AFTER recovering from colon cancer, a Corsham Town Council cleaner is urging people to keep an eye on their health as she ignored her symptoms for months.

Edna Lodges of Moxhams was diagnosed with colon cancer in February but doctors believe she could have been suffering with the disease for up to two years.

The 64-year-old said: "There was something wrong from April until February and I did nothing about it. I wasn't ill or losing weight but I did has some spotting of blood from April to February. The doctors kept asking me if I was in pain and I wasn't. They think I could have had it for two years.

"In February I was given a bowel screening test and I did it and something wasn't right and I have been in the hospital since then. To anyone else suffering don't be frightened - I was petrified but if something is wrong do something about it. I wish I had done it earlier and maybe the treatment would not have been so long."

Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in the country and is identified by three main symptoms of blood in the stools, a change in bowel habits or persistent stomach pain, bloating or discomfort.

Although dealing with cancer is notoriously daunting, Mrs Lodges believes that the love and attention she received from family, friends and colleagues over the last nine months kept her positive.

"I am still here and I can see my two grandchildren Flynn and Evelyn grow up," Mrs Lodges said. "They have really given me something to look forward to and everyone else has given me the strength to carry on. My family and friends have come to visit me and I have been able to talk to them and not been left on my own to deal with it.

"My partner Philip has always been there for me and he took me to and from the hospital, stayed with me during chemotherapy and after I had my operation."

The grandmother of two, who finished her last chemotherapy session last week at the Royal United Hospital in Bath, also thanked her colleagues at Corsham Town Council for accommodating her recovery and the staff at hospital.

"We hear people moaning about the NHS but I cannot fault anything and I have got those people to be thankful for," Mrs Lodges added.