An introduction to the process of diagnosis and treatment recommendations for people who may have symptoms of Bowel Cancer or other Bowel issues.
Bowel cancer is a serious disease and in its early stages it has very few symptoms ,and it’s often difficult for people to talk about.
We need to conduct a series of tests to establish the right course of action to treat you. We will help you understand your illness, what is going to happen next and why. We will support you and your family in making decisions about the options and the right treatment for you.
Over a period of weeks I’ve been uncomfortable when going to the toilet. I started to find blood coming from my back passage, I knew something wasn’t right. I felt a bit embarrassed asking for a GP appointment as i knew the NHS is very busy. But I went to see my GP and they said I did the right thing coming in to be checked.
” I’m glad you came to see me you shouldn’t ever feel embarrassed talking about your symptoms this is the way I can find out if you might have a problem if you are having “.
Problems when you go to the toilet? You are absolutely right to go and talk to your GP.
Blood in your poo, changes in your bowel habits, or if you lose weight suddenly – all these could all be early signs of a problem with your bowel.
And if you have regular stomach pain or lumps there, or you feel really tired, these are also possible signs that something might be wrong.
Because of recent research doctors and surgeons know much more about bowel cancer, and having this information has helped to develop ways of treating you based on the tumour you have. So you receive tailored treatment that is specifically best for you.
All of your results are gathered together so the specialist doctors will have all the information needed for all of us to discuss the right treatments for you at the right time.
After I saw my GP i was given an appointment at my local hospital where they did some tests. It felt a bit strange talking about things like bowel habits, but the doctor was very understanding, so I felt I was being listened to the hospital doctor said a team of health care specialists will be working together to treat me.
The specialists said they would discuss the results of the tests, and their team would consider the treatment options that are available for me, and which they would recommend. The doctor called this team discussion their ‘
I was given the opportunity to share any of my worries about my treatment because it’s important that I have my say in how and when I am treated.
I will then have an appointment with my hospital doctor to discuss the results of the multi-disciplinary team meeting, all the options for treatment and what they think we should do next.
I will also give my opinion on what would work best for me, and so with the help of the team of doctors we can decide what treatment is best for me.
If you have received a bowel cancer diagnosis and would like to learn more about the proposed prevail approach to treatment please watch our video on the prevail approach improving patient experience and outcomes in bowel cancer this video has been sponsored by Red Trouser Day.
