would you be concerned that these symptoms may be colon cancer?

beacon
beacon Member Posts: 77
edited March 2014 in Colorectal Cancer #1
hi

this website is a great resource, and having had malignant basal cell on my neck at only 30 (diagnosed by myself and fobbed off by doctors until i went and paid privately to see a skin cancer specialist!) i am very aware that signs and symptoms that hang around and can be easily ignored by patient or doctor ,can sometimes turn ominous if not looked into. also my husband had a mildly dysplastic adenonema found in his colon by chance after a doctor sent him to a specialist, which also lead to him hassling his mother to have one (a 20 year survivor or cancer of the appendix after removal and chemo, coincidentally found by chance also after the surgeon removed her appendix while doing a hysterectomy due to having a (sic) hydataform mole)
and in doing so she was found to have a polyp as well, that was not yet cancerous, but well on its way to being...so i really believe in being vigilant...sorry for the rambling...

what leads me to post, is being worried about a friend...
he has symptoms that he has being suffering from for some time, and he and the doctors are just waffling around...i have an urgent sense that i can't shake, that he needs to ask the doctor to check for any signs of bowel cancer...
i don't know all the details but what i know is as follows:
he has suffered from severe constipation for years,to the point he has had to use stool softeners to pass a stool, sometimes only once a week with pain and bleeding.
in the last 3 years, they have switched to pretty much a vegan whole food diet (eating meat only rarely) for health reasons and his stools have improved, although he sometimes has bouts of diarrea and constipation (although he thinks theres nothing worrisome about that)
he has had hemmoroids cauterised before (sorry about the spelling).
he has very low ferritin levels (about 20 i think) which is the first thing that panicked me, as there is not a really good reason for MEN to have really low ferritin, and it sparked the thought to me of long term slow bloodloss from somewhere .he fobs off the ferritin as being normal, because he rides his bike alot and he read on the internet that atheletes can have low ferritin.(but in my view, although he is active enough, he's certainly not an athlete!)
he is UNUSUALLY TIRED all the time, although he gets plenty of sleep (probably due to the ferritin levels) from what he said his hemoglobin is ok, although i don't know the numbers.
he was complaining of getting lymph nodes going up and down periodically in his upper body.
i think he asked about the "c" word once and the doctor said it couldn't be, as if he had cancer of the colon it would be the groin lymph nodes that swell up and not the upper body's.
i think thats daft for the gp to say that!
what if he did in fact have colon cancer that has spread to the lungs?

they think maybe he has an infection, and ran a basic blood test that they said was fine,then sent him for a chest x-ray. he hasn't got results for that yet.

they are expecting a baby in the next week, and i don't want to worry them unduly, but i do know that bowel caner is often not found till too late ans doctors or patients brush off the symptoms, and they have been casually poking around for months and months so far.and he has had years of constipation, etc problems.
i told them casually about my husband and how he had a polyp found that most likely would have turned into cancer if left undiscovered, and how a colonoscopy caught it and dealt with it, and maybe he should ask to have one too, just to rule it out .(my husband had no symtoms however, just a prolapsed mucosa) his wife asked me the other day about my dh, and mentioned that he didn't have any of the symtoms her dh had, and i wanted to say, thats because my husband didn't have bowel cancer, but i'm worried yours might...make him go and get checked and push for it!
but i can't say that, as i'm not a doctor and they have a baby due in a week and i don't want to cause a storm in a tea cup about nothing....but the nagging worry remains...i have casually mentioned about asking for a screening for bowel cancer, just to rule it out and he became a little tetchy...so firstly, do you think there is cause to look for bowel cancer with what i have described, and secondly, how can i gently steer them to confront the idea of looking for possible cancer, without upsetting them too much and having them hate me for suggesting it?
i know some people can't deal with things head on like this, but if it is cancer, and i stay quiet, it may be too late by the time its diagnosed.
members of my husband family have survived cancer/died from cancer, so i do think about it a bit, and don't want my own slight paranoia to take over, but as i said, i got an urgent feeling about it, and i didn't know what else to do, but maybe ask if some others here could guide me, or put my mind at reat with other suggestions of what it may be instead?

thanks for reading my question, and also for sharing your stories and providing a resource that will maybe help others find something at an earlier stage.

K
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Comments

  • PhillieG
    PhillieG Member Posts: 4,866 Member
    YES
    I'd get it checked out
  • usakat
    usakat Member Posts: 610 Member
    Whew...
    Hello Beacon ~

    Yes, early diagnosis is often a key factor in treatment and survivability, so encouraging everyone to be proactive in their health maintenance is certainly a good thing. However, people will ultimately have to make their OWN choices of how to pursue their OWN good health, whether it be making healthy choices or seeking medical treatment - no amount of pleading, nagging, begging will push the unwilling to a colonoscopy - getting a colonoscopy is not exactly like getting a nice spa treatment...a soothing massage or a rejuvinating facial.

    You can check out the ACS information about colon cancer - symptoms, risk factors, screening guidelines and more....click on the link below. You can then share this information with your friends.

    ACS Colorectal Cancer Information

    Seems to me you are a very good friend to have - a friend who truly cares...

