BBC Wales presenter Lucy Owen has just received her first free bowel cancer test from the NHS. Her mother underwent surgery for bowel cancer three years ago, after ignoring the home testing kits she had received over the years.
Bowel cancer is the second deadliest cancer in the UK, killing more than 16,800 people each year. Lucy explained to her mother why she encourages us all to take advantage of every opportunity for early cancer diagnosis.
- Author, Lucy Owen
- Role, BBC News
My mother and I have always been extremely close.
I am an only child and Patsy was a single mother. So her diagnosis of bowel cancer in 2021, when she was 82, shook us both.
Mom remembers that we were going to see the surgeon who would operate on her.
“He said I have a place next week and we can do the operation for you but I’m afraid you’ll have to have a stoma,” she said.
“And actually I was really, really happy about it because at that point I thought I was going to be at Marie Curie (a cancer hospice) and that was it, so it was actually a real relief.”
The age for having a home bowel cancer test was lowered to 51 last year and will drop again to 50 this year. I’m 52, which is why one recently landed on my doormat.
It wasn’t until mum’s symptoms got really serious that she finally went to see her GP.
“I had to admit that the changes had become very serious and that I could not go on for much longer without addressing them,” she said. “I had to explain that I thought something was wrong and that they could send me a test, and they did.”
Mom encourages me and others getting home tests not to ignore them like she did.
As she explains: “You know how it is, you put it in the drawer you never open or you put it behind the cushion you never move…
“You just put it off. I wish I hadn’t, of course, because this could have been dealt with much sooner if I hadn’t been so stupid.
What are some of the symptoms of bowel cancer?
A persistent change in bowel habits – moving more often, with looser stools and sometimes stomach pain
Blood in the stool without other symptoms, such as hemorrhoids
Abdominal pain, discomfort or bloating always caused by food
“I wish I had done the first one that came in, looking back. So I really urge everyone not to put it in the draw that you never open.
“It’s nothing, you post it and that’s it. And if you get a phone call saying we need to look into this further, well, maybe you saved your life by doing that.”
Bowel cancer causes almost 1,000 deaths in Wales each year. Cancer Research Wales said that historically people over 70 were diagnosed, but there is now an increase in the average age, particularly in people under 50.
The charity said that although earlier testing would lead to earlier diagnosis for more people, the NHS is already struggling with a huge testing backlog.
It says more than 7,000 people in Wales are waiting for a colonoscopy and up to 50% of them have been waiting for more than 14 weeks.
The Welsh Government said it was working with the NHS to develop colonoscopy capacity, including training more staff.
The take-up rate for home testing kits is around 60%, with the lowest among people living in deprived areas of Wales and among people from certain ethnic groups.
But why don’t more of us do it?
Dr Lee Campbell from Cancer Research Wales said pooping remained a bit taboo.
The association goes to schools and events with a giant inflatable intestine to try to educate people about different intestinal problems.
“There may be an element of disgust associated with using the current test because it requires the collection of a stool sample,” Dr Campbell said.
“And while the new FIT test is an improvement because you only need to take one stool sample instead of three stool samples from the old test, it still has that element of disgust for some people .
“We need to normalize the discussion, it’s a part of who we are and it’s really important to be able to be aware of your health and have the means to take better care of yourself and participate in screening – and carry out the test as it is is one of those things.
If you have to have a colonoscopy, my mother tells you not to worry, it’s nothing to do.
“They put a camera up and it looks horrible, but it wasn’t.
“You can choose to have anesthesia…but I thought I just wanted to get it over with and please go home. But honestly it was really nothing, you just lay on your side and the camera takes the photos.”
“The more people there are, the more colonoscopies will be needed,” he said. “And currently the waiting list for a colonoscopy in Wales is 7,700 people, which is simply far too long.
“Before the pandemic, there were only 3,000. So the system is under enormous pressure.
“And this will only increase as we reduce bowel cancer screening. We need to increase the workforce, both in diagnostic and pathology departments.”
I followed mom’s advice and took the test. It was simple, quick and easy.
I can’t say it was particularly pleasant – I mean, no one really wants to grab their poop in toilet paper and dip a little test stick in it, do they? But after my mother escaped from me, I’m more than happy to do it.
Mum says she is incredibly grateful to the NHS, and so am I to still have it with me. I just have to hope that my test will be clear.
News Source : www.bbc.com
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