Hi there and thanks for the post

I am sorry to hear about your situation and appreciate this must be an anxious time for you.

There can be many reasons for blood to be in the stools as well as having a raised calprotectin level. Calprotectin measures inflammation in the bowel and if this is high may suggest some type of Inflammatory Bowel disease, that needs further investigation.

It is important that someone with a positive FIT test and raised calprotectin has further tests to find out what the cause may be. Whilst cancer needs to be ruled out as a possibility other IBD conditions such as crohns and ulcerative colitis also need to be considered, that also often need treatment.

Most people when referred on suspected cancer pathway for bowel issues will get a phone call to ask further questions before something like a colonoscopy being arranged.

I hope you know more soon and everything turns out okay for you.

Do get back if you need or want to. We are here weekdays 9-5 and our number is 0808 800 4040.

Take care

Naomi

Hello and thank you for your Dolphin 123,

The team at the hospital will explain which test they want you to have, it will depend on what they think the cause of the symptoms and the results of the stool samples is.

It is possible that you will be offered a colonoscopy as this will allow the doctors to look at the bowel lining closely and it will also mean they will be able to take biopsies (sample of tissue) at the same time.

Sometimes if there is a concern that the bowel may be inflamed then a CT scan may be done first possibly followed by a flexible sigmoidoscopy ( camera that looks at the lower part of the bowel).

Hopefully, you will have answers soon on what the next step will be.

Take care

Jemma