Bowel Cancer

[wokka]

Hopefully I labelled this well enough so you ddnt have to click it if you didnt want to!

Sorry if you feel its a bit of a gloomy subject, but I wanted to bring to everyones attention something close to my heart today, as there is a big campaign to raise awareness called Never 2 Young

http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/media/4 ... ne2015.pdf

The link is to a report done by Bowel Cancer UK. It highlights the lesser known facts that you dont have to be old to to get Bowel Cancer. Many people dont know that it can hit at any age, but also that if caught early, it can be cured.

I was 43.

I had blood in my poo, my bowel habits changed, and a little pain. I visited the doctor but when he told me I might have piles, I quickly shut the **** up and kept it to myself!
I should have gone back when it didnt go. Eleven months later, I ended up in hospital. I had colorectal surgery (they took a third of my large bowel away) and I had chemotherapy for 9 months. 3 and a half years on, I'm still here, and now I talk about it. If any of these symptoms sound similar, you should too.

Thanks for reading if you stayed this far

[jem60]

Hi, Wokka. I am extremely lucky to be here. Won't go into the details, but 4 years ago, I had serious problems almost overnight. Hadseriouis bowel cancer without realising it, and ended up with a colon about to burst. Went to A and E and was operated on the next day. Three more ops later, chemo. etc. and I am fit and well, and cancer free. Good luck to everybody with this disease, and,as Wokka says, DO NOT IGNORE THE SYMPTOMS.!!!

[C24]

My best wishes to you both

[Sparts99]

I think this is far more common than most people realise as the symptoms are not something people feel comfortable discussing. My brother in law died last July, the change in bowel habit was very gradual, he didn't tell anyone until we noticed his difficulties and told him to see his doctor. There were other health problems too which meant the treatment he received wasn't successful. It's far better to get checked and be clear than ignore it until it's too late. Friend of mine found they had ulcerated colitis after getting checked, I had a scare some years ago and got checked, all good but the advice I received then on diet and exercise was an eye opener.

[Figure8]

I had colorectal cancer at the age of 36. Any unusual bowel habits should be flagged to your GP immediately. I was lucky as mine was caught early and resected totally.

Don't be afraid to talk about things with family or GP if unsure.

[ArabJazzie]

Hello all,
I had a change in bowel habit a good few years ago with ongoing back problems. I had all the exams and thankfully for me, it didnt lead to anything more than a polyp having to be removed. One of my fathers friends had to have surgery around the same time, which is what encouraged me to visit the doctors.

Hopefully some people on here might see this and get themselves checked out!
Arabest,
Geoff.

[wokka]

Fair play to you all. I feel in the company of friends. I hope the same Arab Jazzie.

[powerslave]

Just had a quick look at the link,it does'nt really go into the symptons what you should look out for,when you say your bowel habits changed,in what way did they change?

Ian

[jem60]

Hi, Powerslave. Varies from case to case, I guess. In my instance, it started off as constipation, which became more bothersome over a couple of months. I saw my GP, who gave me some medication to keep me 'going', quite successfully for a time. I was due to go Cruising, and just before I left, he said that we would have to look a little deeper into this on my return. I had passed the postal 'Pooh' Test that most people have, although it is stressed that this is not always 100% accurate. I never got on the cruise ship. I developed shingles, which stopped my holiday [very fortunately!!] and at the point I would have been in the Spanish Med. I ended up with a very sudden, and extremely dangerous condition, which I probably would not have survived had I been on the ship. Strange to say that having shingles almost certainly saved my life.
I only ever had constipation as a symptom, no blood in poo, became very unwell very suddenly. Never saw a cancer consultant before the first [serious] op. Was whisked into hosp and that was that.
If you have ANY doubt about what is happening to you GO TO YOU'RE GP ASAP. Do not delay. Procrastination could well kill you, as it nearly did me. Thanks to the skill of everybody at the West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St. Edmunds, I am still around annoying people to this day.
By pure coincidence, I have a pre operation assessment there tomorrow for a hip replacement. But, despite it being a very painful condition, it is not an illness, like cancer, and they have gorgeous nurses at that hospital!!. Will be 4 years on for me.
Having been seriously ill, and recovering, the big change that I noticed in myself is that little bothers me any more. Just glad to be here, and I am sure members of the 'survivors club' feel the same.

