My poo saved my life - Michelle Love's true story
I will always and forever be grateful for my chance…
“We have had a surprise result”, the consultant started, looking at me staight in the eyes. “You have bowel cancer”. I can’t even describe how those words on that sunny day last December screamed through every cell in my body, my smile literally fell through the floor and I knew from that moment my life was about to change significantly.
I had turned 56 last August and received an invitation to take part in the ‘Bowel Cancer Screening’ programme (the national age for an invitation had been lowered to 56). I was reluctant to complete the bowel cancer testing kit that arrived in the post shortly afterwards because I had no symptoms. The home test was just to simply collect one teeny weeny sample of poo using a little plastic stick that was provided. I popped it in the sample bottle and posted it back free of charge. My test result came through my letterbox within days and identified a need (there was blood in my poo, not visble to my eye) for further testing which resulted in an appointment with a nurse in the Endoscopy Department at UHCW who talked me through the various investigatory options. I was booked in for a colonoscopy in early December. The colonoscopy found a number of tiny polyps (small growths), two of which were removed then and there which is fairly normal, and sent for biopsies although it was thought they were probably benign.
The consultant who gave me the “oh my god, am I going to die” news in December spent considerable time with me going through the scenarios and “what next”. Although the cancerous polyp had been removed during the colonoscopy, it was with a techically involved margin which meant further tests and surgery.
I couldn’t take the news in - this surely couldn’t be happening to me, I literally swayed between a million emotions; horror, fear, rage, sadness, positivity, strength and being very, very scared. Other than my husband, I didn’t know who to tell or how to tell my family. It was four days before Christmas - what a Christmas present!
I had an MRI and a CT scan the day before New Years Eve, the results of which showed the fabulous news that there was no evidence of disease elsewhere, I am sure I told my consultant that I loved him (oh no) on this phone call and I floated in gratitude for days! I was referred to a colorectal surgeon for a consultation to discuss my options and it was agreed that I would have a surgical procedure, a re-excision of the cancerous polyp site. This surgery took place in early February. I truly am one of the luckiest ladies alive, the resulting procedure confirmed the amazing news that my body is currently showing no evidence of disease - my cancer was caught early due to the bowel screening programme.
I am now on an ongoing surveillance plan, with regular scans and tests. I know I am not ‘out of the woods’ totally, there is a 92-93% chance my bowel cancer will NOT come back.
I wanted to share my personal story with you, as a reminder that we should all be grateful for chances that we are given to check our health status. My treatment and the care by the NHS team at Coventry and Rugby was just out of this world; a first class service.
I wouldn’t have known I had bowel cancer if I hadn’t been invited to take the test, which has probably saved my life.
Cancer does not discriminate.
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK. However, the number of people dying has fallen in recent decades, with earlier diagnosis being the key. Yet still, the latest data shows that almost one third of people who were sent an NHS bowel cancer screening kit in England last year did not go on to complete it. The NHS bowel cancer screening kit detects signs of cancer before you notice anything wrong. Detecting bowel cancer at the earliest stage makes you up to 9 times more likely to be successfully treated. So if you’re aged 56 (60 in some areas) to 74 and registered with a GP practice, you’ll be sent a kit in the post automatically, every two years. Please take action. Blood in your poo is one of the signs of bowel cancer, but can also be a sign of piles or polyps. Polyps are not cancer but could develop into cancer over time.
I will always and forever be grateful for my chance and I am even more determined to squeeze every bit of zest out of life. Love to everyone that has supported me.
“I will always and forever be grateful for my chance and I am even more determined to squeeze every bit of zest out of life. Love to everyone that has supported me.”