Advocating for myself
- Abdominal Cancers Alliance
- Aug 26
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 22
By Alli Bannister
Perth, Australia
August 2025
Hi my name is Alli - I am originally from the UK, and we now live in Perth, Australia. We
moved over in 2017 for a more active and outdoor lifestyle. I am a retired palliative care
nurse practitioner and prescriber. After my appendix cancer diagnosis I decided not to
return to nursing, as in my darkest days it was people on Instagram that gave me so much hope that I would not just survive, but thrive! Now, I want to give back to my community and have my own Instagram page (https://instagram.com/alli.healingontheroad) where I use my story and voice to educate, connect, and advocate for others - to promote awareness of the integrative modalities that support my recovery.
In 2023 I experienced ongoing, worsening and unexplained symptoms. My symptoms began as subtly persistent constipation, gallbladder-type discomfort, fatigue, fluctuating weight, and pain after eating. At times, I couldn’t walk after meals or even stand up straight. Initially, I suspected a gallbladder issue. The inability to open my bowels led me to start using coffee enemas for relief. Despite these red flags, repeated visits to my GP resulted in my symptoms being dismissed. All my blood tests came back normal, which is common with many appendix cancers (such as low grade appendiceal mucinous neoplasm [LAMN] and pseudomyxoma peritonei [PMP], and I had to advocate for myself to get scans.
Please if you have any persistent and worsening symptoms, get a second, third opinion. Your relationship with your health care provider should be one of partnership and built on trust, surround yourself with a care team that listens to you.
In December 2023 I convinced a doctor to give me another scan. An ultrasound and CT scan revealed a fluid-filled pocket on my appendix. Following the scan, I experienced severe pain and nearly collapsed. Despite this, on a telehealth appointment my GP dismissed my pain, attributed it to the scan itself, misdiagnosed me with appendicitis, and told me I would need to wait until January for a surgical review as it was close to Christmas! I asked what to do if it gets worse? (knowing with my nursing background it could rupture!) I was told to go to the Emergency Department - it’s Christmas! - or wait until 8th January if I could.
On Christmas Day, the pain intensified. I couldn’t bend or walk properly and feared an
appendix rupture. I waited until my children had opened their Christmas presents and I
thought, if I don't go to hospital this Christmas I won't see next Christmas. Off we all went to the Emergency Department, I was barely able to walk, and was admitted for emergency surgery. However I kept getting pushed back as there was a skeleton surgical team. On December 27th, I was transferred to a smaller hospital due to staffing shortages. During surgery, they discovered a ruptured appendiceal tumour and widespread cancer involving my gallbladder, ovaries, liver, and stomach lining. The surgical team removed my appendix (an appendectomy) and a section of the bowels called the cecum (a procedure called a cecectomy). When I woke up the surgeon was waiting for me and she just said, “We have found cancer, and it’s spread to every organ in your abdominal cavity.” Life stopped, I understood this meant the cancer had metastasized from its primary location.
I was discharged the day after surgery which I was surprised at. When I asked, I was told
that it was because of staff shortages! I soon began hallucinating and I was re-admitted to the Emergency Department where I collapsed in the waiting room. I remember leaning on my husband Tom for support and was in so much pain. I wondered, “was this it?” I was so scared. I decided this was no way to live or feel, and that moving forward I would stay positive, hope for the best and fight to stay here and see my children grow up.
A biopsy confirmed LAMN cancer and I was referred for a diagnostic laparoscopy, which
confirmed PMP (Pseudomyxoma Peritonei). A local surgeon gave me a shopping list of
organs he wanted to remove and recommended immediate peritonectomy and HIPEC (hot chemo flush through the abdomen). However, I was unsettled by his lack of empathy and transparency. My first thoughts were, “you are not going to do that to me!!”
I learnt that my local hospital still used an outdated five-day ICU chemo protocol following surgery. I couldn’t comprehend having this done after such major surgery! So I sought multiple opinions and chose a leading Australian cancer centre in a different state and I was put on a 4 month waitlist. As I researched on the internet, I would find information that the peritonectomy was such an extensive procedure. This petrified me and I was too scared to read more online. Looking back, I think it is important for patients to focus on being physically and mentally prepared for surgery and to feel empowered by what the human body can accomplish!
I was told these rare slow-growing cancers had likely been with me for 5–7 years. So I
decided to pause and look at the root cause. I wasn’t physically or mentally ready for a
peritonectomy after two operations in a short span. I needed to build strength first and
prepare my body for surgery.
I spent seven weeks at Verita Life in Thailand focusing on immune system support. Therapies there included low-dose chemo, intravenous vitamin C, curcumin, and full-body hyperthermia. While the tumour load reduced in some areas, it worsened in others, so the surgical plan remained the same: removal of everything due to the risk of microscopic disease. I was scared, confused and, in reflection, in denial. I had to change my internal narrative to “This won’t kill me — it will cure me.”
I flew interstate with my family and in July 2024 and underwent a 12-hour CRS
(cytoreductive surgery) followed by one hour of HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy flush through my abdomen). I now walk around a lot lighter with no appendix, cecum, gallbladder, omentum, and a full hysterectomy. My entire peritoneum was stripped and every organ dis-attached, re-attached and scraped in my abdominal cavity.
I had a good relationship with my surgeon, a partnership, and he listened when I said please keep my spleen and vagus nerve. Apparently he spent hours trying to save my spleen performing a new technique where they ablated the surface area of my spleen to remove microscopic disease. The first words out of my mouth post-op were, “Did you save my spleen?” He did!
When I woke up I was so grateful that I was alive and that I would see my children again. When I think about what my body went through that day, I am in awe, the human body is amazing. Turns out I can, and still do function afterwards! I truly believe in and am grateful for my body’s ability to heal and to find new paths.
Following surgery, I spent six weeks in hospital with a lung infection, hormone crashes, and the emotional trauma of being separated from my family once more. Recovery was so tough both physically and emotionally. I had to learn to walk again, manage the sudden onset of surgical menopause (which I now support with Ayurvedic herbs), and then at home being a mum to young kids. Navigating all of this was incredibly challenging. But I remained positive and hopeful. I am so grateful for the amazing support and space my husband Tom gave me to heal. He literally kept our family afloat. Last Christmas whilst in and out of hospital with repeated bowel obstructions (9 now in total from the scar tissue formed from surgery) I remember thinking, “Is this as far as I am going to get in my recovery?”
Now, I am 1 year post-op and the future is bright. I have energy and vitality once more. I’ve trained in MSTR (scar tissue therapy) and have a carefully chosen care team to support me with homeopathy, PMP-specific physiotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, chiropractic care, acupuncture, and an Ayurvedic practitioner to support my healing and surgical menopause. I also engage in somatic trauma therapy and work with a spiritual healer. Radical Remissions by Kelly Turner has been an influential resource! My current focus includes lymphatic health, GAPS diet, meditation, and molecular hydrogen water.
Every day, I commit to healing and staying present for my children and empowering others to advocate for their health. When my eyes open in the morning I always feel so grateful to be here and I truly relish in the simple moments of life.
