The bowel screening kit saved my life, well my wife did really. She put the kit on top of my filing cabinet so that it was an absolute irritant and reminder to me every time I walked into the office.
I ignored it for three months, despite the fact I had been experiencing blood in my stool. I knew I needed to take it, but I was always either too busy or didn’t like the idea of what the kit entailed. Don’t let that discourage you. When I eventually took the test I realised it wasn’t that difficult – it was purely just a case of mind over matter.
When my results came back positive I had a colonoscopy immediately, which showed that I did indeed have bowel cancer and that part of my rectum needed to be removed. I was 50 years old.
The next couple of years were tough surgery, an ileostomy bag, a reversal and then of course learning how under my new conditions things could work. I was lucky enough to have caught the cancer in its early stages when it could be successfully treated. My body has slowly adapted and I am living a very productive and full life now.
Early detection was the key to my positive story. I have now survived Non Hodgkins Lymphoma (prior to my bowel cancer) and bowel cancer, and on both occasions they were detected early.
Prevention is so much better than treatment, so please get the bowel screening kit and don’t ignore any symptoms like I did – I was lucky. Take the test today and either put your mind at rest or deal with the problem early. It saved my life and could save yours too.