Hi Tamzin9 and thanks so much for posting.  It sounds like you're having a worrying time.

I'm afraid I can't explain this test result, your GP should be able to tell you more about it. 

Faecal immunohistochemistry tests (FITs) are usually looking for hidden blood in poo that no one knows about rather than obvious bleeding.  Bleeding can occur for several reasons and can have nothing to do with cancer.

With FIT,  there are different normal thresholds depending on whether the test is done in people who are experiencing symptoms or in healthy people who aren't (screening). If the GP asks for a FIT, the result is taken into account to decide if anything else needs to be done, for example a colonoscopy, and perhaps other things such as blood test results and any symptoms that are persisting. 

Faecal Calprotectin looks for inflammation in the bowel which may be caused by conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.  There is some more information about these tests here.

You also mentioned the symptoms that you are having at the moment.  Have you spoken to your GP about these?  If you haven't it would be helpful to mention these too.

I hope this is useful, please get back in touch if you would like any more information.  Some people like to talk things through with one of our nurses on our helpline.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

Take Care

Sarah.

Hi, like Nurse Sarah said, these results don't mean you have something serious but you should still mention your symptoms to your GP if you haven't already.

As your faecal calprotectin test is between 50-250ug/g, it is an indeterminate result for GI inflammation. If it was over 250ug/g, it would be an indicative result of active GI inflammation.

They should ask you to send another faecal sample in 4-6 weeks. If it's still over 50ug/g, they may refer you to a gastroenterologist. If they don't get back to you, you may want to call and ask them about this.

I've had 2 FIT tests now that are >400. The first time, I got referred and found out I haemorrhoids. After that my FIT test was below 5 and now it's somehow >400 again. I'm surprised aswell as I didn't see blood this time (I saw streaks of blood the first time) but I guess it is amazing that there is a screening test that can catch symptoms before we even know about them!

Your GP should get in contact with you very soon to discuss what's next. I hope everything goes fine. xx