Hi all

Just wanted to post this here as I've been reading this board a lot over the past few weeks and have gotten myself wound up with anxiety to the point that ive had anxiety attacks and actually causing more physical symptoms from stressing out over an abnormal FIT test result, and I just wanted to post here to give my story in the hope that others in a similar position may read it and not have to go through the sleepless nights that I have.

So I have been having abdominal pain on background of a known gallstone, I had a flare up and consulted my GP and they referred me back for surgical opinion but said it was non urgent, fair enough I thought, but then what if these symptoms were due to something else? So I ordered myself a home FIT test for my 40th birthday just to put my mind to rest - which came back positive. 

I contacted my GP who advised me to submit a FOB sample which I did and came back negative, it was only then that I read my GP should have given me 3 FOB samples to submit over a period of 3 days, so back I went and given another 2 FOB tests which I did and sent back. A week later my GP reports the lab didn't test them for faecal occult blood but for parasites, and suggested that we just go straight for a repeat FIT test which was carried out and sent off in the post.

A few days later of a Wednesday evening I received a text message asking me to make a routine appointment  with my GP to discuss the results, I called the next morning and was told that if it was urgent or abnormal they would have been in touch, and a routine appointment was made for two weeks. I then get a call that afternoon from my GP to say the test was actually positive (270+) and they would and me for a 2 week referral.

Now it's at this point I realise that my original abnormal FIT test was in May, with all the messing about it was now July and they are urgently referring me, along a 2 weeks "suspected cancer" pathway.

I immediately contacted a private hospital and my colonoscopy was today, which thank God only found 2 polyps that have been sent off for pathology, but didn't indicate any malignancy.

I am still yet to hear from the NHS referral which is now over the 2 week urgent referral date.

So, very relieved and thankful, and I just wanted to make a few points here as when I was Googling abnormal FIT test results some of the things I read really scared me.

A positive FIT test does NOT mean you have cancer, it just means that there is bleeding somewhere in your lower gastrointestinal tract, but this can be from loads of things other than cancer, so please if you do get an abnormal FIT test don't panic, but please don't just rely on the NHS and your GP to take appropriate action, chase chase and chase!

One of the statistics I was nearly sick reading was that 9 in every 100 people who had a colonoscopy following an abnormal FIT test found cancer - what needs to be clarified is that a FIT test is principally a screening test for colorectal cancer in the over 50-60s so this data isn't representative of younger people that are tested for abdominal pain, and also caught early these cancers are highly treatable hence the importance of early detection.

After a few days of googling symptoms and results I had to stop myself, the waiting really puts your brain into overdrive and you can end up making yourself sick with anxiety, please don't fall into the same trap, and just take it one day and one step at a time.