Hello Gummy,

                    well you certainly do not believe in doing half measures and have experienced a lot more than you would have wished for over the past year.Now to top it all a colonoscopy and the issues that could bring.At least it will provide you with a definitive answer as too any possible problem,which are always best caught as early as is possible to allow for the best possible outcome.l hope you will not have too wait too long for this to take place,but my advice would be to stay calm as you possibly can,since you cannot change anything that might have taken place,and focus on the future and what you will do with any knowledge once you have it.

                l am not going through any battles now,just minor skirmishes from the aftermath of treatment for colon cancer with spread to the liver. There will be plenty of others on this site , fighting or successfully fought this horrid wrecker of lives,hopes and dreams,so you will be in good company albeit one that none of us wished to join,and l am sure others will be posting their support , help  and advice.

                          l am sorry life is looking very dark fot you at the moment,but things can change and light can come back again,you just have to believe in that possibility and never close that particular door,

                       take care,

                        David

Thanks so much for replying. I take great encouragement from your words. 

Hi Gummy. Welcome to the forum.

Has the doctor specifically said that he thinks (or suspects) you might have cancer?  That rarely happens but it's not impossible.

What most frequently happens is that a patient presents with some symptoms that don't go away despite treatment. At some point, the symptoms match either NICE's or the local hospital's referral guidelines, and the doctor makes a referral under a two week pathway.  The patient then goes away worried that the doctor thinks they've got cancer. But what most patients don't realise is that the referral guidelines deliberately cast a very wide net, and 90% of people who get referred are found not to have cancer.

When you're put on a 2 week pathway, it's natural to assume that you've got cancer and the tests are simply to confirm it.  But the truth is that most patients are referred to eliminate cancer as a possibility, and in the vast majority of patients, cancer isn't found.

Good luck with colonoscopy.

I hope your right. I have enough on my plate without this

You might find it helps to tell us how you got here.  Just writing it all down can be very cathartic.  

It's very common for referrals on a two-week pathway to say "suspected cancer".  It's simply the medical term that doctors use. Generally it means that you've got symptoms which match the referral criteria, which as I've already said cast a very wide net to catch just a few real fish. 

As part of the referral process, doctors are also supposed to "discuss" with the patient the possibility of cancer - although I suspect that in many cases there's not much in the way of discussion, just a statement from the doctor, and a shocked patient who's lost for words. It then gets worse when the patient receives an appointment letter headed "Oncology Department" or "Cancer Referral".  But it's just medical terminology.  I can't tell you not to worry about it because everybody worries, but I think it helps to understand this is just the process and there is a good chance you will come out the other side OK.

Hello Gummy,

                    l think the only way you were going to get a fast track colonoscopy was under the heading "suspecteld bowel cancer",and the examination at this stage is as much about ruling it out as in, remember It neeeds to be ruled out in order for a diagnosis of what is the cause of your current symptoms.l suspect your doctor was keen to progress matters and find solutions for you given your existing health issues,so best to keep an open mind at this time and be reassured that your doctor is doing their very best for you,and is concious of your worries and looking to a quick response to quell the unknown "what-ifs",

                                   David

Thanks. I'm trying to stay positive but my mind is all over the place at the moment.  Thanks for the encouraging words