An NHS nurse who spent years working with bowel cancer patients has said her experience with the disease was a “blessing and a curse” as she then found herself on the other side of the healthcare system after being diagnosed with stage one bowel cancer and undergoing surgery to remove part of her intestine.

Natalie Lippe, 39, first noticed blood in her stool in 2020 but after tests ruled out cancer it was not until April 2023, when she was sent for further tests, that the mum-of-two was diagnosed with bowel cancer and serrated polyposis syndrome, a condition that is associated with an increased risk of developing polyps in the digestive tract.

Natalie received consultations for her diagnosis in the same hospital where she had worked as a stoma nurse for around two years from 2013 – an experience she found bizarre and surreal as she “knew everything that could go wrong”.

Following surgery to remove part of her bowel, Natalie received the all-clear from cancer in August 2023, and is now looking forward to making memories with her family this Christmas in the Maldives.

Natalie, who lives in Waterlooville, Hampshire, with her husband, Martin, 40, a business analyst, and their two children, Freya, 14, and Seren, 11, told PA Real Life: “Being a nurse who has worked with bowel cancer patients to then being diagnosed with bowel cancer is a blessing and a curse.

“For me, I think you almost know too much and I always kept thinking about the worst case scenario, which is awful and I think ignorance is bliss sometimes.

Natalie was diagnosed with stage one bowel cancer (Collect/PA Real Life)

“At the same time, I was able to advocate for myself and I knew the questions to ask. It was bizarre, a very surreal experience.”

In 2020, Natalie first noticed blood in her stool and made a GP appointment.

She said: “It took several times but they eventually agreed to send me for further testing.”

Tests revealed polyps in Natalie’s bowel and so she was referred for a colonoscopy in March 2020.

“They took a lot of biopsies and called my husband in, they told us to prepare for the worst and that it was probably cancerous,” she said.

Natalie found herself on the other side of the healthcare system after being diagnosed with stage one bowel cancer (Collect/PA Real Life)

Despite fears that it could be cancer, biopsy results came back negative and it was believed that Natalie had an inflamed appendix.

The mum had her appendix removed in July 2020 but, after being discharged, she still felt that “something wasn’t right”.

Natalie said: “I thought to myself that this didn’t feel right and I wanted to have a follow up. I checked with a colleague and saw that I should get a follow up within three years so I booked in for one and was sent for a routine colonoscopy.”

Natalie had her colonoscopy in April 2023 where medics found more polyps, some too big to remove during the procedure.

She added: “My husband was called in again and they told us that further tests would be needed to rule out cancer.

Natalie said the experience of having bowel cancer as a nurse was ‘surreal’ (Collect/PA Real Life)

“I was kind of thrown back into it three years later and it was quite traumatic because I’d already been through the stress the first time and it brought back all those awful memories.”

This time, Natalie’s tests came back positive for cancer and she was sat down to be told the news of her diagnosis – stage one bowel cancer.

As the cancer had not spread, surgery to have part of her bowel removed was suggested as the best treatment option.

Natalie said: “They kind of left it up to me as to how much of my bowel I wanted to remove with discussions about the risks and benefits. There was also a chance that I would need to have a stoma bag fitted.”

With Natalie’s experience as a nurse, she knew she wanted a specific surgeon for the surgery who uses a robot.

Natalie underwent surgery in July 2023 to remove part of her bowel (Collect/PA Real Life)

On July 13 2023, Natalie underwent surgery to remove the cancerous polyps and part of her bowel. The procedure was a success and the mum did not need a stoma bag fitted, which she was “grateful for”.

After recovering in hospital for five days, Natalie was discharged to recuperate at home.

She said: “While they cannot guarantee that all of the cancer was removed, they were happy with the results and I didn’t need any further treatment.”

After having a phone call with her cancer nurse in August 2023, Natalie has had the all-clear from cancer and next week she is undergoing genetic testing to find out if her polyposis syndrome is hereditary.

She said: “The last six months have been such a whirlwind that it almost feels like it’s not real and it didn’t happen to me. It’s been a really bizarre experience, especially as a nurse.

Natalie is now looking forward to making memories with her family this Christmas in the Maldives (Collect/PA Real Life)

“On the one hand, it was very difficult and I felt like I almost knew too much going into it but I was also able to advocate for myself and I knew the questions to ask. I almost feel sad to think about how terrifying it must be to go through it without the medical knowledge.”

Now, Natalie is focusing on making memories with her family after receiving the all-clear and has booked to spend Christmas in the Maldives.

She said: “We’re going away this Christmas which we’ve never done before so it will be different but the girls are so excited and it’s made up for the past couple of years.

“We’re going to enjoy being in the sun and hopefully have a lovely time.”

After getting the all-clear, Natalie competed in the Race For Life (Collect/PA Real Life)

Since finishing her treatment, Natalie has also been fundraising for Bowel Cancer UK by competing in the Race For Life.

She said: “I just want to help somehow and one of the things that I thought I could do was the Race For Life.

“I just think a lot of the time you associate bowel cancer with older people but it’s not just something that affects older people and that is something I really want to make people aware of.

“You just need to be really tenacious and make sure you’re listening to your body.”

You can read more about the disease on Bowel Cancer UK’s website: bowelcanceruk.org.uk