FIT NUMBER

I had a FIT number of 168 it came back as abnormal i had a colonoscopy which confirmed i have a 5cm tumour i am now having a CT scan it has been booked as urgent but i have not heard back yet , depending on the scan i might have to have chemotherapy before an operation should it go ahead, i must admit i am a little scared but putting a brave face on it , i would love to hear other people’s experiences to help me make more sense of it , the waiting is agony 

  • Same here: had FIT score of over 200, so was sent for colonoscopy and then told I had a tumour.

    My CT was arranged super quick (colonoscopy was Wednesday,  CT was that Sunday) but I had to have other scans (MRI and then PET) because of where the tumour was (between colon and rectum) which took longer. Worst bit was not knowing what the scans had shown and having no idea about next steps. I've now been told they need to do chemo and/or radiotherapy before I can have any surgery. Hoping to find out what that will involve next week.

    The urgent cancer pathway seems to work well at my hospital (I'm in Berkshire), so things really have moved quick. It is still so stressful when you are just waiting to be contacted though. 

    Xxx

  • I have got a CT scan on the 14th , I haven’t got any symptoms but i have a 5cm tumour, it seems to be moving reasonably quick now , obviously not quick enough because of the worry involved 

  • I actually don't know (didn't think to ask at the colonoscopy). I know that it is localised in the bowel, no spread to other organs, which is good, but there is some lymph node involvement which is less good. Have oncologist appt this Wednesday so hoping to get some clearer information about exactly what all the various scans showed (as well as what I'm in for treatment wise, obviously).

  • Good luck on weds i am waiting for a ct scan next Wednesday week, not worried about the scan just worried about what they might find , are they operating on you  ? Do you have fatigue weight loss ? 

  • Thanks. Good luck to you too for the scan.

    I think the idea is to shrink the tumour a hit first, and then do the surgery to remove it. The nurse I spoke to said this was very common for rectal cancer (my tumour is 'rectosigmoid' which means it's at the top of the rectum / bottom of the colon). Not sure what the timescales are - hopefully will find out tomorrow. 

    I am very tired and have lost a bit of weight, but I think that's the stress rather than the cancer per se.

    How are you feeling (apart from worried obviously)?

  • Yes i lost weight with the colonoscopy i think because of the diet etc other than that the weight doesn’t seem to be dropping i think , they said to me i might have to have chemo before of after surgery depending on the scan , i don't feel tired so far and i am making the most of things , i notice a feeling on my lower left side but it is not a pain , like you i am worried more worried in case the scan picks up anything else . 
    scary times i hope your news is positive, i have watched a few videos of people who have had bowel cancer on YouTube and there are definitely a lot of success stories their stories gives me a bit of hope so its not all doom and gloom 

    good luck