[powerslave]

Glad to know everything is okay now for you jem.

All the best

ian

[wokka]

Hi Powerslave

My changes were indeed constipation. I was given a laxative by my doc to make it easier to pass, but of course the blood was the problem. Its difficult to explain "changes" as it could be different for everyone. But if for example you start going 4 times a day instead of your usual 2, you could say thats a change of habit. Hope that helps. There is lots more information on the Bowel Cancer Uk, and Beating Bowel Cancer websites, and the ability to ask nurses questions in confidentiality.

[bizfreeq]

I have a colonoscopy on Monday 29th as I have unexplained pain in my lower abdomen which very rarely goes away.I was diagnosed with I.B.S. when my first problems arose many years back but the current pains are nothing like that which I have lived with all these years so I went straight to the Doctor. Bowel/colon cancer,is of course,top of the agenda for me, but there are many other things it could also turn out to be and earlier tests are pointing in a more positive direction...but you never know. I cannot stress enough that if you notice any changes at all go straight to your GP AS SOON AS YOU CAN. If it turns out to be something else less serious then great but if not,the earlier it is caught the more that can be done.
Well done to all the above for being brave enough to talk about it and my best to you all in your continued good health.

[wokka]

Thanks, and good luck to you Mark.

[bizfreeq]

Thanks

[bizfreeq]

Got the all clear today, big relief all round. That doesn't solve what the problem is but it rules out the main suspect! Thanks for the messages of support, and can I also reiterate what has been said before, if you think there's a problem, however minor, go see the doctor guys, don't hold back through embarrassment or stigma, there is really no room for that nowadays.

[AndyB]

Great news Mark. I was diagnosed with bowel cancer 6 years ago. After a lengthy period of treatment I was given the all clear.It was't fun but the alternative doesn't bear thinking about.
regards
AndyB.

[jem60]

Great news people.!

[bizfreeq]

Thanks and that's great to hear Andy!

[TF104G]

It's good to see people are talking about this 'shy' subject. We're all different and the symptoms can vary, I'm 53 and always had a cast iron stomach and bowel movements..................it came as a tremendous shock after seeing a bronze / red bowel movemnt that I started my fight against the beast called cancer. I've had 20cm's of malignant tumour removed and presently going through chemo (3 completed doses out of 8)

All I can say, is that if you have any doubt, what so ever, get checked out. A colonoscopy may seem embarrising but it may save your life.

I'm on course to make a full recovery but since I was diagonosed, I have two friends who have also been diagnosed. Be aware and vigilant with this form of cancer - it's widely acknowledged as one of the silent killers and can go undetected (they think that my tumour was the best part of three years old. From my unusual bowel movement to post op was only 7 weeks. I have been very lucky and had no other symptoms prior to the bronze poo event.

Too much detail, maybe but if we can help someone to take the bold step and get checked - our efforts aren't wasted.

All the best

Andy T

[jem60]

TF104G.Glad things are going well, and chemo is progressing. You MAY find tho' that you WILL feel worse with chemo as you get nearer then end of treatment. Don't worry about it . DON'T try and take excercise to keep yourself fit. Your body has more than enough to deal with with all the chemicals and pills. Take it easy, your fitness WILL eventually come back. You will find that feeling crap all the time will become the norm, and it will probably be six months after your treatment finishes that you will realise how b....y awful you felt. Yes, it can take that long to get the chemicals out of your system Stay focused. The alternative is much worse. I had an even shorter experience on the run-up to the op.
Was told by the the week-end duty Doc that my wife 'phoned when I was very unwell to go straight to A.and E. 2 hours later, I was on the ward, operated on the very next day!. N.H.S?????. Absolutely brilliant to me. How do you say thank-you to people who have saved your life twice.? [post-op blood clot on lung].
As an aside, it's Flying Legends at Duxford this week-end. I have an American couple staying with me for the best part of a week, and Kenny, aged 51, pays a massive $9,000 a year for medical cover, and there's nothing wrong with him.! Our N.H.S is the envy of much of the world.
Very best wishes, John.