Bowel cancer screening

DH and I have always taken the test at the same time, coincidentally, and this year I had to repeat mine. It was a worry but thankfully it came back clear. I have Diverticular disease and IBS. My sister didn't do the test and was diagnosed with bowel cancer this time 2 years ago. She has since had a miserable time but is now clear of cancer. If she had only done the test at the time it would have saved a lot of pain, discomfort and worry. As I always say it only takes 15 minutes every two years, surely not a lot of time out of our lives which might well be saved. Good luck Petallus.

Anno - I had one without a sedative, some years ago. I was dreading it, but honestly same as you, good to go back to work even, immediately after a cuppa

Yes, good luck petallus. I hope there is nothing to find, but even if there is, try not to worry (easy for me to say).

I have great faith in the screening programme as I have a friend who was picked up on screening after having no symptoms at all, had a cancerous polyp removed, and got the all clear at a later date. She is still fit and healthy and not yet 60, and so she has, I hope, lots of time with her family that she would otherwise have missed.

All the best

Have had colonoscopy several times with no sedation or anything - in the good old days it was not even offered. I had a whack of intravenous sedation for a gastroscopy and it was all fine.

As for fridge storage - I married a country GP and you just have no idea the things that got stored in our fridge next to the bacon! Somehow it was worse that it was a stranger's offering! But they were all bagged up and we seem to have survived.

Tegan - I am so sorry that mammogram's have this effect on you. Is it because you think it will hurt? - I have never regarded it as painful - uncomfortable certainly, but definitely not painful. Maybe you have hopeless operators - sorry that you have had bad experiences. Mind you, I do not have a lot to scan!!

Tegan - that's a good point about the anxiety caused by various tests, but if we're lucky and the tests say we're ok, we breathe a sigh of relief till next time.

Iam64 isn't is a sad state of affairs though, that we feel as if we have had a 'reprieve' or we are 'lucky' if a test comes back clear.

I've just had my mammogram screening, and when 2 weeks went by and I had heard nothing, it started teasing at the corners of my mind "They're double checking something they're not sure of" and other nebulous fears! Not helped by the fact that my friend and I went on the same day and she got called back for a biopsy. Anyway when the letter did come on Saturday (3 weeks after I went!), I just make myself rip it open there and then and - then I rip it into a million pieces and forget about it for another 2 years.

I really do think the whole process would be so much better if you didn't have to wait for the letter with the results in the mail. Of course if you have private medical care it is all very slick and you get the results there and then.

It would help if they said something like "If we would like you to take more tests you will hear very soon, if it is clear it will take longer" - which I think is the case - then the longer it takes, the more likely that it is good news.

To take up the post made by Tegan earlier. I totally understand putting things off when you just can't cope with anything more to worry about.

I put both my mamogram and smear test off for months over a year (stupid I know) and was persuaded to go by another gransnetter, who said she would drag me there herself if I didn't go! Thank you Glass

There is so much illness and stress in my family that, stupid as it seems it sometimes seems an easier option just to ignore my own problems and hope they go away (although I know they don't). Looking back through my life I can't remember a time when I had nothing to worry about.

Apologies for changing the subject ever so slightly.

gilly You need to look after yourself

Hope all goes well, petallus! Let us know.

Having had breast cancer, I welcome any sort of screening!
By the way, there's a cartoon in my profile depicting a "manogram..." It's worth a look..

Love it Ariadne

Bet the take-up rate for that would be low...

Thank you Lona but I am fine, I am just one of those worrier types, that's all.

Ariadne

I attend any screening offered. It makes common sense, it doesn't cost us anything and as both parents died before they were each 53, almost essential. However, I have a friend who attends none of the screenings offered. In fact I think she is off the radar as far as screening procedures are concerned as she has never had any form of screening. When I asked her why, her reply was that they were unpleasant procedures. I explained that each one takes a very short amount of time and is infinitely better then finding out you have advance cancer that could have been prevented. Deaf ears I'm afraid. I know this is entirely her own business and I should keep my nose out. However, she knows nothing of her family history as she was brought up in care. Hopefully she will sail through her life and prove me wrong.

In the past few weeks I have twice been seen by my GP; had a check up at the asthma clinic; did my bowel screening 'poo sticks' (twice - due to an unclear result the first time); had blood taken for a full check up; had a flu injection - and today I had a pneumonia jab that also protects against a form of meningitis and septicaemia. I also take regular prescription medicines that cost me nothing. I am very, very thankful that we live in a country where screening occurs, where treatment is accessible and (mostly) affordable and where preventive medicine is taken seriously.

Not too different for me, GA. Blood test and BP check tomorrow with our vary competent HCA.

