Bowel cancer symptoms: Fit and healthy father diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer reveals first warning sign

A match and wholesome dad recognized with stage 4 most cancers says he appeared just like the ‘Nightmare on Elm Road’ after a horrific response to chemotherapy left him too embarrassed to go to cricket matches in her younger son – and now hopes to avoid wasting his life with a breakthrough vaccine.

Geoffrey Seymour, 41, a client, loved taking part in tennis, basketball and cricket and had at all times been wholesome till simply earlier than his forty first birthday when he began having blood in his stool .

Geoffrey was conscious it was a symptom of most cancers due to the adverts on TV, so he shortly went to his GP.

Geoffrey, who lives in Richmond, London, along with his spouse Santa, 44, and their son Marco, 10, was recognized with stage 4 colorectal most cancers, which had unfold from his colon to his liver – a scenario so critical and seemingly determined that he in contrast it to “being wrapped in a burning paper bag”.

He additionally had a nasty response to chemotherapy, inflicting extreme blistering of the pores and skin on his face and, based on Geoffrey, making him appear like Freddy Krueger from the 1984 horror movie, Nightmare on Elm Road.

Chemotherapy stopped working, nevertheless, and now, in an try to avoid wasting his life, Geoffrey has traveled to Germany for dendritic cell remedy – the place a customized vaccine is created in a lab to spice up the immune system.

Analysis on this space is in its early levels, based on Most cancers Analysis UK, and so the remedy wasn’t low-cost – a single injection in Germany on October 17 value £17,000 and Geoffrey is now ready to see if it is was sufficient to assist him, whereas persevering with to lift funds to pay him.

He mentioned: ‘I could not even look forward to the fundraiser to be over to do it simply because I am so anxious the illness will unfold.’

Geoffrey was decided to discover a new strategy after three rounds of 5 doses of chemotherapy did not work and left him with such extreme negative effects that he now not needed to exit in public, even to see his child boy play cricket .

“I had a very dangerous response to my face, it was filled with painful blisters that made my face really feel prefer it was on hearth,” he mentioned.

“I simply bought to the purpose the place I appeared a bit like Nightmare on Elm Road. Until you went there with a bag over your head, different folks would come as much as me and take a look at me considering, ‘What the hell is that this? who’s improper with this man when i am comfortable sufficient to mix in with the gang.

Geoffrey’s ordeal started in April 2021, simply two weeks earlier than his forty first birthday on March 4, when he obtained the primary warning indicators of most cancers.

After recognizing blood in his stool, Geoffrey determined to see his GP as he knew it could possibly be a symptom of most cancers. And in late March, at Kingston Hospital, she was recognized with stage 4 colorectal most cancers, which had metastasized to the liver.

After the prognosis, in March 2021, he had 5 cycles of chemotherapy each three weeks which initially decreased the injury to his liver. At this level, he says he felt “optimistic”.

In December 2021, he underwent surgical procedure to have a 3rd of his liver eliminated, and the medical staff started prepping him for radiation remedy that was going for use on his colon — he even bought markers tattooed radio for laser alignment.

A month later, a CT scan confirmed extra tumors in his liver, so he had one other spherical of chemotherapy. This time it was successful and liver surgical procedure was booked for June 2022.

However, simply as issues had been wanting up, a couple of weeks earlier than the operation, a CT scan revealed the development of the illness. Geoffrey was put again on chemotherapy with one other agent and the operation was cancelled.

After simply two cycles, blood assessments and a scan once more confirmed development of the illness, whereas the negative effects had been changing into insufferable for Geoffrey.

He mentioned: “The negative effects bought worse, increasingly more, and now the chemotherapy is now not efficient, the physique is used to it.”

Explaining why he reacted badly to a chemotherapy drug, he mentioned: “Basically it kills all your fast-growing cells, which incorporates your most cancers cells, but additionally your hair and nails. I had a very dangerous response to that on my face.

Decided to search out another, Geoffrey started to do his personal analysis by looking on-line and got here throughout dendritic cell remedy, solely to be instructed it could not be out there to him within the UK.

He determined to fly to a lab in Ulm, Germany to endure the week-long remedy on October 17, 2022. His family and friends gathered to contribute to his Go Fund Me attraction, which resulted in raised over £14,000 and helped pay for the £17,000 injections.

“I am nonetheless in ache, I am in numerous ache, and I am looking for a superb steadiness between very sturdy medicines,” he mentioned.

Geoffrey is because of meet his oncologist on November 1 within the UK, however is aware of he might should pay for additional doses of the vaccine and extra remedy overseas and is continuous to lift funds to pay for this.

Caroline Geraghty, most cancers data nurse at Most cancers Analysis UK, mentioned: “Dendritic cell remedy is a sort of vaccine that may deal with most cancers. Dendritic cells assist the immune system acknowledge and assault irregular cells, reminiscent of most cancers cells.

“To make the vaccine, scientists develop dendritic cells alongside most cancers cells within the lab. The vaccine then stimulates your immune system to assault the most cancers. It’s nonetheless being researched, so the proof base just isn’t but sturdy sufficient for it to be out there within the UK.

“Choices about the very best remedy must be primarily based on sturdy proof of profit – so it is essential that sufferers discuss to their physician about any different therapies they could be contemplating.”

She added: “Because of ongoing analysis developments, many new most cancers medication proceed to point out efficacy in medical trials, offering potential choices for folks with most cancers.

“However whereas regulators have improved the pace at which they assess them for routine NHS use, there are nonetheless, sadly, instances when sure medication will not be but available to individuals who would possibly profit from them. We perceive how irritating this may be.