Is this attitude common?

Elegran, as usual, a sensible post.

All through lockdown, my friend was convinced she had cancer, as she was suffering from stomach pains and was constantly constipated.
Her words to me were, I'm sure it's terminal.
Despite having countless blood tests, bowel screening etc.
She hassled her GP constantly and eventual she had a CT scan which showed up nothing.
She then phoned the consultant' secretary saying she was sure he had missed something.
She got an emergency CT and endoscopy, which revealed mild diverticulosis. No treatment at all was necessary, apart from a high fibre diet.

I'm relating this to show the other end of the argument. Some people would like to find something wrong. Nothing would convince her she wasn't dying.

Madgran77 please read back over the posts. You will see it's not a fear issue for most.

Thanks!

I think some people avoid it because they feel they don't want to know. "Bury their head in the sand" I suppose or just think it will never happen to them. In the end I think it is all about fear!

That's true.
So many different outcomes, cancers, people and perspectives.

That's why the answer can never be clear cut.

It doesn't automaticaaly equate with finding a tumour either. Most times it confirms that you don't have cancer - so if the thought of unnecessary treatment bothers you, you can relax.

Nor do you have to have treatment if the test is positive, you can always refuse it.

Getting tested doesn't automatically equate with being cured, though.

My mum survived breast cancer 30 years ago. Im not yet eligible for screening (I have asked but as its only 1 family member with history I have to wait). I will happily have a booby sandwich thank you very much!
I have always been for smear tests and I have had colonoscopies too.
A small amount of discomfort is far better than life cut short.
A family member is dying of cancer, because he wouldn't go and get himself checked ?. Very sad.
I have encouraged my dd to go for her smear tests too. She was anxious as she was young but as she'd had a baby she didn't have to wait until she was 25.
We are EXTREMELY lucky in the UK to be offered these preventative procedures.

Well I know that, but people are comparing intimate examinations with having sex.

MissAdventure

I'm not sure what a sex life has in common with a camera being inserted in your nether regions.

Well it could have quite a lot to do with it, depending on one's practices and preferences! Ahem. But seriously, a sex life can have a LOT to do with cervical screening. Cervical cancer is known to be (essentially) sexually transmitted.

I was 51 and my youngest was doing GCSEs when I had breast cancer, found through the screening programme. I had surgery, reconstruction, chemo, radiotherapy. Now it's over 10 years later, I wouldn't go through it all again so I haven't done the bowel cancer screen. Maybe if I noticed blood or sudden weight loss I'd be minded to see the GP but I'll cross that bridge if and when I come to it.

Caro57, I’m not bothered about the ‘minor inconvenience’. I’ve already tried to explain, but I’ll try again. I am going to die sometime. I’m not being morbid, I’m not depressed, and I’m certainly not suicidal, I’m just stating basic fact.

I’ve achieved everything I’ve wanted to achieve, personally, professionally and socially. My family are grown and have their own children. They don’t depend on me any more, though we remain close. I enjoy my life as it is, but I’m not so desperate to stay alive that I want to do so through misery and suffering.

Treatment for cancer of all kinds is invasive and profoundly diminishes one’s quality of life. If you want more time alive, that may be a price worth paying, but I’m not afraid of death. Untreated cancer usually progresses quickly without treatment, and trivial symptoms are often easily alleviated until the final stages. Palliative care is effective. I have watched relatives have months or years of debilitating treatment which may have extended the length of their lives, but which wrecked the quality of their time alive. I have also watched and supported a family member who chose not to have any treatment when bowel cancer was diagnosed in the course of other care.

So I have actively chosen not to have any testing, and to reject all but symptomatic and palliative treatment when and if cancer occurs. I know what my choice entails. If I get cancer, it will shorten my life. I want to carry on living a normal life without fear until I am really ill, and then die quickly with appropriate end-of-life care.

I’ve decided that I will continue to have regular screenings- but I won’t be having any more treatments. My body and I gave suffered enough over the years and what I already have limits my day to day living and will shorten my life. I’ve had it will all the pain day to day and living a half life even with young children is not a life I want.

Not at all, I think the various NHS tests as a sort of MOT of me.

Blow a bit of embarrassment, find out and then fix any problems Early is my motto

I received the bowel test kit shortly after my 50th birthday and didn't hesitate to use it. I also do the 3 yearly breast scan and cervical smear and dread both dates but just get on with it.
I do know several people who ignore these tests and even know of a colleague who has had one smear since having her children...youngest being 29!!! Madness.

I well remember a 26 year old friend, in the 1960s, who worked in HR for a large company.

It was part of her job to organise cervical smear tests for all the female employees. There was quite a lot of resistance from some but she managed to persuade them all to have the test.

Hers was the only one which was positive, and she was successfully treated in time and made a good recovery.

I also agree NotSpaghetti about informed decision for deciding on screening. It looks a no brainier to accept all screening, but the bigger picture is much more complex. For example, does it actually reduce overall mortality? This can be debatable for some cancers.
I would definitely refuse a total body scan for example. We often have so many harmless little innocent abnormalities that
it would be stressful and invasive to investigate. It’s a personal choice at end of the day after weighing up the evidence.

I am sorry if I misinterpreted your post NotSpaghetti.

I hope your friend never gets breast or bowel cancer - I'd wager much of the treatment (if still a viable option at time of detection) might be a lot more 'embarrassing and distasteful' than going for a routine diagnostic test. A lot of people have had these conditions detected in early stages thanks to this sort of testing and in many cases this has meant early and 'successful' treatment. There are bound to be people on here that have experience of being diagnosed with one of these, undergoing treatment, suffering a host of potential symptoms and fearing the outcome. Personally I don't like going but because of other health problems was younger than average when I started receiving the invitations to be tested - I went - prevention is better than cure or caching it earlier rather than later seemed sensible. Not much you can do about your friend's attitude or others who ignore the invitations for screening - they have the freedom to choose, as do we all. In answer to your question, yes, I do think it's unfortunate that a lot of people still have a similar attitude, that wont listen, don't want to consider they may have anything serious wrong with them. I hope that you, and anyone else awaiting results, gets an all-clear.

I think a lot of people would rather live in ignorance until the inevitable happens. Personally I accept anything that is offered. Better safe than sorry

Greeneyedgirl that is of course true, but not what I said.

I agree completely with those who say we should have all the screening available and know that it helps to spot problems at an early stage before they cause symptoms. My closest friend also has all the tests but suffers greatly. Each test causes her extreme anxiety which is only relieved when the result comes back clear. By this time she will have convinced herself that the news will be bad and will have started working out how to tell her family the bad news etc etc. She won’t have any test in the run up to Christmas or any important occasion “just in case.” I try hard to help her through this but it’s the same every time. I think anxiety is what holds many people back from having tests.

My friend nearly died from cervical cancer because she found it embarrassing to go for a smear. I go for all the tests offered now....and so does she

I'll take every test that is going - and I will certainly keep requesting mammograms; it seems insane that when many cases are evidently women over seventy that this is the age when you cease to be called.
Any discomfort/embarassment is so temporary; what a pity that this lady is so screwed up with pointless concerns that she could easily become a victim of one of the diseases.

You are so right Caro.

As someone who works in bowel screening since 2013 and in oncology for many many years before that all I can say is please, please take up any and every screening invite you get. The (minor) inconvenience of screening processes vastly outweigh the devastation to patient and family of an advanced cancer diagnosis and the treatment that entails