Bowel cancer screening

Good to hear that the screening is doing its job!

Grannyknot i was seen and treated under the routine screening program and I was very impressed with the efficiency of the whole procedure.

Charleygirl snap then. Someone I know has had more than twenty polyps removed so we have a way to go yet!

petallus that is exactly what happened to me 2 years ago and because I had the polyp removed, in my part of London the screening is being done 2 yearly.

Grannyknot the polyp was found during the colonoscopy and removed then and there (with a hot wire).

Polyps are prone to turn cancerous hence the future surveillance.

It does feel reassuring that I am being kept an eye on

Petallus was the polyp picked up from the routine screening? That's good then and also that you're being followed up. Good that you got the all clear. Nice to get that sort of good news, at this time of year.

I agree that waiting for results is stressful. The imagination runs riot.

A week or two ago I got the biopsy result on a polyp that was found and removed during a colonoscopy last month. It was all clear though I am now 'under surveillance' and will have another colonoscopy in three years time.

Well done us, Christmas mail slight avoidance tactic notwithstanding. I didn't realise you had the 'whole 9 yards' previously. I'm glad you can relax too now.

Grannyknot I also decided to send mine asap and today I received the all clear. I was dreading a repeat of the colonoscopy etc 2 years ago. It was not the colonosopy, it was the lead up and waiting for the result.

charleygirl my testing kit duly arrived about 10 days ago, I bit the bullet and on the 4th day after, back it went in the mail with a pile of my Christmas cards to friends and relatives.

Which means ... today I got the 'all clear' letter back in the post!

Well done, NHS.

Be it the result of colonoscopies, or barium enema's! 'Entirely normal' are two words to be cherished, for sure grammargran.

So many stories about colonoscopies but I'd like to put in a word here for the barium enema - now that's an experience - not so much the actual event (made much more bearable by a wonderful team of radiologists, etc) but the 'prep' the day before ............... The upside is instant weight loss for all of 24 hours! However, in common with the sentiments contained in so many of these posts, the joy of (eventually) having a letter containing the words 'entirely normal' is well worth every minute of discomfort. Go for it!

i first went to GP a few years ago having blood in poo, i worried myself so much by the time I went for the colonoscopy but it turned out to be Diverticulitis which can give a few problems but a relief not to be cancer, i had 2nd screening 18 months ago as i had bad bleeding, again it was the Diverticulitis, i dont do the poo sticks when they come as mine would show blood anyway and although i have told them & they agreed not to do it they still send packs to me which seems a bit of a waste, my husband returns his though, it is so good we have all the screening, i have just had my breast screening through & had to cancel it as husband is having an Eye op same day at different hospital & I need to drive him but have asked for one asap in new year & just hope it dosnt clash next time

Grannyknot that is a package that the PO would not want to open! I may even leave it until the beginning of January.

charleygirl re avoiding the Christmas post, you and me both, I got my advance notice letter in the mail yesterday.

I am so lucky that the age for bowel screening in my area has been increased and the limit now is 74. My poo sticks will be arriving within the next few weeks. I must make sure that they do not get caught up with the Christmas post by doing it as early as possible.

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...

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 .

Good to hear that petallus .

petallus that's great news. Enjoy your day!

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.

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 .

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 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!)

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