Agreed …. IF GPs refer people! Some choose not to or drag their heels but I don’t know why.
My friend died of BC at 51 having visited her surgery for 18 months with bowel problems. Her sister then went with her and INSISTED she was referred to hospital. At hospital they said she had stage 4 bowel cancer and there was nothing they could do.
Following genetic counselling I am at med-high risk of bowel cancer. Obviously my GP knows this. For the past month I have been experiencing tummy discomfort, my bowel habits have changed and my stools are different. I have also had polyps removed in the past. All pointers to BC.
The GP won’t see me as I have Covid so we had a phone consultation and all he was interested in was had I had unexplained weight loss. i haven’t but neither did my Mum who had bowel cancer twice. he has put me on antibiotics even though I asked for a colonoscopy!
My point is, you can have all the education about BC but you need to get past your GP and get referred.
The covid pandemic has destoyed the NHS service with all the rules they put in place, but 11 years ago when I found my cancer things were much better!
I found a lump in my breast and my GP got me an appointment at the hospital in 10 days, where they did a needle biopsy and discovered that it wasn’t breast cancer, but lung cancer that had formed in the wrong place. They immediately referred me to a cancer specialist hospital & 5 weeks later I was being treated there.
Within 8 weeks the tumour was dead ! The treatment wasn’t pleasant , but 11 years later I am clear with nothing worse than a small scar where they removed the remains.
Thank god that Deborah James got £7million for research, because they will beat cancer one day.
This is the rule about how soon you should be seen with cancer…but it doesn’t seem to happen these days.
Two weeks is the maximum waiting time allowed by the NHS in England for cancer referrals, with hospitals and surgeries required to investigate and offer a list of alternative clinics if the target is exceeded.
Flowerpower that is appalling. Yes, you have Covid, so I get why the GP doesn’t want you in his surgery. However, he can still refer you to a specialist to arrange a colonoscopy - by the time an appointment comes through you are almost certainly going to be Covid free! And your GP knows this.
I think it’s time for you to start getting a bit bolshy - it’s your body, your life, and you must fight. Good luck x
