Don't put it off!!!

Discussion about miscellaneous topics not covered by other forums
blythburgh
Posts: 17737
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 7:14pm
Location: The Far East
Has thanked: 35005 times
Been thanked: 6106 times
Contact:

Re: Don't put it off!!!

Post by blythburgh » Tue Jun 28 2022 11:52am

Hope the test is negative but as they found a polyp you should still be screened.
Keep smiling because the light at the end of someone's tunnel may be you, Ron Cheneler

macliam
Posts: 11226
Joined: Thu Jul 18 2013 12:26pm
Location: By the Deben, Suffolk
Has thanked: 1630 times
Been thanked: 9281 times
Contact:

Re: Don't put it off!!!

Post by macliam » Tue Jun 28 2022 1:07pm

blythburgh wrote:
Tue Jun 28 2022 11:52am
Hope the test is negative but as they found a polyp you should still be screened.
That will be my argument........ but how far I'll get is moot.

Going back to my original operation, the fact that they managed to remove and test less than the required number of lymph-nodes for me to get the "all clear" has always been a cause for concern..... so this just adds to that....................
Thanked by: blythburgh
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

macliam
Posts: 11226
Joined: Thu Jul 18 2013 12:26pm
Location: By the Deben, Suffolk
Has thanked: 1630 times
Been thanked: 9281 times
Contact:

Re: Don't put it off!!!

Post by macliam » Wed Jun 29 2022 3:54pm

Understandably, my thoughts have been drawn to the passing of Dame Deborah James. The death of someone so young really puts things into context, though I must admit I only paid limited attention to her story until recently. Obviously I echo her "Check your Poo!" message and was aware of the great job she was doing of publicising the fight against bowel cancer, but I didn't really check her back-story.

It turns out that, unlike me, she had multiple symptoms - but was misdiagnosed with anything but cancer. Tests failed her (what or which tests i don't know.... as I often say, tests test what they test and nothing more) and only a private colonoscopy finally exposed a 2-inch tumour on her bowel, which was immediately recognized as stage 3 (therefore having penetrated the bowel as opposed to mine at stage 2 which hadn't). This finally turned out to be stage 4 - meaning that nearby lymph-nodes had been infected..... (that is only a post-operative diagnosis) and at that point it is a real fight. So, 6 years of fight, only to die at 40 years of age. It's a sad tale.

Then today, George Alagiah, the BBC journalist was on R4 and updated us on his own situation. He ignored symptoms (as men often do) and was also diagnosed at stage 4 in 2014. His cancer is terminal, it has spread to other organs, so it is now a matter of time. He has pointed out that he could have been caught earlier if the screening programme in England, which is automatically offered from the age of 60, was the same as that in Scotland, where it is automatically offered from the age of 50. Another "postcode lottery".

It makes me grateful that I had access to screening, that my results were followed up and that I was caught early. Whatever my concerns for the future.... at least it still seems open. So please ensure you have the same chance as me - as Deborah said "Check your Poo" and as I have said Don't Put It Off!!
Thanked by: blythburgh
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

Sarah
Posts: 5829
Joined: Sat Jun 26 2010 10:01am
Has thanked: 432 times
Been thanked: 4414 times
Contact:

Re: Don't put it off!!!

Post by Sarah » Wed Jun 29 2022 6:09pm

macliam wrote:
Wed Jun 29 2022 3:54pm
"Check your Poo"
Q. How?

A. "Bowel cancer: How to check your poo"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-61979220
Thanked by: blythburgh

macliam
Posts: 11226
Joined: Thu Jul 18 2013 12:26pm
Location: By the Deben, Suffolk
Has thanked: 1630 times
Been thanked: 9281 times
Contact:

Re: Don't put it off!!!

Post by macliam » Wed Oct 12 2022 9:28pm

I have now had the "all clear" on my latest bloods and the polyp discovered has proved benign..... that's the good news. The bad news is that, having survived 5 years, my monitoring is over.....

Now, had I come to the end of my 5 years with the all clear, I'd be somewhat happier, but the polyp was my first and was at the point of the excision..... so that has me concerned. I am speaking to the Colorectal unit to see what my options are.....

However, the real reason for this post is the bad news that George Alagiah, the BBC newscaster, is "taking a break" from TV after discovering that his cancer has spread further.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-63234953

George was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer in 2014..... so he is probably beating the statistics. He has had muliple secondaries and that makes treatment difficult. I hope that his treatment is successful, but he is essentially playing "whack-a-mole" with cancer now, so his longterm prospects are poor.

Had he caught his cancer earlier, he would have had a far greater chance of remission, but that means action. DON'T PUT IT OFF!!!
Thanked by: blythburgh
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

blythburgh
Posts: 17737
Joined: Tue Jun 29 2010 7:14pm
Location: The Far East
Has thanked: 35005 times
Been thanked: 6106 times
Contact:

Re: Don't put it off!!!

Post by blythburgh » Thu Oct 13 2022 10:34am

Sadly George Alagiah was too young to be tested. So if your bowel movements change get it checked out. Do look at your pooh for traces of blood. I am not saying put your head down the bowl but a glance will tell you.

I nearly put Winnie the Pooh and thought how much fun Kev would have had if I did. But decided this is no laughing matter. I read all too often about people putting off going to the GP about changes to their body and the cancer diagnosis comes too late.

I read about Dave Myers on the same day as I heard about George having to leave TV again for treatment. Myers' fellow "Hairy Biker" says his friend "is still in the trenches of his cancer treatment". So sad so please do not put it off.

And macliam as a lost resort I would suggest if possible and affordable have a regular test via a private hospital. Not cheap but it would give you peace of mind. OK I am not medically trained but a polyp, especially where it was, makes me feel you should continue to be monitored by the NHS.
Keep smiling because the light at the end of someone's tunnel may be you, Ron Cheneler

macliam
Posts: 11226
Joined: Thu Jul 18 2013 12:26pm
Location: By the Deben, Suffolk
Has thanked: 1630 times
Been thanked: 9281 times
Contact:

Re: Don't put it off!!!

Post by macliam » Thu Oct 13 2022 4:08pm

So George Alagiah would have been just under the start-point for screening at 59 in 2014 - and he is not the only one to have been "caught out" in their late 50s. I don't know the costs of extending the screening process. but starting it at mid-50's and extending it beyond the current cut-off of 70 seems a good idea.

The problem with having private testing is that this would be outside the current NHS colorectal dossier on me..... so the tests would test what they test, but any subtleties would be missed. Better than nothing, but far from ideal.

My "argument" with the NHS for continued monitoring is based on several factors:

a) When I went to my first Macmillan session, there was a guy whose cancer had returned after 5 years..... so the cut-off seems a bit early. This has played on my mind.....

b) My tumour developed in 2 years from nothing in one screening to operable at Stage 2 in the next - and was classed as "aggressive".

c) I had no symptoms whatsoever of bowel cancer, either reported or noticed. The diagnosis was a bolt from the blue.

d) We are told to notify any changes..... well a first polyp on the site of my excision 5 years after the operation is a definite change!

I really don't want to pay the penalty for someone "following the script", but to be treated as an individual, based on my history.
Thanked by: blythburgh
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 10 guests