    Katie
  • snommintj
    snommintj Member Posts: 601
    usakat said:

    Whew...
    Hello Beacon ~

    Yes, early diagnosis is often a key factor in treatment and survivability, so encouraging everyone to be proactive in their health maintenance is certainly a good thing. However, people will ultimately have to make their OWN choices of how to pursue their OWN good health, whether it be making healthy choices or seeking medical treatment - no amount of pleading, nagging, begging will push the unwilling to a colonoscopy - getting a colonoscopy is not exactly like getting a nice spa treatment...a soothing massage or a rejuvinating facial.

    You can check out the ACS information about colon cancer - symptoms, risk factors, screening guidelines and more....click on the link below. You can then share this information with your friends.

    ACS Colorectal Cancer Information

    Seems to me you are a very good friend to have - a friend who truly cares...

    Katie

    my new rule for friends
    I ask everyone I care about if they have blood in their poo, or if it is dark. I don't think this would go over well if I weren't sick. Everyone seems to get into the conversation though. If they say yes, I give them my doctors name and harass them until they go see the Dr. Your friend has blood in his stool. He needs to get checked.
  • vinny3
    vinny3 Member Posts: 928 Member
    friend
    I would be concerned that he has a problem without a diagnosis. The low ferritin level is more of a concern in a man. Besides the basic blood count he should have a chemistry panel (liver, kidney, blood sugar etc) and a blood test for the thyroid. He also needs a colonoscopy but, unfortunately, he can't be forced. I had hemorrhoids for years too but one time the bleeding was from rectal cancer rather than the hemorrhoids.

    You are a great friend. ****
  • NWGirl
    NWGirl Member Posts: 122 Member
    Worth a talk with your friend
    I would start out the conversation by telling your friend the reason you are bringing this up is because you care about her/her husband and you don't want to see him suffer unnecessarily. The only sure way to know if he has colon cancer is a colonoscopy. BUT - this can also reveal other problems with the colon if they are there - diverticulitis, crohn's, ulcerative colitis to name a few. Let her know that something other than cancer could be causing his symptoms - but whatever it is, if it's in the colon, the scope will tell the doctor what's going on and he can get treated. And if the scope is clear, it means the problems are likely being caused elsewhere in his system - so they'd be one step closer to figuring out what's wrong with him.

    Assure her that a colonoscopy is done under sedation and he will feel NO PAIN.

    Beyond that, I'm afraid I agree with Katie - you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Ultimately this is between your friend and her husband and it is up to them to push for a colonoscopy or to let it go. I know this must be hard for you as you obviously care a great deal about these people. But if you have a serious conversation with her over this, then you've planted the seed and she knows she can talk to you about it and that you are there to support them.
  • usakat
    usakat Member Posts: 610 Member
    snommintj said:

    my new rule for friends
    I ask everyone I care about if they have blood in their poo, or if it is dark. I don't think this would go over well if I weren't sick. Everyone seems to get into the conversation though. If they say yes, I give them my doctors name and harass them until they go see the Dr. Your friend has blood in his stool. He needs to get checked.

    "Everything comes down to poo!"
    Doo Doo Doo Doo....

    Scrubs Poo Song

    Check the poo....

    Beacon - Your friend at the very least could get a simple and easy test at his doctor's office called a Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) to check for blood in the stool - a classic symptom of colon problems, especially colorectal cancer.
  • ldot123
    ldot123 Member Posts: 272
    NWGirl said:

    Worth a talk with your friend
    I would start out the conversation by telling your friend the reason you are bringing this up is because you care about her/her husband and you don't want to see him suffer unnecessarily. The only sure way to know if he has colon cancer is a colonoscopy. BUT - this can also reveal other problems with the colon if they are there - diverticulitis, crohn's, ulcerative colitis to name a few. Let her know that something other than cancer could be causing his symptoms - but whatever it is, if it's in the colon, the scope will tell the doctor what's going on and he can get treated. And if the scope is clear, it means the problems are likely being caused elsewhere in his system - so they'd be one step closer to figuring out what's wrong with him.

    Assure her that a colonoscopy is done under sedation and he will feel NO PAIN.

    Beyond that, I'm afraid I agree with Katie - you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink. Ultimately this is between your friend and her husband and it is up to them to push for a colonoscopy or to let it go. I know this must be hard for you as you obviously care a great deal about these people. But if you have a serious conversation with her over this, then you've planted the seed and she knows she can talk to you about it and that you are there to support them.

    Get it Checked
    Go ahead and have them get at least a Fecal Occult Blood Test (which I had and led to a colonoscopy which led to the cancer diagnoses) I probably should have had a colonoscopy years ago. So yes have them check it out.

    Cheers, Lance
  • kmygil
    kmygil Member Posts: 876 Member
    FOR SURE!
    The symptoms I had came on so gradually that I hardly noticed except when I got to going to the bathroom only once or twice a week. Even that I fobbed off on bad diet, low water intake and no exercise. I went for a colonoscopy because there is colon cancer in my family, and guess what? Yep, there was cancer. I was very lucky, because I could have gone a lot longer just dealing with constipation and periodical dumping.

