Hi. My bowel screening test came back positive, although I did not see any blood in my poo but it was a weird colour. I’ve only noticed a bit of red blood sometimes when I wipe but have no pain in my bum. I sometimes have stomach cramps and have noticed that I need to go to the toilet more often and seem to pop hard pebbles out and when I lie down I can feel a lump on the left side of my stomach. 

I had my SSP last week and they asked about the medical history of my immediate family, which I did not know. I have since found out that my grandmother died of bowel cancer quite young and she was the same age as I am now.

I have the colonoscopy next Tuesday, I’m terrified but have made the decision not to tell my family. It’s so hard to keep this quiet and I guess I just wanted to get it off my chest. What if I have cancer, how on earth do I coke with it? Any words of wisdom would be really appreciated.