Hi

As a bowel cancer Patient I long for the day (hopefully) when I can say 7 years since treatment finished.

I have a colonoscopy every year at the moment.

If I were you... I would go. You have been through so much in the past and if there's an odd polyp appeared they will snip it off while they are there and you will know for definate what's going on in there. It is a pain drinking all the stuff etc 

I'm sorry they have brought all this up again for you, we would rather leave all those memories in the past. Let me know how you go xx

Hello GrannieD,

                        reading your post,l believe you might be looking at a delayed  signing off appraisal,albeit one that should have been done at 5 years.The result goes on to the statistics,and inportantly helps identify successful routes of trreatment for those who follow.l am sure a telephone call on your part could establish the reason for the scan,try the consultants secretary in the first instance.

Should it be anything more sinister,l think it easier to focus on the main issue of would l have any more treatment of any type,the answer to this making everything else fall into place

My words seem easy to write but l understand your dilemma all too well having had bowel cancer,spread to liver,a recalcitrant stoma that subsequently left a bowel that had a five year armegeddon approach to normality following a reversal. Being 69 l have asked the question of myself.As you say,only you yourself can make it,and l have only one point to make.

Here today l lean towards the view l would not wish to have any more treatment,but l am aware that is hypothetical, so easy to make, and l could well change that view at a later time,but not before l was in possession of all the facts and the resulting options,which would either confirm my original view or point me in a differeent direction.Only when when staring into the abyss do l believe the decision to fall can be made.Ignorance is bliss,but can you truly move forward in bliss knowing you have declined a test,without knowing its purpose? or will the back of your mind plague your everyday and taint your time?

Difficult,and l am not sure any answer will ease your passage through this sticky morass,but l just hope you have the benefit of Teflon soled shoes,

                                                                 Good luck,

                                                                                  David

Hi GrannieD. 

This is obviously a routine (and much delayed) follow up.  It can't be anything else, because there is no way on earth that they could know or suspect anything is wrong with you - they aren't psychic.

I can imagine that it's bringing back some unpleasant memories.  I can sympathise, since I'm due to have a cystoscopy in a couple of weeks after bladder cancer treatment last year - plus in December it will be 10 years since I had treatment for prostate cancer. 

However, your blood test was normal and I assume you've not had any worrying symptoms, so there's every reason to expect that the colonoscopy will found nothing worrying.

Thank you so much for the reply and I hope that you will eventually be many years post treatment Xxx 

I started off having them every 3 months, then every 6 months, then they went to one a year but I think for some reason I then 'fell off their radar' ?  I can't say I was in a hurry to remind them as I spent a long spell in ICU for another health problem and to be honest I just do not want to go to hospital again..... 

I know that is a bit silly but it is how I feel and the thought of drinking all that stuff and spending another evening tied to the bathroom so that I can go there and be poked and prodded yet again just fills me with dread.  I think I also feel that they probably will find something there and I don't want to have to deal with that either.

I will have to make the decision and it does help to be able to talk on here so thank you for being there.

GrannieD

Thank you also to Moonpuddle, David and 'Telemando' and I wish you all well too with your ongoing treatments.

I really can't decide at the moment exactly what to do. - Believe it or not, I coped extremely well through the diagnosis and all the treatments but after such a long time and alongside other health issues I think I have just been 'worn down' both physically and mentally and just do not have that extra strength which I used to have to be able to face whatever life throws at me.

Sorry to sound such a 'weed'. - I think though that I should really just get on with it, get it over with and get on with the rest of my life which is how I would have dealt with it in the past but I just need to convince myself to actually go through with it.

Thank you to you all for being here.

Grannie D Xxx

Good luck in whatever you decide, maybe talk it through with a colorectal nurse.

I don't know how much bowel you have left if you had surgery but maybe you could ask about the enema way.

Anyway we are good at noticing signs that something is not right so we know the warning signs and symptoms.

x

Just a thought as I have no idea of your age but current policy is to invite everyone for routine screening age 55 and then after 60 it's done by blood tests. For various reasons I wasn't sure whether the test would be contraindicated for me when I received an invitation out of the blue and no one on the central helpline could answer the question I needed answering then COVID came along. So it's still on the to do list. It's not that I'm ignoring it so much as coping with what I can manage one step at a time.

If I had a history of bowel cancer I would first discuss how I felt with my GP or the endoscopy department rather than not go. Obviously it's a personal decision and going to hospital right now is in itself quite surreal (I had an urgent referral this month). People vary in what they feel able to cope with. 

If you don't want to talk it over with GP or endoscopy then there is the option of contacting a nurse on the cancer research helpline. I feel this is something to talk through with a professional because of your history – difficult though that may be. Talk it through, make a decision and distract yourself as much as possible to avoid worry. If it is the routine invite that you can't face right now, then 6 or 12 months time might be an option. I was told I could rebook mine anytime up to age 60 by calling the national number.

Of course your appointment might just be late follow-up - I think it depends what age you got the bowel cancer whether you would get "signed off". A specialist nurse, GP or endoscopy department would be best placed to advise.

Wishing you all the best with this. I detest hospitals so understand where you are coming from. But sometimes it is in our best interests. Got to weigh things up. Good luck whatever!

Hi - Just echoing what Moonpuddle says. It is important any decision is right for you. 

Also think you were very sensible to leave the door open not slam it shut. 

Wishing you all the best! x

Thank you both Xxx

GrannieD