Long wait time for tests

My 31yr old daughter has had a FIT test which came back positive 2 weeks ago. It came back as 60 which the GP said is high. GP said she should get a letter to go for a colonoscopy, this was 2 weeks ago and heard nothing from the hospital. She contacted her GP and she told her that there is a 4 month wait for a colonoscopy. 
as you can imagine we are all very anxious. Sshe also has Isopholic Asthma which has been worse the last few months, the immunosuppressant injection she has monthly are no longer having an affect either so it's all making her more anxious. 
is there any way she can be seen quicker? We're all very surprised that there seems to be a very long wait for a cancer diagnosis.. we don't have money to go private unfortunately otherwise we would. 
Amy advice appreciated please many thanks 

  • Hi the only way she could probably get seen sooner is if the Doctor puts her on the urgent 2 week wait but it looks like he hasn't done that ,he obviously doesn't think its that urgent so if you are worried maybe get back in touch with your GP 

    Yes if her fit test came back at 60 its over the limit for being ok ,if its over 10 its positive but it can go up into the high hundreds ,I don't know if she has other symptoms or not or just the fit test and that's the reason for no urgency .

  • I'm sorry I just realised this was for the nurses ,I apologise .

  • Thank you for your advice. She has been having belatedness, pain in that region and other symptoms go almost a year and the previous drs were giving her Buscopan and omeprazole. She started bleeding few months ago but didn't like to make a fuzz again and only mentioned when she went to see new gp with something else. She felt her tummy and said she would test out for bowel cancer then the results came back after about 8 weeks to say positive, the GP actually phoned her up with the results and very apolygenic saying she didn't think it was going to come back positive. My daughter has 3 young kids so is worried about them more than herself. 

  • Thank you. Yes she had been having spme

    Sone bloatedness, swollen tummy, pain in the lower left side, also has been having indegestion and heartburn for almost a year.  Precious GP was given her buscopan and omoprezole. More recently she's been having blood in her poo and new GP felt her tummy and said she was going to send her for bowel cancer test. She did the fit test about 8 weeks ago and came back positive. That same GP phoned her up with the results and said she wanted to let her know herself rather than reading it in a letter from the hospital. She's still waiting for that letter. GP was very apologetic when she phoned her saying she didn't expect the positive result. 

    does it mean she has cancer and need more tests to find out where in the colon it is? Or just needs a colonoscopy to confirm it's cancer? I'm confused x

  • Hi the reason for a Colonoscopy is to rule anything nasty out ,Its still much more likely not to be cancer and instead something far less sinister ,the good thing is she is in the system now and will be seen but if I were you I would speak to the GP and tell them all of her symptoms and that you would like for her to be seen sooner because she's worrying so much and see what they say .

  • Thank you I will let her know today. Advice very much appreciated thank you xx

  • Hello fluff1738 and thanks for your post,

    I am sorry to hear about the delays that your daughter is having waiting for a colonoscopy and I can understand how unsettling this must be for you all.

    Unfortunately there are delays that we are hearing about up and down the country. Read what  Bowel Cancer UK have to say about the long delays that patients are experiencing.

    I am not sure why your daughter had a FIT test in the first place but if her symptoms are getting an worse then do encourage her to talk again to her GP to see if there is anything they can do. Do also encourage your daughter to let the doctor know about how anxious this is making her feel.

    Your daughter may also find it helpful to get in touch with Pals (Patient advice and liaison Service) at her local hospital, to see if they can look in to it for her.

    I know that it can be extremely anxious making waiting but try not to over think it for now. There are other conditions that may be a reason for the high FIT. The FIT test is not a test for cancer but a test to show that there is blood in the stools which can happen with polyps (not cancer) and ulcerative colitis for example.

    I do hope that your daughter will be okay. do give us a ring if you would like to talk things through with one of the helpline nurses.  The number to call is Freephone 0808 800 4040 and the lines are open from 9am till 5pm Monday to Friday.

    All the best,

    Catherine