Seems to be the case across the UK  at the moment.. my sista has a 2.5 hour journey for her treatment ♀️. and I know she's not the only one.. your G.P practice will have the info needed to put you in touch with the Oncologist team  x

If you have a good GP it's great to keep them on board throughout care if it's cancer because having a medical advocate is priceless. It can feel like too many cooks but being able to discuss things outwith consultant's immediate teams can help you feel more heard, they can be a sounding board for what you need to say during appointments with the consultant and if you have questions before you're assigned a Macmillan nurse they can liaise with the hospital. Increased bleeding should definitely be discussed, you could become anaemic etc. any change in symptoms needs to be reported even if the professionals just reassure you it's worth them knowing. I would never replace a doctor's advice with anything said online but you can get supplementary info about what other people experience to help gauge what you might have to expect and how to handle living with conditions.

Every time my partner engages with any of the medical professionals caring for him they ask about anything new and ongoing. It isn't worth carrying it alone.

I agree with you IF you are fortunate enough to have a good G.P practice...

Unfortunately the experience of 2 family members,  in different parts of the UK,  both with different cancer... have received neither care or support from their individual practice.. seems to be far more a case of.. you've been referred,  had a diagnosis,  treatment plan and now it's up to the MDT who has specialist knowledge of your case and cancer...

I sincerely hope this in not the case for anyone here who needs and deserves the reassurance from the G.P 

Hi Tango

A couple of thoughts:

1. Totally agree with others. Always worth asking the cancer nurse or your GP. I've called mine loads of times. Might be worth contacting your hospital and trying to get a number for the cancer nursing team (if they have a similar set up to my hospital)

2. I had 3 days of a lot of blood a week or so ago, but it's settled down again. Was very scary but it passed. I think maybe it's not too unusual and others have had that experience here too, it seems. But definitely do ask a medical professional.

3. There is also the option to ask a cancer nurse on this website we're all on. Here's the link to that section of the site:

 Ask the nurses 

They also have a number you can call 0808 8004040. Though of course they won't know all the specifics of your case.

4. Hoping the extra blood is just a temporary thing. I think your GP can also look at any recent blood tests or arrange one and check things like your iron levels. I was (am?) anaemic, so am taking iron tablets. I think it's due to blood loss. I have more energy after 2 or 3 weeks of the tablets.

Take care. X

James4000 great advice and support as always

James4000 I think the extra blood was because I was straining to do a BM I couldn’t pass  but eventually I did bleeding stopped  I know in future no straining  it was a bit scary  mainly because with these kind of tumours you don’t know what to expect  as like all of us this kind of thing is new to us   I had all my blood tests at the onset of this problem and they took five tests for different things and all came back normal  full blood count was normal you would have thought with this been cancer there would have been some markers to show if any thing was there. But I understand blood tests only show certain cancers like breast cancer and blood cancer  xx

Hi sorry unsure if you’ll read this being an older comment- trying to figure using here out correctly to get/keep in touch with others. 

would you mind messaging me about your own journey & your friends… I’m suspecting they’ll find a heavily impacted bowel thanks to the years I struggled on fentanyl

it took years to get normal bm which improved as the opiates further reduced alongside drastic diets with gradual exercise as I’d become obese! 
fast forward some years…
had to go back on some low dose for costochondritis diagnosis 2 Novembers ago & then weirdly a relapse again last November!!! & it’s since then everything got worse with other symptoms reappearing again after I’d been told by 2gps nothing to worry about (hence no fit test offered originally) 

would love to touch base get advice hear about your own journey etc

if happy to share of course?

C xx

Hi Chantetz...not sure if/what help my journey is for you or anyone else but will share in the hope it may be useful to you..

As a young child I had pyloric stenosis,  throughout my life I have had 'bowel issues ' normal for me to have BM every few days.. when I was taken to a Specialist I was assured it was 'normal' for me, that everyone is different. This continued thru my teens, 20's and 30's when I suffered an impacted bowel..won't go into anymore detail but it was an unforgettable experience..

I had major complex urology procedure in 1980's which involved using a section of my bowel..this was pioneering surgery which was halted due to the high ( unexpected) rate of post op bowel cancer.. as I was high risk I underwent annual investigation which were negative..

Dec 2023 I had 3 positive qFIT results following a visit to my G.P.  referred to Colorectal Consultant,  seen in April 2024 with appt for colonoscopy in June '24. Carried out prep but cancelled appt half hour before scheduled time,  as BM were not 'running clear' as needed..spoke to hospital and told Consultant would call after surgery

Didn't hear, called several times but unable to speak with anyone about this.. I have underlying complex health issues and was unable to pursue this matter..

Fast forward to Nov 24 when I had a call from G.P in regards to my asthma check up and the concerns in regards to my pain and breathlessness... he announced without preamble..I don't think this is a thing to do with your asthma,  I think you have bowel cancer... further 2 positive qFIT results and Colonoscopy 17th Dec 24..  6 biopsies and pictures taken..waiting time for colonoscopy results is 18-20 weeks here..told after that my colonoscopy should have been  as USOC  meaning 2ww.. it hadn't been..

So excuse this edition of war and peace but you asked ...

Hi Chantetz

Please do ask for any help on here about using the forum etc. And I'm sure many of us can share our experiences currently, which I know I find very reassuring, validating and kind.

My own story is pretty much told through my posts on this thread (sorry, it's a lot of pages now).

I haven't really had any health issues, fortunately. I may be a bit younger than some of us on here, and am generally pretty fit and healthy.

I did get salmonella 20+ years ago, which hospitalised me for a week, and ever since then I've had a slightly sensitive stomach and probably more BMs than 'normal', which maybe then masked other things. I got a fistula develop 5 years ago, which was mostly just an inconvenience and cleared up after 3 minor surgeries over 2 years (ad the first 2 didn't fully resolve it).

Got diagnosed as anaemic back in the summer, when i was finding i was getting cold and tired a lot. I took iron pills a while. Didn't really follow up as I felt fine. Then I started passing blood a bit and having extra BMs and my GP (who's been great, I'm so lucky there) referred me for blood and faecal tests, which showed enough to need a colonoscopy. Found a tumour, and am now going through scans etc. Seen my biopsy, Ct and mri; and MDT have met so they and I know roughly what I have [it's not great, but could be a lot worse, especially as I don't seem to have any spread to other organs (metastasis?)]. Awaiting rearranged PET scan in a week, then they'll make a plan on oncology or surgery.

All very scary of course, but this group and the support from the medical professionals I have access to has been amazing for me.

Sorry for the essay :)