Yahoo News MAFS's Mel Schilling reveals nickname for cancer tumour
The dating and relationship coach was diagnosed with colon cancer after doctors found a tumour the size of a lime.
What did you miss?
Married At First Sight star Mel Schilling has revealed she named her cancer tumour Terry. The dating and relationship coach appeared on This Morning just 20 days after having surgery to remove the tumour that was the size of a lime. Schlling, 51, told how she was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer after ignoring the symptoms for some time.
What, how, and why?
Schilling - a regular contributor to the ITV daytime show - admitted it felt "very different" to be sitting on the sofa to discuss her own personal story. The married mother-of-one confessed: "I was ignoring the signs for such a long time. My energy had dropped but I was having such incredible gut pain. Literally doubled over and shouting in pain. And I stopped going to the toilet, just stopped.
"But I was doing all this international travel, you know what it’s like flying to Australia, the jet lag. I wasn’t sleeping. My whole digestive system stopped working. I had low energy - which I ignored. In my mind I thought 'I've had a busy year, I've just got to get through. I've got work lined up and then I can rest.' My body had other ideas."
The Australian life coach eventually went to a gastroenterologist after she began vomiting and was unable to even hold down water. She revealed the doctor observed that she had lost a lot of weight, which she had not noticed, and she was sent for a CT scan.
Schilling said: "They found Terry. Terry was right there - the size of a lime, right there in my colon and blocking everything. Trying to take over!"
The TV presenter said she could not feel the lump physically, but it was causing "constant spasms" in her abdomen. She revealed doctors called her husband, Gareth, and told them she had cancer.
Schilling admitted Gareth struggled with the diagnosis. She said: "He is my rock, but it hit him hard. When we were in that doctor's surgery and we heard that news, I went into practical mode. [Helpless] that's what Gareth felt."
Schilling is due to undergo chemotherapy and is using holistic therapy to help her to cope with the trauma.
She said: "This is a good news story. It’s been tough but it was reasonably early intervention. If I had waited a month or so longer it could have been a different story."
This Morning airs on ITV1 at 10am on weekdays.
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