Cycling UK Forum

We had news at work today that a colleague died last night. He had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in the spring and had chemotherapy. I hadn't seen him since he went off sick but we had spoken and he had been very positive about his treatment. He was a good bloke, friendly, family orientated and didn't appear to have an unhealthy lifestyle. He had just turned 60. My Dad died of bowel cancer and he was a good 2 or 3 stone overweight and didn't exercise. Mo appeared to be much fitter and only slightly overweight. Is this just 'bad luck'? Does anyone know the risk factors for bowel cancer? Do you get a regular check up?

Sorry to hear about your colleague.
Regarding your query, once you reach 60 you are sent a "poo kit" in the post.
They analyse your sample for any anomalies but I don't think it's guaranteed to pick up on cancer itself.
I'm not sure how regular the check is, but it's probably better to be regular oneself.
No doubt someone more enlightened will give a more thorough reply.
fausto.

Those poo kits apparently are looking for blood in your stool. If they find it there is more investigation. Not necessarily cancer, it could be piles!

Al

I seem to get a set of "Poo Sticks" every year....you have to be over a certain age.
Somebody in my wife's family died awfully young from bowel cancer, and it has to be said the NHS came up trumps. She had a colonoscopy or two, (unpleasant, but reassuring) and an assessment as to whether there was likely to be any predisposition to the disease in the family. A single case was not considered to be evidence that it was "in the genes"....and in fact the widow got an enhanced services pension because there is an increased incidence of (bowel?) cancer in people with occupational exposure to (obsolete) cathode ray tubes.

I had the camera up the bum, and was interested to watch on a screen a grab sampling likely looking bits. Did not hurt much, and nothing suspicious was found.

They often say about bowel and prostrate cancer, "dont die of embarrassment".

I dont intend dying of embarrassment so much as squeamishness!

There's a lot of pot luck whether the poo stick test finds anything. My growth had been bleeding for months, but as it wasn't bleeding at the time of the test, it was negative. The biopsy from the endoscope was also negative and the CT scan showed that it hadn't penetrated the bowel wall, but the surgeon couldn't tell me that it wasn't cancer until he had removed it so they could take a section through it rather than a sample from the surface. That process took 192 days, the NHS constitution places a limit of 31 days.

My uncle died of bowel cancer in 2006. His bowel was so blocked that he couldn't keep any food down, but the doctor was telling him it was an upset stomach until he threw up all over him in the surgery one day. He died a few weeks later.

Sorry to hear of your experiences Axel. Sounds awful. My Dad was finally diagnosed with bowel cancer about a year after first having symptoms. His GP put it down to IBS even when Dad had blood in his stools. Only after Dad's insistence to be referred to a specialist was he given an endoscopy and the tumour detected. Unfortunately it had spread and he died after chemo failed to get rid of the tumour. I hoped that GP's knowledge had improved in the past 9 years

I don't know if there are differences between Scotland and the rest of the UK or not but myself and my brothers get tested regularly after both my father and eldest brother had bowel cancer. My father survived and my brother didn't. Since then a cousin on the same side of the family has been diagnosed. The testing is being carried out because of the possibility of a genetic link.
I also get those sticks in the post. Whoever came up with that idea is clearly regular and doesn't work in an open plan office.

Here in France we get the Poo sticks test but only after you see your Doctor (23€).
After finding out my Mother died from bowel cancer he's sending me off to have the camera up the bum instead

My father died of it at an early age. I get the pleasure of the camera treatment every five years.

I queried the doctor carrying out the procedure last time about whether this is sufficient and he replied that it is a slow growing cancer and they are confident they'll catch any growth with this routine.

If you have any family history get yourself off to the GP and get on a screening programme.

I saw a BBC program that said one of the major causes was eating processed red meat , that's from large statistical surveys

Unfortunately that includes bacon

Thanks for the replies. I was feeling a bit maudlin yesterday. Back to normal after a nice cycle commute to work today with a renewed intention to make the most of every day (and do as much cycling as possible)

I did the poo stick test nearly 4 years ago. 1st one was inconclusive so was sent a 2nd one to do. Had a colonoscopy that was clear all the way round until the camera got down to near my appendix where the camera could go no further as my colon was nearly completely blocked by a cancerous growth. Within a few days I was having surgery which was followed by a course of chemotherapy just in case anything had escaped. All subsequent tests and scans are coming back clear and with a bit of luck will be deemed to have been cured in 18 months time.

I nearly didn't do the first poo stick test and only relented after nagging by SWMBO.

Merry_Wanderer wrote:We had news at work today that a colleague died last night. He had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in the spring and had chemotherapy. I hadn't seen him since he went off sick but we had spoken and he had been very positive about his treatment. He was a good bloke, friendly, family orientated and didn't appear to have an unhealthy lifestyle. He had just turned 60. My Dad died of bowel cancer and he was a good 2 or 3 stone overweight and didn't exercise. Mo appeared to be much fitter and only slightly overweight. Is this just 'bad luck'? Does anyone know the risk factors for bowel cancer? Do you get a regular check up?

i
MW need I say it I am of cause very sorry to read of the loss of your colleague at a far too young age as well.
I was recently prescribed a drug that I didn't think that I needed and subsequently, after seeking advice on here and Cyclechat I returned to see my GP and he immediately took me off of it and I am now being treated for Acid Reflux although as yet they have not investigated why it is happening.
The point I really want to make is that firstly I do not wish to criticise my GP in any way but it does seem to me having never used the doctor for years that as soon as you sit down in his surgery and her surgery for that matter they are listening with one ear and typing on the computer as you talk. It does feel to me like they want to get you out of the room for the next one to come in. At 63 I too get a stool test sent to me annually but as for regular check ups I just feel that they have enough to do with those that are actually ill.
Finally I just hope that although your Dad did not exercise and was overweight he spent his last years enjoying himself.