Bowel cancer screening

[wombat4]

Just a reminder that May is the month that bowel screening test kits are available in AU. The kits are available from most chemists for $8. It takes 3 days to do the test and the kits have to be back by June 14. I have no history of BC but I am doing it. I watched my wife of 40 yrs die from this good for nothing disease a couple of days before last Christmas, she also had no family history, and when it was found it had already set up inoperable lesions in her liver. Our twin sons 30, unfortunately, in the worst possible way now have a close family relative with a history of BC, and they are doing the test and hopefully every year from now on. One of their primary school mates,was dx with BC at age 28, It also was straight to palliative, at 28, difficult to comprehend, his funeral was 18 Feb just gone, age 30. This insidious disease does not discriminate, has no compassion and is straight from Hell. As the advert says "Get it before it gets you". Take care. wombat4

[Tina_Basson]

Hi Wombat How brave you are to continue to advise and support people about a disease that is so close to your heart,only truly special people can continue to make others aware of a disease that has taken the life of a loved one.I also am living proof that this insidious disease can creep up and get you with very few symptoms and without discrimination,because of screening and testing I have some chance of beating this disease so like you I beg people to be screened.Hugs and wishes X

[samex]

As a survivor, I agree with Tina as to your courage Wombat. The test allowed for early detection for a good friend 4 years after my own diagnosis and treatment. Needless to say, she is strong advocat for the test, as am I.

[wombat4]

My wife had the BC test done age 55. It came back negative. We are blood donors, and donated blood to the Red Cross 12 months later. My wife couldnt get over the fatigue that came over her straight away. Off to the docs we went, the dx was bowel cancer with inoperable secondaries in her liver, stage 3B, terminal cancer. No symptoms, except now the fatigue. How was it missed ?, I have since learned that the blood indicating faecal occult blood, is not present all the time. The one week she took the screen test......., it wasnt present. If I could collect all the bad luck I have had in my lifetime, it would not even register against the bad luck of that week of the test. RIP my lovely girl, you didnt deserve it, nobody does. Wombat4

[meditation4heal]

My concern with the increased funding for provision of the kits to more people, is the low compliance rate. Nothing will be achieved if the kits end up in the bin. Much education needed to encourage people to take advantage of this offer. (Same applies to the low number of women having pap smears for the early detection of cervical cancer).

[Stace]

I think its a wonderful thing this bowel cancer screening kit but please be aware it doesnt always pick up cancer, i did the test and it came back negative only to be diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer a month later. so if you have other symptoms my best advice is to go the doctor and get a referral for a colonoscopy

[SILLY]

Bowel cancer is being diagnosed in younger people than in the past. A friend of mine who had this over 10 years ago had very little in the way of symptoms. Doctors checked her for very different possible problems at first. I had one of these sceening tests a few years ago even though the gp thought it a waste of time as I had no symptoms. I had it because of what my friend told me.

[SILLY]

It is interesting that sometimes the test gives a false negative. Hopefully a better test will be devised in the future.