With a recent family history of cancer ( Mother & Sister ) originating in the colon/bowel, I today as part of the National screening programme have had a second Hospital procedure carried out over the last three weeks. The screening is automatically sent out to you once you attain 55 and could save you from future misery. In my family case the screening wasn't applicable or even available as both parties were in their mid/late forties and diagnosis came to late for survival and cancer spread to other major organs.
I my self may have been fortunate and appears that my diagnosis of colon/bowel polyps may have been caught just in time and biopsy's so far show the growths to be benign and now await results of the 2nd biopsy's taken, also I have to repeat the screening in a years time and if clear may be able to go to bi-annual screening. Polyp's are like skin tags that grow on the soft walls of the bowel/colon right up to the appendix area, in time if undetected they can and in cases will develop in to malignant cells and then the cells spread to other organs.
So if you are of the age and invited to be screened the process is worthwhile and in most cases not necessary but can put any concerns to bed.
If you have a near family relative who has been diagnosed then you can jump the screening age of 55 and opt for a referral via your GP, also another factor of polyps or bowel/colon issues is change in toiletry habits (esp blood deposits) that aren't a one off . Blood deposits are or can be from larger formed polyps growths which is advisable to act on.
I my self may have been fortunate and appears that my diagnosis of colon/bowel polyps may have been caught just in time and biopsy's so far show the growths to be benign and now await results of the 2nd biopsy's taken, also I have to repeat the screening in a years time and if clear may be able to go to bi-annual screening. Polyp's are like skin tags that grow on the soft walls of the bowel/colon right up to the appendix area, in time if undetected they can and in cases will develop in to malignant cells and then the cells spread to other organs.
So if you are of the age and invited to be screened the process is worthwhile and in most cases not necessary but can put any concerns to bed.
If you have a near family relative who has been diagnosed then you can jump the screening age of 55 and opt for a referral via your GP, also another factor of polyps or bowel/colon issues is change in toiletry habits (esp blood deposits) that aren't a one off . Blood deposits are or can be from larger formed polyps growths which is advisable to act on.
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