Bowel Cancer Awareness Month - please read

[SuperDave 474]

April is bowel cancer awareness month. This post is simply to help educate and raise awareness about one of the most common cancers but also possibly one of the least talked about and deadly - its the second most common cancer killer but can be treated with great rates of success if picked up early.

 

Reason for posting is personal, ive been battling it for the last 18 months and if there's even a chance I can persuade someone to get checked out earlier and give them a better chance of survival then sharing my story here is worth it. I'm lucky to have got this far because although i had a couple of symptoms I explained them away to myself. As a healthy half-marathon running 40 year old why would I think different right? Well by the time i went to my GP with 3/5 symptoms it had spread to my liver and later my lungs and bits. Survival is a constant cycle of chemo and rest right now,  I dont recommend it, but the alternative when it comes (and there is no question, it is incurable this late on)  is obviously far less desirable.

 

So please just have a quick look at this stuff, only takes a few seconds, and take a minute to think about whether you have any of the symptoms or if you're old enough qualify for the easy home screening kits-its rare in young people but incidence  rates are growing frighteningly quick. 

SuperDave

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer/symptoms/

Edited April 10, 2018 by SuperDave

[duncan-uk 2,899]

Dave I've liked this for the sentiment not the prognosis. Sorry to hear your story.  I have a friend who has come through this and it was one hell of a ride. I wish you all the very best. 

[740mick 531]

Same thoughts as Duncan,all our best wishes to you Dave.

[Phill20d 54]

Good post I get tested every year for Bowel and Prostrate 

 

Hope all turns out well for you

Edited April 10, 2018 by Phill20d

[stevecvo 115]

I was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2004 at age 62 after I found blood in my stools. Because no cancer marker showed in the blood test the doctor thought at first that it was piles and I was happy to go along with that diagnosis but eventually had to face up to reality after a colonoscopy. I had surgery- which was not nice- but I came through it without the need for a bag, much to my relief. Unfortunately the clinical tests on the bits removed indicated that it was stage 4 but I must have been lucky because after a round of chemotherapy which was not too bad and radiotherapy which had more side effects I am still around after 13 years. The very clear message is to get this cancer diagnosed early because in many cases it is then simply a matter of cutting out the bit of bad piping and joining the ends together. If you leave it and it spreads then the problem is much more difficult to treat. It is not easy to go to the doctor and talk about bleeding from the rectum and being men we tend to put this sort of stuff to the back of our minds but please do take early action if you have any of the symptoms..

 

SuperDave  I am sorry to hear of the position you are in  and I wish you good luck in your treatment. I commend you for drawing attention to the matter and  I hope it helps someone else 

[Vlady 195]

Hi Dave, sorry to hear that!

Now, reading your symptoms, I got a bit worried as I do not have all of them just the first one, I went to see GP and had colonoscopy, the doctors said it's NOTHING to worry about as this is just a small pile, and now reading this got me very worried! 

[pidgeonpost 785]

Since I hit sixty I've been sent one of the NHS test kits every two years. You take your own samples and post them off. All clear....so far. A very worthwhile post Dave. Sorry to hear of your illness and the fight against it. It sounds like you have the right attitude though, so good luck.

[pauliexjr 805]

Dave, thank you for raising this, like Pigeonpost I get a test kit every two years which I do myself and send off, not a great experience, but effective.

 

I mentioned it to a few friends and was astounded at the number of people who reacted with horror at the thought of taking their own stool sample! Surely far better a few moments unpleasantness in the privacy of your own bathroom than the situation the OP and others have found themselves in?

[sharkfan 1,621]

Well done for posting Dave and best wishes (as always) to you and your lovely Ladies.

[stevecvo 115]

Vlady you have no need to worry about bowel cancer if you had have had a colonoscopy and it was all clear. Obviously piles can produce blood when you go to the loo The DIY test kits are good but not infallible as they rely on the presence of minute particles of blood in the stool. I have a friend who used one of these kits following severe stomach pains over a long period and the results were negative but a subsequent colonoscopy revealed two large tumours in the bowel which required surgery followed by chemotherapy.

[amauvis 69]

Wishing you all the best, Dave. A lot of people try and sweep this kind of stuff under the carpet, so huge credit for bringing this up.

