Woman shares the change in bathroom habits she noticed before being diagnosed with stage four cancer

A woman described the realization that she may have cancer after experiencing a change in her bathroom habits.

Devon, a woman from Seattle, Washington, explained exactly when she knew something was wrong with her body and how those symptoms led to a devastating diagnosis.

She first began to notice ‘something was off’ in February 2023, and slowly she began to suspect that she had cancer.

The woman explained how she had been working in Palm Springs at the time due to a ‘work contract’ and wasn’t able to see her primary care provider because of the distance.

However, what she first thought was nothing more than irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), soon became a heartbreaking diagnosis.

She revealed that her symptoms initially presented themselves as her needing ‘to go to the bathroom much more often than usual’.

Devon spoke with The Patient Stories about her experience (YouTube/The Patient Story)

At first, it was a ‘few times more than usual’, but it ‘quickly progressed to like 15 or 20 times a day’.

Speaking to The Patient Story on YouTube, she said: “I felt like I needed to go to the bathroom, and the more that progressed, like, the less I was actually going.”

The woman said that at one point, she was simply passing mucus and no stool and also felt like she hadn’t fully been able to empty her bowels.

Sadly, it quickly became a painful sensation too, which Devon claimed was more ‘than just like irritating or annoying’.

Calling herself a ‘serial Googler’, Devon admitted that after looking up her symptoms online, she thought she most likely had IBS.

IBS was something she admitted to being worried about developing, even without prior symptoms.

So, she sent a message to her primary care provider to tell them her symptoms and that she believed she had IBS, but the very next day, a nurse called her and asked her to book an appointment.

However, because she was in Palm Springs, she said she couldn’t make one.

She shared how she first began to suspect she had cancer (YouTube/The Patient Story)

Instead, it was suggested she visit a specialist local to her, and she agreed to see someone.

Soon, Devon saw a gastroenterologist in Palm Springs and also ‘did a telehealth doctor on demand appointment where I described all the same symptoms, and that provider was at least able to do some stool testing.’

But it was inconclusive.

Noting she never had blood in her stool, which is something prevalent in cancers like colorectal, her fecal occult blood test came back as ‘nothing out of the ordinary’.

But after seeing the specialist and conducting a colonoscopy, it was clear.

Devon had a tumor growing in her rectum, and once she began to experience ‘narrow stools’, she was certain she had cancer.

In the end, the results came back that Devon had stage 4 colorectal cancer, which immediately made her spring ‘into action mode’ and she wanted to know the next steps.

Explaining that she doesn’t meet any of the risk factor criteria for the cancer type, it took her a long time to come to terms that the disease can happen to anyone, for any reason.

After getting her ostomy surgery and enduring six weeks of daily pelvic radiation therapy and chemotherapy, Devon was given the all clear and was thankful to not wake up in pain anymore.

However, shockingly, she was diagnosed with cancer again in August 2024, and again, began chemo treatments.

As of right now, her last blood work test came back clear, and she’s taking things day-by-day.

Her advice to others? ‘Listen to your body’.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the American Cancer Society on 1-800-227-2345 or via their live chat feature, available 24/7 every day of the year.