I'm 54 years old and I was given a cancer diagnosis yesterday. The colonoscopy and gastroscopy procedures went really smoothly. The healthcare professionals were superb - from the receptionists, the phlebotamist, the nurses and the consultant. Unfortunately, a large tumour was found in my sigmoid colon. I've been booked in for a CT scan and I have a meeting with the multi-disciplinary team next Wednesday. I'm still partly in shock, but I'm keeping myself busy with reading on the subject. The main reason I've posted on here, apart from sharing with people going through similar experiences, is to emphasise that early diagnosis is far preferable with regard to bowel cancer. I've had serious symptoms for months, which I hid from my family and friends out of sheer embarrassment. In late May, I was sprawled out on my bathroom floor, covered in blood, having just lost 25% of my blood volume through rectal bleeding. I had lost consciousness through the blood loss, fell and hit my head and then fell again as I tried to get up and slipped on the blood. Thankfully, my brother was visiting and he was able to break the bathroom door down.  All because I was too embarrassed to mention to the people that love and care for me that I was having health issues. Well, my journey started today, and I hope I can share it with you. It's got off to a good beginning - I've just had some delicious chicken soup, which after two days of Moviprep and a low residue diet, tasted like nectar.