[jake13 426]

2 hours ago, stevecvo said:

Vlady you have no need to worry about bowel cancer if you had have had a colonoscopy and it was all clear. Obviously piles can produce blood when you go to the loo The DIY test kits are good but not infallible as they rely on the presence of minute particles of blood in the stool. I have a friend who used one of these kits following severe stomach pains over a long period and the results were negative but a subsequent colonoscopy revealed two large tumours in the bowel which required surgery followed by chemotherapy.

 

Unfortunately, commonly misdiagnosed as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome).

[roofer 373]

8 hours ago, sharkfan said:

Well done for posting Dave and best wishes (as always) to you and your lovely Ladies.

Echo this. All the best fella.

[kobayashi 454]

Sorry to hear you are unwell Dave. Thank you for posting this as most of us want to sweep all this stuff under the carpet and hope for the best. 

 

Sadly I see people every week who require surgery for bowel cancer. Many in their  60’s and 70’s but a few much younger. If you have any of the symptoms listed above, please get yourself checked out. Treatment for bowel cancer in its early stages is very effective indeed. Don’t be embarrassed, your GP will have heard/seen it all before and their focus will only be on getting you the investigations/treatment you need to get better. 

 

All the the best to you Dave.

[SuperDave 474]

On 4/11/2018 at 8:59 AM, pauliexjr said:

Surely far better a few moments unpleasantness in the privacy of your own bathroom than the situation the OP and others have found themselves in?

This^^^^^! 

 

Just as a point the earlier you find out the easier it is to treat - there are even non surgical routes that are now NICE approved, but you have to push your consultant on it.

 

I guess it is easy to be worried if you have one of the symptoms but compared to the time and cost of treatment once its spread, an early checkup is well worth it for all concerned. 

 

Thanks for the comments and well wishes - stay healthy! 

[Steve van hool 249]

Well done Dave, for raising awareness of bowel cancers.

[JohnH 173]

Dave i'm sorry that you're having issues. They keep sending me test kits, now that i'm aged! I know this sounds bad, but they always send them to me in the spring, just as the beer drinking season starts and that always gives me the squirts (until late autumn when the season finishes).

 

I know, no excuses.

 

Question. How do you take a sample?

[SuperDave 474]

8 hours ago, JohnH said:

Dave i'm sorry that you're having issues. They keep sending me test kits, now that i'm aged! I know this sounds bad, but they always send them to me in the spring, just as the beer drinking season starts and that always gives me the squirts (until late autumn when the season finishes).

 

I know, no excuses.

 

Question. How do you take a sample?

No idea, never had one, unfortunately! 

 

But I put one of my symptoms that wasn't dissimilar to yours down to work stress and crappy food while working away, for a little too long, it turned out. 

[paulie031 109]

Can I just echo what everyone has said in wishing you all the best Dave, and thanks for raising awareness. I got checked a few weeks back as was having blood when passing but turned out to be piles. It's the second time it's happened in a few years but always get an appointment to make sure.

[pauliexjr 805]

15 hours ago, JohnH said:

Question. How do you take a sample?

The test kit has everything you need including specific instructions, but basically you poo on a piece of tissue then scrape a small amount off with a little lolly stick, then smear the sample onto a small cardboard envelope which you then seal. You do it over five consecutive days then send  it away in a sealed envelope.

 

It sounds gross, but it's really no worse than wiping your backside and as has been said before, the consequences of not getting tested in time can be far, far worse than the ignominy  of testing yourself.

[duncan-uk 2,899]

Can't be any worse than changing your child's nappy. 

[SuperDave 474]

Bump.

Alright its not next April yet but I'm still hanging on in there six months later so just a timely reminder guys, if you get the option for screening or even one of the symptoms of this shitty () disease, it just takes a few seconds to think it over.  Don't just ignore...

[duncan-uk 2,899]

You keep hanging in there Dave!

[sharkfan 1,621]

I'm bumping this thread as that was what Dave would have wanted, in order to once again raise awareness about Bowel Cancer.

 

https://forum.bmw5.co.uk/topic/137511-superdave-rip/?tab=comments#comment-1475719

 

Sadly Dave lasted until April 2019 before succumbing to this Cancer. I know he filled that last year of his life with every day devoted to making the most of his time for himself and his young family. He made memories, had fun, undertook adventures, spent every last minute (except for occasional posts on here) making the most of life - as we all perhaps should.

 

Anyway, Dave has passed away but please take a minute to read the first post of this thread and if you are in any doubt for heavens sake get yourself checked out.

 

Dave Andrews, rest in peace my friend.

[d_a_n1979 2,786]

I've 'featured' this post as I feel it's very relevant and important for all to see