I dont think Tegan was too concerned about the physical side of having the mamogram Mishap, (at least I did not pick it up that way!) I think it is more the awful mental stress of the intolerable wait to know that we are either ok! or we're not! (I do stand to be corrected if I'm wrong on this Tegan).

I can well envisage what was stored alongside the bacon in your fridge Mishap!! I was married to a Vet! need I say more! I know this is going to sound quite crazy, but I'm going to say it nevertheless! Being somewhat of an animal lover (to say the least!) it never seemed quite as bad having little parcels of whatever, next to my Cheddar cheese, as I think it would, had I been married to a GP. Like you!! Not sure if I need to clarify further??

Whoops! Sorry, one of my many failings! Allowing myself to be side-tracked from the job in hand

I just cannot fathom out why we have to wait so long for the results of any tests, scans exrays etc. I know only too well the worry of waiting to know whats what, as I myself have been fighting Bowel Cancer over the last 14 months, and the agony of waiting, each time we go through a series of check-up scans and exrays is just dreadful. Some take two weeks, some take three weeks, some, one just never gets to know about and then on ringing up in trepidation, totally convinced of the very worst, you are then told "Oh did we not let you know it was fine"!!!!!! Duh! No, you didn't, thats why I am holding a phone thats is dripping in sweat, and shaking so much I can hardly hold the blinking phone!!! It cant be that these people dont know what they are putting us through!!

I more than understand Tegan why you are 'postponing' your mamogram appointment. I think it was very thoughtless of them to send you an appointment, of which the aftermath was going to encrouch on a peaceful time of looking forward to Christmas!!!! In fact I think they should work out a policy where no-one is expected to attend an appointment between mid November and second week January!!!!!!!
You just enjoy your run up to Christmas with no worries, no stress, just happy happy all the way........(wouldn't it be lovely if we really could!)

Thank goodness for mammograms. My friend who had no symptons at all and was asked back for recall has been diagnosed with very early breast cancer. She will have it removed in day surgery and then have radiotherapy. Hopefully all will be well but what if she hadn't gone ?

I phoned up and made an appointment for January today, but what has annoyed me is that it's on my record that I dna'd and I did phone straight away to cancel and explain that I was going to rebook it. At the time they couldn't do any January bookings so I said I'd phone in a couple of weeks time. They can't change it on my records either; I said that when I was still at work I used to be furious when people dna'd and didn't want anyone to think that I'd deprive someone else of an appointment. The first time I had a mammogram they sent everyone else away and called me back in; I was shaking, only to be told that the x ray wasn't very clear and they needed to do another one. It's the sort of thing that, if I was working there, the first thing I'd say would be 'this is nothing to worry about, there's just a technical problem'. As it was I was a wreck. A couple of years ago I was really concerned about the result of a smear test and spent all of Christmas not saying anything to the family [but not enjoying Christmas either]; that's why I was worried about being called back after the mammogram even if the chances were it would be nothing to worry about. I've never forgotten many many years ago a patient coming to the surgery the last day before Christmas; his skin was completely yellow and he was sent straight to hospital for tests. I worried about him all over the holiday period and was convinced I'd never see him again. He must be @ 90 now [it was some sort of reaction to something]. Once a worrier always a worrier .

Thanks for good wishes.

Result of colonoscopy yesterday: one polyp found which has been sent off for biopsy but which looked okay to the consultant.

So after several weeks of dark imaginings I am hugely relieved.

I was expecting the worst because of symptoms I have been having but there must be some other cause for those.

petallus that's great news. Enjoy your day!

Good to hear that petallus .

Pooh sticks! I never thought of that one ! Well done Petallus - now you can have your mind put at rest. My heart goes out to Elegran and Out2grass - I do hope all goes well for you and yours.
These tests are very trying - my mother died from breast cancer so I dread every mammogram. I had a "false positive" for my first one and Ninewells put me through all the rescanning, ultrasound and biopsy routine. Now I KNOW I was clear - but the gaps in between appointments were truly awful.
When we were younger and fancy free, did we not hope that medical science would develop ways to save us from the dread diseases we lost so many older loved ones to? And now we have to face the reality that we are bang in the age range for cancer, heart disease, etc etc and guess what? Medical science can screen us and we all get the wobblies! Personally, I hope that, by the time my children are my age, every GP will have a simple hand held screening gadget (like Dr McCoy in Star Trek), plus a few pills that will cure them of whatever they find .

Thank you Pollaidh, for thinking of us......as you most likely know so well, the road through Bowl Cancer is not an easy one. Some have it better than others tho'.
The waiting times between scans, xrays, and whatever are just a nightmare, and only increase your stress levels enormously which according to much research, can actually be the CAUSE of Cancer in the first place! None of it makes any sense...