Thelma Lomkwane – Reaching contentment

Thelma Lomkwane is content with life after colon cancer. She shares her story.

Thelma Lomkwane (59) lives in Soweto, Gauteng with her husband. They have three adult children and two grandchildren.

In November 2022, Thelma went for a routine check-up. Her blood count was extremely low, so she was admitted to hospital where she received 10 pints of blood and to find the cause. She underwent scans; bleeding in the colon was found so a biopsy was done.

The doctor told her the biopsy tissue was cancerous. At first, she didn’t comprehend, and it was only when she asked the nurse (who was with him when he broke the news), if he meant she had cancer. The nurse said yes.

“For two hours, I was hysterical but then I pulled myself together and phoned my husband and asked him to come to the hospital so I could break the news to him,” Thelma explains.

The doctor suggested surgery the following week, but Thelma told him she wanted a second opinion. She was referred to a colorectal surgeon, who looked at her history, scans, and biopsy result. In the new year, he confirmed it was colorectal cancer and that surgery was indeed needed.

Surgery

Before surgery, Thelma consulted a pulmonologist for two weeks to strengthen her lungs. She has always battled with her chest, especially in winter.

The colorectal surgeon explained that he has a good surgery success rate with no colostomy bags needed though he can’t guarantee it.

Thankfully, surgery went well where a section of the large intestine was removed and re-joined; a colostomy wasn’t needed.

Infection

Unfortunately, Thelma picked up an infection in hospital, suspected to be from dirty utensils; a second surgery was needed.

For three months, she consulted a wound specialist where the wound was drained, cleaned, and treated.

Diet

After surgery, Thelma was on soft foods for a week then started on solid foods.

It was advised to Thelma to cut down on red and processed meat and rather eat fish and chicken. She needed to include more greens, fruit, and use pure virgin olive oil.

“I admit I struggle with not eating red meat; I try to eat it only once a week, but find we eat it more than once a week.”

The choice of chemotherapy

The stage of the cancer was confirmed as Stage 2B, so Thelma was referred to an oncologist. “I was counselled before and given the option to do chemotherapy as a preventative measure or not. I chose to be proactive and went ahead with it,” she says.

Once the infection had cleared, chemotherapy commenced in May until September.

Thelma explains, “During chemotherapy, I struggled to eat and had to get a special stomach suspension to gargle with. Every time I touched steel utensils or cold stuff, I would get a shock, so I wore woollen gloves. Midway through treatment, one chemotherapy drug was stopped to alleviate this side effect. The skin on my hands also turned darker; my oncologist prescribed Lanolin Anhydrous BP cream, which I still use today.”

She goes on to say, “I have high blood pressure but funny enough it was the most stable during chemotherapy.”

Incisional hernia

During chemotherapy, Thelma developed an incisional hernia (a protrusion of tissue or organs through a weakened abdominal wall scar following surgery).

Before she could undergo a reconstructive procedure, she needed to recover from chemotherapy.

In November 2023, the hernia was pushed back and kept in place with a mesh. The colorectal surgeon performed this operation.

Support

Thelma is grateful for the support she got from her husband and children. She adds that a work colleague, whose husband had blood cancer, embraced her in love, care, and prayer.

Her friend from church also played a big role by taking her to chemotherapy.

Her advice is to be open as “you never know who is going to support you and to always keep a positive mind.”

She adds, “Also, when you go to the toilet, look at your stool colour. It’s your own mess and can tell a lot about what’s going on. Looking back, there were signs like blood in my stool, but I thought it was haemorrhoids.”

Current health and well-being

Thelma is well and still goes for follow-up appointments with the oncologist. She will only see the colorectal surgeon in 2027. Her GP advised that she needs to lose weight. Her oncologist agrees, and this is her goal for 2026, with the help of a dietitian.

“I’m content; whatever happens to me, I’ll deal with, accept, move on, and keep the faith, as I did when I was diagnosed.”

Laurelle Williams is the editor at Word for Word Media. She graduated from AFDA with a Bachelor of Arts Honours Degree in Live Performance. She has a love for storytelling and sharing emotions through the power of words. Write to [email protected]