By Osagie Fadaka
Colorectal Cancer (Bowel Cancer)
There is nothing that scares you more than seeing blood in your poo. You always panic a little, but it need not necessarily be bowel cancer, there are many other reasons, so go immediately to your doctor.
For example, I noticed some blood in the toilet after I’d been for a poo, in my early thirties. I went immediately to my GP who examined me and explained that my cycling to and from work on one of my fitness kicks had caused haemorrhoids and that was where the blood had come from.
So don’t panic, don’t worry, don’t overthink, just get a medical examination. It also happened to a friend of mine recently who even went to the hospital and was given a full scan with a very similar result to my own.
Symptoms:
Bowel (colorectal) cancer symptoms can include:
• Bleeding from the back passage or blood in your poo
• Changes in your normal toilet, could be looser poo, going more often.
• Constipation
• Your doctor can feel a lump up your rectum or often on the right side of your tummy.
• Feeling like you need to poo, even again after going.
• Weight loss.
• Pain in your stomach or rectum.
• Tiredness and breathlessness caused by anaemia.
Sometimes cancer can obstruct the bowel. Causing cramping pains in the abdomen, which will leave you feeling bloated, constipated, or feeling like you want to fart, and being physically sick. If you feel like this, get seen immediately, it is an emergency, even go to the Accident and Emergency department at the hospital.
Blood from higher up in the bowel goes dark red or black and can make your poo look like tar. This type of bleeding can be a sign of cancer higher up the bowel. Or alternatively from a bleeding stomach ulcer.
As we always tell you, don’t take it for granted what we write here:-
Get checked out by your doctor, or general practitioner if you suspect you have a problem.
Your doctor may refer you to see a specialist and if they suspect bowel cancer you should be seen within two weeks.
There are several tests that might be carried out:
• Your doctor’s finger is the first test normally, he can feel for any abnormality.
• Testing for blood in your poo via a FIT Test. It looks for blood traces in your poo.
• A scope can be inserted into your bowel via a flexible tube.
• Samples of tissue can be taken whilst also checking for polyps.(Colonoscopy.) This looks at the larger bowel area.
• Various scans such as MRI, Pet-CT, and ultrasound, will find out if cancer has spread.
Sources:
https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/bowel-cancer/symptoms
