MILLI Tanner went to her GP 13 times before doctors finally discovered she had a deadly cancer she’d been told she was too young to get.
It took four years for the now 23-year-old from Worcestershire to get diagnosed with , by which time the disease had spread around her body.
Milli was diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer after going to the GP 13 timesCredit: PA
An at-home bowel cancer test came back positiveCredit: PA
In the meantime, doctors had put her symptoms down to and .
“I felt like I was going crazy,” Milli, a cleaner, said.
Milli was 19 when she first went to her GP in June 2021 with , lower back pain and .
“They said that maybe I’d had a night out, had too much to drink, and that was irritating my stomach,” she explained.
But as time went on, the bleeding and stomach pain didn’t stop.
At first, her GP put the pain down to her periods – but, as Milli pointed out, “you don’t tend to lose blood through your back passage”.
She continued to go to her GP, who referred her for an ultrasound to check for – which it wasn’t.
She then had a session with a physiotherapist for the back pain.
“They [the physiotherapist] said that they couldn’t see anything wrong at all,” Milli explained.
Then, her GP told her she likely had .
“By this point, I was tired as well all the time, and I was working full-time in a pub,” she said.
“They looked at that as, ‘that’s probably why you’re tired, you’re working long shifts and late nights’.”
Between June 2021 to November 2023, Milli said she had 13 appointments with a GP, went to A&E and had a phone call with NHS 111.
“I was also showing pictures of the amount of blood I was having – every time I went to the toilet I was bleeding,” she said.
At one point, during a visit to A&E, Milli was told to go back to her GP.
“I asked for a second opinion,” she said.
“The doctor come back into the room, said: ‘Right, I’ve just spoken to another A&E department. You’re just too young. Are you happy?'”
Milli eventually ordered herself a faecal immunochemical test () online, which looks for tiny traces of blood in the stool that could indicate bowel cancer.
The test was positive and Milli took her results to her GP.
However, it was several more months before the GP ordered a FIT test on the NHS.
Milli said: “The GP did put through a referral for a colonoscopy but I had a phone call to say it was a 60-week wait.
“They were following the NHS guidelines, and because I was under a certain age, it apparently couldn’t be put through as urgent until they did their own FIT test.
“Once the GP had ordered their own FIT test and it was positive, they were able to put it through as urgent.”
By this point, Milli said she knew she had bowel cancer.
“I knew it was going to be bowel cancer. I knew deep down exactly what it was,” she said.
“I’d done my own research. It was frustrating.”
‘I might be infertile’
Milli was diagnosed with bowel cancer in November 2023 following the urgent colonoscopy.
She said: “I saw the mass straight away. I saw it on the screen, and I just said: ‘What’s that?'”
“And the doctor said: ‘It’s a tumour.’
“I said: ‘Is it cancer?’ And she said: ‘I’m really sorry.'”
By this point, the cancer had spread to Milli’s and was stage III.
Milli decided to have her owing to the risk will make her .
She also had chemotherapy and radiotherapy, surgery, and has been fitted with a permanent .
While she has been left , Milli said her most recent CT scan and colonoscopy showed no signs of cancer.
She now wants to raise awareness of cancer among young people.
She said: “It was such a massive issue and stress getting diagnosed. I had at least 20 health appointments, including 13 GP appointments and a visit to A&E where I was told I was too young to have cancer.
“I had always been maternal, so it was heartbreaking to learn I might be .
“I’d say to people: you know your own body better than anybody else does.
“If it feels wrong, then keep going back until you find what is wrong.”
What are the red flag warning signs of bowel cancer?
IT'S the fourth most common cancer in the UK, the second deadliest - yet bowel cancer can be cured, if you catch it early enough.
While screening is one way of ensuring early diagnosis, there are things everyone can do to reduce their risk of the deadly disease.
Being aware of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, spotting any changes and checking with your GP can prove a life-saver.
If you notice any of the signs, don’t be embarrassed and don’t ignore them. Doctors are used to seeing lots of patients with bowel problems.
The five red-flag symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- Bleeding from the back passage, or blood in your poo
- A change in your normal toilet habits – going more frequently for example
- Pain or a lump in your tummy
- Extreme tiredness
- Losing weight
Tumours in the bowel typically bleed, which can cause a shortage of red blood cells, known as anaemia. It can cause tiredness and sometimes breathlessness.
In some cases bowel cancer can block the bowel, this is known as a bowel obstruction.
Other signs include:
- Gripping pains in the abdomen
- Feeling bloated
- Constipation and being unable to pass wind
- Being sick
- Feeling like you need to strain – like doing a number two – but after you’ve been to the loo
While these are all signs to watch out for, experts warn the most serious is noticing blood in your stools.
But, they warn it can prove tricky for doctors to diagnose the disease, because in most cases these symptoms will be a sign of a less serious disease.
Amy Harding, director of services and impact at the Teenage Cancer Trust, said: “Milli’s story, although extreme, is sadly not unique.
“We know from recent evidence and through the young people that we support, that far too often the path to a cancer diagnosis is challenging, traumatic and too long for young people who face delays to diagnosis.
“The National Cancer Plan for England has the potential to create the vital changes needed for young people with cancer.
“However, it must include strong and targeted measures, including empowering primary care professionals to spot the signs of cancer in young people.
“Although cancer is rare in this group, it shouldn’t be off the table just because of patient age.”
According to , rates of bowel cancer in teenagers and young people up to the age of 24 have increased by 74 per cent since the early 1990s.
The Department of Health has been contacted for comment.
