Hi Steve

I so hope I have same result as you...positive FIT score but no real symptoms..no change in loo habits but occasionally blood due to I think piles..freaking out and Dr Google making me worse!!!I've read 90 per cent of positive results not cancer but of course worry  I am in the 9%..your story is a positive one very much so...kind regards Helen

Hi Helen, yes Google is the worst thing to look on for making you paranoid! I was convinced I had it. I'm sure it's 9 out of 10 colonoscopy checks turn out to be other things. 

The blood I had occasionally was bright red so lower down the bowel. I know what it is now though and the doctor told me there and then. I think if the blood is darker or tar coloured then it's possibly something more sinister? Mine only seemed to happen after multiple bowel movements and by multiple I mean literally 5 times in 1 day and always after I'd consumed a lot of alcohol. Makes me sound like an alcoholic which I really am not lol.

You need to remember though that the fit test isn't a cancer test. There can be multiple places blood can come from.

I hope you have a good outcome. 

hi Steve, i think you're right and talking on here is helping me.. i do wonder how you are all know the scores from your test? all i had in the letter from the NHS was that blood was found in my sample but no other information... the drink you have, is that as a replacement for an enema/suppository which my partner had when he had a test about 5 years ago..he was able to do that at home. What happens now? 

Glad you have had a good result and what they found for you must have come as a massive relief...

Helen we know our numbers as it was done through the doctor and I asked him. Yes the drink is instead of an enema, most people have a different one to my husband, he can only drink small quantities at once so ended up with the Gastrografin I think the other is movieprep or something like that x

The woman who rung me from the hospital to let me know I'd be getting a call to book me in told me.  It was a bit of a shock as the receptionist at my gp had actually told me my sample was fine. Not good enough from the gp surgery tbh and I'm wondering if she'd got my results mixed up with someone else. I imagine you'd be able to get your fit test score from your gp but is it actually worth it now? I might be something else to get stressed about. 

You should get all the relevant information sent to you by post from the hospital confirming your appointment time for the colonoscopy and exactly where to park and where you need to go to. You'll have an appointment letter as well that you hand in to the person on reception at the colonoscopy area. They'll be a prescription in there for you to go and get your fluid to drink.Mine was called plenvu. You can take the prescription to your local pharmacy or you can actually get it from the hospital. All the instructions are there on exactly how to use it and what you can and can't eat beforehand. The drink is to completely clear your bowels out. I guess it acts the same way as an enema.

The only downside is nobody is allowed in with you so your actually on your own from the moment you arrive at reception. Well thats how it worked where i went.

it was a huge relief after I got told there was no cancer. I actually got a little upset which then upset my wife who was waiting for me.

Ahh Steve that was lovely. Hope you had a nice holiday and back to our lovely weather. I’m so pleased for both you and your wife, it must be a huge relief for her as I’m sure all these tests whatever there for effects the other person a great deal, but we try not to show it xx

Yes it was a fantastic break thanks and it was a pleasant surprise to come back to good weather back home. Back to work tomorrow though. 

My wife was so relieved as she could see how it had affected me with my anxiety being through the roof! I'd never suffered with anxiety before and I kind of used to laugh it off but I now know its real enough. Its a terrible place to be. 

I've kind of made a promise to myself to try and show my feelings a bit more now but that'll be easier said than done. 

Hi Steve.. so much relief for you and your wife.. altho my partner will take me it sounds likely he won't be allowed in which does worry me..like you I'm not an anxious sort of person but this has changed this totally..I guess they will tell me the score when I have the appointment on Friday but will only worry me more if I know it I think..so you have the drink and need the loo once you are there....my stomach is on horrible anxious knots just thinking about it all...

Thanks Sue..Steve says the same too so guess I could ask but don't know if it would panic me more..sounds like drinks are what are used now..worry worry worry!!! 

Yes I worry about anything, even if there’s nothing to worry about which in the last 5 years always something to make me anxious.

The drinks you have the day before, like my husband he has his today and the procedures tomorrow at 9.30, I think it’s the same for all the different ones.  Xx

Yes I bet you have had quite a few worries.. fingers crossed news tomorrow is not something to worry about.. ah I see re drinks..just as long as I'm near a loo I think is main thing

You have the drink the day before your appointment although mine was still affecting me first thing in the morning. 

You'll be fine once your there as they really look after you and make you feel relaxed. 

Tbh the score looks like it could be irrelevant anyway as I've seen someone on here with a result of a thousand and he was fine,no cancer. But then I'm no doctor. 

I know exactly how your feeling and no amount of people saying calm down wlll make any difference to how you are but you need to remember that the chances of you having cancer are very slim.

You have the drink the day before your appointment although mine was still affecting me first thing in the morning. 

You'll be fine once your there as they really look after you and make you feel relaxed. 

Tbh the score looks like it could be irrelevant anyway as I've seen someone on here with a result of a thousand and he was fine,no cancer. But then I'm no doctor. 

I know exactly how your feeling and no amount of people saying calm down wlll make any difference to how you are but you need to remember that the chances of you having cancer are very slim.

Thank you Steve, that sounds OK to have drink at home the day before..

I've seen some posts about scores and they're quite confusingly.. I'm assuming that higher scores indicate cancer but I've not been able to find a scoring scale to show what they might mean.

Yes you're totally right, nothing will make any difference until I find out..I keep going over in my head all the main symptoms such as losing weight, pains in stomach, diarrhoea and or constipation none of which i have..and altho I do get little bits of blood every few months I think this is piles..but with this hidden blood I guess that won't be down to piles..really appreciate your replies...

The threshold for them to get you checked out is 10,mine was 15 so over but on the low side. But then I've seen some people with scores into the high hundreds and it's not been cancer.

I actually made myself ill with the worry. I had diarrhoea and I didn't want to eat much.

It's just a guessing game and you'll not know for definite until you actually go in.

We’re back from the hospital and all went well, as my husband’s wasn’t a colonoscopy we have to wait for results about 10 days. It was over in 20 minutes. As I said before it was a virtual CTC scan so couldn’t take any biopsy even if they found something, not sure what will happen if something was seen. Good luck Helen Xx

Fingers crossed everything is ok for him.

Glad all went well Sue for your husband..fingers crossed results are good xx

Just spoken to my GP who says the letter to them just said it was a positive result and didn't give a score..so probably good to not know..she said to try to not worry, things get picked up early but big majority don't have anything to worry about..she says she only knows 2 from the surgery where they found very early cancer and both doing very well.. I too am making myself ill worrying and appetite gone totally and my stomach all over the place too!! 

She's right. Most people are fine. My gp said the same tbh. 

I'm sure I read that it's one of the most treatable cancers? 

I got to the point where I resorted to taking more of medication for my back just to chill me out and relax me as I was flapping that bad. Sad really! You just want to go to sleep, wake up and the nightmare of the worry to be gone.

yeah i have read about how treatable it is...doesn't make me feel any better though - i have been using meds i was prescribed for a bad back which are Valium but called something else as i'm totally flapping and totally stressing every single minute of the day.... constantly on my mind..yes i agree i just want to get the worry gone as is horrible..

I heard a few years ago everyone got sent for the colonoscopy as part of routine checks at 55 so there was none of this worrying and waiting...

When do you have your colonoscopy?  Sorry I can't remember now if you've said when.

Hi...screening appointment this Friday then it said colonoscopy would be scheduled for 2 weeks after that..will ask if any chance it could be sooner..