The Bottom Line
Good Health Choices|September 2019

New Zealand Has One Of The Highest Bowel Cancer Rates In The World, And The Incidence Is Rising In Young People, Discovers Sheree Mutton

Sheree Mutton
The Bottom Line
Bridget Bennie will never forget her daughter’s first birthday. A day reserved for celebrating an important milestone was turned on its head when she was told that she had stage three bowel cancer. The 34-year-old mother-of-two says the cancer diagnosis came as a shock despite the fact she’d been experiencing problems with her bowel.

“It was heartbreaking news. My world was rocked,” says Bridget. “The blood in my stool started after my daughter was born. I remember having a conversation with a friend when I came back from the toilet for the third time during our lunch. I said, ‘The bleeding only starts after my fifth or sixth poo of the day; I normally do about 10 a day.’ I still remember the look of horror on her face.”

After almost a year of feeling unwell and irregular bowel habits, Bridget, a primary school teacher, says she finally decided to seek the opinion of her GP. She was given a referral for a colonoscopy, but told that the bleeding was most likely haemorrhoids.

“I didn’t go for my colonoscopy straight away after getting the referral. I waited a few months,” recalls Bridget. “I had breastfed my son until his first birthday and I was determined to do that for my daughter too. I didn’t want the anaesthetic to affect my milk flow.”

Looking back, Bridget knows that the delay could have had devastating consequences. “I thought what I was experiencing was normal and I was too embarrassed to be completely honest about my toileting,” she recalls. “Imagine if I’d had the courage to do that even a few months prior.”

Denne historien er fra September 2019-utgaven av Good Health Choices.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra September 2019-utgaven av Good Health Choices.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA GOOD HEALTH CHOICESSe alt
Strong On The Inside
Good Health Choices

Strong On The Inside

OSTEOPOROSIS AFFECTS HALF OF KIWI WOMEN OVER 60. AFTER THE AGE OF 35, BONE LOSS INCREASES AS A NATURAL PART OF THE AGEING PROCESS, BUT DID YOU KNOW IT’S POSSIBLE TO BOOST YOUR BONE STRENGTH? DEBBIE DUNCAN EXPLAINS HOW...

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 2019
The Joy Of Un-Dieting
Good Health Choices

The Joy Of Un-Dieting

NUTRITIONIST JESSICA SEPEL WANTS US TO SPEAK TO OURSELVES WITH MORE KINDNESS AND CHANGE OUR MIND-SET ABOUT HEALTHY EATING

time-read
6 mins  |
December 2019
Shifting Focus
Good Health Choices

Shifting Focus

DO YOU DREAD THOSE LAST FEW WEEKS AT WORK PRIOR TO THE SUMMER BREAK BECAUSE TIME SEEMS TO BE DRAGGING? WHAT YOU MIGHT BE IN NEED OF IS A VOORPRET MIND-SET

time-read
1 min  |
December 2019
Only The Lonely
Good Health Choices

Only The Lonely

FOR SOME OF US CHRISTMAS ISN’T ALWAYS JOLLY AND, IF YOU’RE FEELING ISOLATED, YOU’RE NOT ON YOUR OWN. SARAH MARINOS LOOKS AT THE IMPACT OF A GROWING HEALTH EPIDEMIC AND HOW BEST TO COMBAT IT

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2019
Out Of Office... (Sort Of)
Good Health Choices

Out Of Office... (Sort Of)

DO YOU STRUGGLE TO DISCONNECT FROM WORK WHILE ON HOLIDAY? LEARN HOW TO LET GO OF ‘VACATION SABOTAGE’ AND GET THE MOST FROM YOUR TIME OFF

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2019
Fountain Of Youth
Good Health Choices

Fountain Of Youth

IT TURNS OUT THE SECRET TO BEING YOUNGER, IS TO BELIEVE YOU ARE! WE LOOK AT HOW YOUR MIND-SET AND OUTLOOK ON LIFE ARE TWO OF THE MAIN DETERMINING FACTORS WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR HEALTH AND HAPPINESS IN YOUR LATER YEARS

time-read
4 mins  |
December 2019
Finding Strength
Good Health Choices

Finding Strength

JENNY-MAY CLARKSON OPENS UP TO ERIN FISHER ABOUT HEALING AFTER LOSS, BODY CONFIDENCE, AND HOW HER CONNECTION TO THE COMMUNITY AND MĀORI CULTURE SHAPES EVERYTHING SHE DOES

time-read
7 mins  |
December 2019
Can You Think Yourself Slim?
Good Health Choices

Can You Think Yourself Slim?

‘A new mind-based technique is achieving radical results when it comes to quashing craving

time-read
5 mins  |
December 2019
TAKE A BREATH
Good Health Choices

TAKE A BREATH

CONTROLLING ASTHMA CAN BE CHALLENGING, BUT EMERGING RESEARCH COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER FOR THOSE LIVING WITH THIS CHRONIC DISEASE, SAYS TRUDIE MCCONNOCHIE

time-read
5 mins  |
November 2019
KEEPING ON TRACK
Good Health Choices

KEEPING ON TRACK

RADIO PERSONALITY JAY-JAY FEENEY OPENS UP TO ERIN FISHER ABOUT HER SOLO TRAVEL ADVENTURES, BODY IMAGE AND MENTAL HEALTH STRUGGLES, AND LEARNING TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH HER OWN COMPANY

time-read
7 mins  |
November 2019