Freda Botha seemed to be in good health, until she wasn’t.  She began to feel tired all the time, then got constipated, then she couldn’t eat.  Air bubbles were discovered in her gut.  That led to the discovery of polyps on her colon and a diagnosis of colon cancer.  After a six-hour surgical procedure, Freda was hooked up to a stoma bag and told she would have to undergo a chemotherapy regimen. 

 

Freda Botha of Port Elizabeth, South Africa went from feeling fine to feeling tired.  She knew something was really wrong when while sitting at work, she fell asleep.  In addition to feeling fatigued all the time, she couldn’t eat.  When an egg yolk got stuck in her throat, and that cased her to seek medical attention. 

 

Freda saw a doctor, who recommended x-rays, which revealed air bubbles had formed in her gut, but doctors could not immediately tell what caused them.  She was going to undergo surgery and the procedure was supposed to take one hour.  However, when doctors opened her up, they saw polyps on her colon.  That resulted in the need for a biopsy, and from that came her diagnosis.

 

A one-hour procedure went six hours during which a stoma bag was installed.  After that Freda had to spend a week in ICU.  Next was a chemotherapy regimen from May to December 2010, an injection in her hand every other week.  Freda said she was fortunate in that her side effects were not nearly as bad as they have been for others.  She did experience a bit of hair loss, slightly decreased appetite, but the worst part was continued fatigue. 

 

Meantime, all the while, Freda Botha had a stoma bag attached to her.  First she had to learn how to maintain it.  Her first caregiver provided very little help, but a second caregiver was extremely helpful.  However, even when knowing how to manage the bag, there is always the possibility of it leaking, which Freda leery about going out in public.

For anyone who has to have a stoma bag, Freda advises that one not be afraid to ask questions, and make sure before leaving that they have been taught everything they need to know.

 

After four months, Freda was relieved to have the bag removed.  She still goes in for yearly checkups, but is upbeat when she shows up for them.

 

These days, Freda Botha says she can do just about everything she did before her diagnosis, but she does have to watch her diet as there some things she cannot eat because of they affect her colon.

 

By way of advice, she says to take your cancer journey one day at a time and that one doesn’t help themselves by overthinking or overstressing.

 

Additional Resources:

 

Support Group:

 

Cancer Action Network of South Africa (CANSA): https://www.cansa.org.za