More women are diagnosed with bowel cancer than with cervical and breast cancer combined and it is the third most common cancer in the UK and yet it has an extremely low profile presumably because there is a general reluctance to talk about it openly. Overall, bowel cancer kills 16,250 men and women a year.
My father died of bowel cancer and it is very likely that he didn’t do anything about his symptoms until it was too little too late. Most people don’t know what the symptoms of this particular cancer are and the list of symptoms you find are unclear – so I’m going to tell you what the main symptoms are:-
– A change in bowel routine
– Bleeding from the rectum or blood in your stools
– Extreme tiredness
– Weight loss
– Pain or a lump in the abdomen
In a report online today a study suggests that the survival rate for bowel cancer surgery varies widely between hospitals – not good.
di foden
April 13, 2011That’s what I’ve got and maybe I’m not the best advert because they have just stopped my chemo and told me to go enjoy the rest of what I have left.
I did, many years ago, have a scan after feeling a something in my guts, but was told there was nothing there, so learning persistence might be a good idea; I’m far too obedient with doctors and other authority figures.
If it helps anyone out there at all, my experiences can be seen at http://www.twocrumbliesandandacat.blogspot.com and it’s not all miserable, honest. In fact and although I do say so myself, it’s quite funny.
And after all, all anybody has is right now, isn’t it? xx
fd
April 13, 2011thanks for writing about this. a close family friend died last year of bowel cancer. i had never even heard of bowel cancer despite having a family member who is a colo-rectal surgeon.