BOWEL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month so what better way to make people aware of bowel cancer than by showing off a big white bum that used to have a tumour living up it.

Bowel cancer rates in people aged between 20-30 years old are set to rise by 90% in the next 15 years with junk food and inactiveness believed to be two of the main causes. This is a very scary statistic!

The good news is that Bowel Cancer survival rates are also increasing! With early diagnosis Bowel Cancer is one of the more curable forms of cancer.
Sadly, many just don’t like talking about their toilet habits or simply don’t know the symptoms to realise that something is wrong.

I was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 30. My only symptom was tiredness. I couldn’t walk up the stairs without feeling tired. Someone told me it was because I was now 30 and that’s just how you feel. That was total nonsense. Blood tests showed that I had an iron deficiency which led my doctor to order a colonoscopy which discovered a 10cm tumour in my transverse colon. There were no other symptoms. I just knew something wasn’t right.
An operation and some chemo later and I am still here to tell the tale.

SYMPTOMS OF BOWEL CANCER

– blood in your poo
– blood in your back passage
– tiredness
– feeling bloated
– iron deficiency
– change in bowel habits – diarrhoea or looser than normal stools and constipation
– pain in abdomen or bum
– weight loss
– sickness

If you have any of these symptoms then see a doctor. If you are over 50 then see your doctor for a routine stool sample.
These guys have seen it all so don’t even worry about it. The only difference between a doctor and your pals is that they use the word stool instead of poo!;)

Early diagnosis can save your life and this is no longer an older persons disease so listen to your body and talk about your bum!

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