Annette revealed the early signs which aren’t that noticeable or can be attributed to less serious conditions

A woman who was diagnosed with a common type of cancer has urged others to take their symptoms seriously after she initially dismissed them as harmless ailments.

Annette, from Australia, has taken to social media to share her story after realising that a lot of people – herself included – often dismiss warning signs instead of sharing their concerns with a doctor.

She explained that she had experienced a myriad of symptoms before she was diagnosed with rectal squamous cell carcinoma three months ago, but ‘wasn’t too concerned’ as she presumed they were down to her change in lifestyle.

According to Cancer Research UK, squamous cell cancers are the most common type of anal cancer and ‘make up around 90 percent of all anal cancers’.

This form of the disease begins in the squamous cells, which make up the lining of the anal canal and anal margin.

But as early signs of it aren’t that noticeable or can be attributed to less serious conditions, a lot of people don’t get checked out before it’s too late – so Annette wants everyone to be aware of what to look out for.

In a TikTok video, she explained that she had decided to take stock of her health at the start of this year and underwent ‘lots of tests’ to check that everything was ticking along nicely.

The mum said she had her bloods done, carried out a bowel cancer at home test kit, went for a smear, a mammogram and a CT chest scan – and all of her results came back clear.

“So I was feeling really good about my health,” Annette said. “My weight was really stable, my energy levels were really stable…but a couple things started happening.”

The Aussie told how she began to pick up on some ‘pretty mild symptoms’ she was experiencing, but kept brushing them off because she presumed they were just minor issues.

“I started going to the toilet a lot more regularly, like two to three times a day,” she explained. “Which I kind of thought, well, that’s cool, that’s a bonus. I’m going to the toilet a lot, it must be from having more fibre in my diet.

“I felt like I had haemorrhoids, but I’ve had haemorrhoids my whole life, so I wasn’t too concerned.

“They felt really low and deep and I started getting a little bit of lower back pain, but once again wasn’t too concerned,” she said.

“Then I started getting some bleeding when I went to the toilet when I did number twos. Once again, I thought for internal haemorrhoids, that happens, not too concerned.”

But when the bleeding persisted for several weeks, her family urged her to get checked out by her GP.