon ignored many of the symptoms, but eventually went to a GP where blood was found in his stool samples before a colonoscopy was arranged.
And asked if he suspected cancer, he replied: “No, not at all. Stupidly I actually dismissed a lot of it to stress and just being unhappy in life and struggling in my work.”
But Jon was diagnosed in December 2022 after the colonoscopy failed because the camera could not get past the tumour (later revealed to be cancerorous) that was there.
Despite the devastating news, Jon, who is from Worcester, ended up being “extremely lucky” with the timing.
Doctors feared his tumour was on the verge of breaking free from his colon and would spread into his liver - which may have resulted in a stage-four diagnosis.
The cancer survivor had keyhole surgery where they removed the tumour and part of his colon and he was advised by the surgeon to undergo six months of chemotherapy.
However, this did not feel right for him, and he decided to go in an alternative direction.
He explained: “I sold my car and lived off fruit and vegetables for six months. I got a pushbike and walked everywhere and went back to therapy and really took care of myself.
“I truly felt amazing and looked amazing. I think people were shocked when they saw me a couple of months after. I think they assumed I would be walking around carrying a drip looking ashen.”
Jon also discovered he had a genetic disorder called Lynch syndrome meaning his chances of getting cancer were increased.
He now talks about cancer on his YouTube channel and he is also a therapist in training.
And asked how life looked two years after his diagnosis, Jon, who is building a business to help people with developmental trauma, said: “Life looks good and I generally stick to a really healthy diet.
“I eat well and I still make sure I walk once or twice a day for a minimum of 30 minutes at a time and I do have a car again and feel good.”
And as for his advice for anyone experiencing symptoms, he concluded: “That one’s simple - just get yourself checked out because it really is not worth the risk. I was extremely lucky with my timing.
“I could’ve been stage four and that’s a whole different story.”
The NHS advises anyone experiencing bowel cancer symptoms for three weeks or more to see a GP.
They also strongly encourage people not to be embarrassed about talking about them - and that doctors and nurses speak about the symptoms frequently.
As for the main symptoms, the NHS states:
changes in your poo, such as having softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
blood in your poo, which may look red or black
bleeding from your bottom
often feeling like you need to poo, even if you've just been to the toilet
tummy pain
a lump in your tummy
bloating
losing weight without trying
feeling very tired for no reason