2012 23rd January - BE LOUD BE CLEAR WEEK!

Since I am too lazy to do this for myself and it has already been done so well: I copied this from a twitter friend who also blogs. 

IT'S BE LOUD BE CLEAR WEEK!

Be Loud! Be Clear! for Beating Bowel Cancer

by sitemanagergal

Be Loud Be Clear takes place during week commencing 23 January. It’s a week to raise awareness for bowel cancer.

Awareness saves lives.

Do you know the symptoms of bowel cancer? You might think you do…

But just to make sure, Beating Bowel Cancer explains the most common symptoms:

1. Bleeding from the bottom (rectal bleeding) without any obvious reason. You may also notice other symptoms such as straining, soreness, lumps and itchiness around the back passage. These can often be caused by piles (haemorrhoids), but this is also a “red flag” symptom for urgent investigation, so it is very important to see your GP, who can take a full history and do an initial examination.

2. A persistent change in bowel habit meaning any unexpected or unexplained change to your normal habits of going to the toilet and emptying your bowels. It can sometimes be problems with constipation, and feeling that your bowel is not completely empty. It is especially important if you are going to the toilet more often or experiencing looser stools and/or passing lots of clear, “jelly-like” mucus.

3. Abdominal pain that is constant or which comes and goes. You should seek help immediately if it becomes severe.

4. A lump in your tummy especially on the right hand side.

5. Unexplained tiredness, dizziness & breathlessness (signs of anaemia).

6. Unexpected and unexplained weight loss.

Full page is here: http://www.beatingbowelcancer.org/bowel-cancer-symptoms

I wish I’d known the symptoms. If I had I would have gone to the Doctor a lot sooner.

Watch the Bottom Line film which raises awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer and how important an early diagnosis is.

What will I be doing to support Be Loud Be Clear?

I’ll be retweeting Hannah's tweets throughout the week and posting on my Facebook page about the symptoms of bowel cancer.  

I'll also retweet links to films and the nurse helpline from Beating Bowel Cancer.

Hannah will be attending Beating Bowel Cancer’s Parliamentary Reception which is on Wednesday 25 January 2012. Beating Bowel Cancer will be launching a report ‘Equity in Excellence for Bowel Cancer – delivering world class outcomes for patients with bowel cancer’. The report sets out how Beating Bowel Cancer will contribute to the delivery of the best services for bowel cancer patients and presents a new challenge to policy makers.

Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. It can be cured, and that’s why early diagnosis is vital. Take a minute to read up on the symptoms.

Worried? Talk to Beating Bowel Cancer

Their offices and nurse helpline are open 9am – 5.30pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 4pm on Friday

Call 08450 719 301or email nurse@beatingbowelcancer.org

References:

Bowel Cancer Symptoms | Beating Bowel Cancer (2011) Beating Bowel Cancer. [Online]. Available from: http://www.beatingbowelcancer.org/bowel-cancer-symptoms. [Accessed 21 January 2012].

Lisa's additional bit:

Hannah is currently clear of any sign of disease and forever may she stay that way.  She is fundraising all the time even if it's just £2 a donation.

My symptoms by the time I went to the GP (new practice, just moved area 31st July) in early December were: 

Pain in sacrum exactly where original tumour was, making sitting down painful, had to be done slowly

Going to the loo 12 times a day, loose, mucousy blood stained (once only bloody mucous) for about 4 wks

Complete fatigue, making mistakes at work, which I hated more than anything, analysts don't DO mistakes

Later I discovered the pain hadn't been recorded, the blood was listed as spots.

The second GP assumed I was there to see him about my depression and insisted that although the stool tests were clear it was still something I ate and to drink Lucozade and Yakult type drinks.

By the time I saw the third GP in the practice it had been two months. He had this to say:

Dr No3: - I think we should take a look, if you don't mind (mind, mind, you mean you're taking me seriously?) I'll get a chaperone.

It's not bleeding haemorrhoids - OK well I knew that, but nice to have it confirmed, there's no obvious signs of what the trouble is. I need to look further up, then if that still shows nothing we'll book you in for a proper look with a camera. I'm not looking for a tumour, I'm looking for inflammatory bowel disease, or at least trying to eliminate it, you'll feel rubbish until we get you sorted out, but need to be sure before I can treat you.

Two weeks later he used a rigid sigmoidoscopy, saw a bleeding polyp as they like to call them before they're confirmed as cancerous tumours. I saw a surgeon the following week, two days later my biopsy and that's when I broke down after he left the room telling the nurse I knew it was cancer and it was bad, having done my research.  She said he didn't want me to know, so I could enjoy Christmas with my family.  He was just so nice, I picked it up, putting his hand on mine when he talked, telling me eat well and enjoy holidays.   But she couldn't lie to me, just said "There really is a lot they can do now".  She was right they have done a LOT to me!

NEVER be fobbed off if you feel there really is something wrong, it's your body, listen to it and look after it.

I know I bang on about it all the time on twitter but I'm just trying to save lives here, to stop children becoming orphans too young, Young people widowed too soon.