Hi sussexgirl and thanks for posting.

I was sorry to learn of your situation and that you have had bowel cancer in the past. I can appreciate it is a difficult time and that you are worried that you may have to go through a cancer diagnosis again.

Most people who have a FIT (Faecal immunochemical test)  that comes back positive (blood in the stool) will be referred urgently to the hospital. But it doesn't mean that the cancer has come back and there can be several reasons why you may have blood in your stool. However, it is always best to be safe and get things checked and if cancer is found, then it means treatment can be started as soon as possible.

You mention that you are dreading having the colonoscopy as it is so painful. It would be worth mentioning this to the team at the hospital when they contact you. As you may be aware from your past colonoscopies, they will offer you sedation. Or it may be possible to have another type of less invasive test such as a CT scan first, although, you still may need to have a colonoscopy if something is picked up.

Living with this uncertainty is hard and I hope you do not have to wait too long to hear back from the hospital.  You haven't asked a specific question, but if you do have any, please do not hesitate to get back to us. Or you may find it more helpful to talk things through with one of the 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,

Jemma 

Thank you. I suppose my question is, if this should turn out to be cancer again, if I’ve already had a resection what treatment would be offered? And also if it’s a recurrence will I survive, as I’ve read that recurrences cause death.

Hi as the nurse said ,and you will already know yourself that a positive fit test definitely doesn't mean cancer ,you probably know as well that a reading of 17 is very low as readings can be very high hundreds and beyond but its good that they're checking you out especially with your History of bowel cancer ,I would definitely mention the problems and pain you experience from a Colonoscopy and see what they suggest ,I've heard of people having the CT scan first to pick up anything first hopefully nothing is found ,I hope you hear soon from the hospital ,I know you said you'd read recurrence means death but a lot of these references are way out of date and as we know cancer treatments have got so much better in the last few years so keep that in mind .

Hi, thank you for getting back to us.

Treatment for a recurrence of cancer will depend on several things such as, where it was in the body, how big it is, whether or not it has spread, how well a person is generally, and what previous treatment had been done.  Several treatment options are available for bowel cancer that has returned including; further surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and in some situations targeted and immunotherapy drugs.

I can understand, with your history of having had a previous bowel cancer, why you are asking what your outcome may be. Unfortunately, no one can say without knowing if the cancer has returned. This is because everyone's situation will be individual. It can be more difficult to treat recurrent cancer but the outcome really would depend on how far the cancer has spread and how well a person responds to treatment.

I appreciate that living with this uncertainty is difficult. Hopefully, the hospital will be in touch soon and you will have any necessary tests that will confirm what your situation is. In the meantime,  do get back to us if you need any more information or support. 

I hope this reply helps in some way. Take care

Jemma