    I would speak frankly with your friend. There is no age, sex, ethnic, religious or other discrimination by this beast. Just ask him to go, if only to put YOUR mind at rest. He can not resent you caring about him and his family.

    Kirsten
  • beacon
    beacon Member Posts: 77
    snommintj said:

    my new rule for friends
    I ask everyone I care about if they have blood in their poo, or if it is dark. I don't think this would go over well if I weren't sick. Everyone seems to get into the conversation though. If they say yes, I give them my doctors name and harass them until they go see the Dr. Your friend has blood in his stool. He needs to get checked.

    how do you know the
    how do you know the difference between blood *in* your poo or blood that is on the outside of your poo from passing past a hemmoroid or fissure???

    and when you say *dark* poo...what do you mean?
    as, from personal experience poo chages colour depending on what i eat, for example, much greener with lots of raw greens, redder with tomatoe based meals or chocolate brown pellets when i am dehydrated (sorry for the graphics!) i have also seen it black coloured when taking iron tabs,so when blood is present in the stool from a bleeding cancer, what would you expect it to look like?

    i too (like most of the population i have come to believe) had once weekly,bowel habits with bleeding from a fissure and internal hemmoroids , even as a teen and thought i was dying from bowel cancer after blood sprayed the bowl after a difficult bowel movement...mum told me not to worry, as i was probably too far gone if that was the case and laughed it off, but fortunately, i now eat a largely wholefood plant based diet and drink plenty of water, so the hemmroids are not *active* now as my bowel movements are regular and soft..what we call in our household *mcdougall poo* after dr john mcdougall whos diet we follow! :)

    i think most people have no idea what is normal until they realise they are not...
    i also only realised that my sister is high risk for bowel cancer after reading this forum (she has crohn's disease)
    my husband feels a little uncomfortable with me upsetting them with the impeding baby coming and all, but if the symptoms he has are due to colon cancer, and not something benign ,he doesn't have time to waste.
    i don't understand how his doctor is not alarmed by his symptoms?
    if i was a doctor, i think i would look for the worst and work my way back from there, rather than phaffing about wasting time sending people away and telling them to come back in a few weeks if they are still experiencing symptoms...
    in the end, i fear it is all down to money, and they send you away and hope for the best rather than waste money on tests...

    my husband had had two colonoscopies now and said they weren't all that bad..just a little uncomfortable..

    is there a site that describes EARLY signs and symptoms i could look at?
    the ACS doesn't seem to have a symtom checker kind of thing...
  • usakat
    usakat Member Posts: 610 Member
    beacon said:

    how do you know the
    how do you know the difference between blood *in* your poo or blood that is on the outside of your poo from passing past a hemmoroid or fissure???

    and when you say *dark* poo...what do you mean?
    as, from personal experience poo chages colour depending on what i eat, for example, much greener with lots of raw greens, redder with tomatoe based meals or chocolate brown pellets when i am dehydrated (sorry for the graphics!) i have also seen it black coloured when taking iron tabs,so when blood is present in the stool from a bleeding cancer, what would you expect it to look like?

    i too (like most of the population i have come to believe) had once weekly,bowel habits with bleeding from a fissure and internal hemmoroids , even as a teen and thought i was dying from bowel cancer after blood sprayed the bowl after a difficult bowel movement...mum told me not to worry, as i was probably too far gone if that was the case and laughed it off, but fortunately, i now eat a largely wholefood plant based diet and drink plenty of water, so the hemmroids are not *active* now as my bowel movements are regular and soft..what we call in our household *mcdougall poo* after dr john mcdougall whos diet we follow! :)

    i think most people have no idea what is normal until they realise they are not...
    i also only realised that my sister is high risk for bowel cancer after reading this forum (she has crohn's disease)
    my husband feels a little uncomfortable with me upsetting them with the impeding baby coming and all, but if the symptoms he has are due to colon cancer, and not something benign ,he doesn't have time to waste.
    i don't understand how his doctor is not alarmed by his symptoms?
    if i was a doctor, i think i would look for the worst and work my way back from there, rather than phaffing about wasting time sending people away and telling them to come back in a few weeks if they are still experiencing symptoms...
    in the end, i fear it is all down to money, and they send you away and hope for the best rather than waste money on tests...

    my husband had had two colonoscopies now and said they weren't all that bad..just a little uncomfortable..

    is there a site that describes EARLY signs and symptoms i could look at?
    the ACS doesn't seem to have a symtom checker kind of thing...

    Sometimes there are NO symptoms....
    ...but check out this link:

    WebMD Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer

    As for me, I had several bouts of bright red blood in massive amounts - turned the toilet water bright red. However, sometimes, actually most times, the evidence is not quite that obvious. I think most folks, especially the younger folks, have a variety of symptoms that lead to them getting checked out.

    The best thing you can do for your friend, is to gather information, share it with him, and then let him decide. It may take him a litte while to let the information sink in and then take appropriate action - he has bigger issues on his mind with a baby on the way.
  • beacon
    beacon Member Posts: 77
    usakat said:

    Sometimes there are NO symptoms....
    ...but check out this link:

    WebMD Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer

    As for me, I had several bouts of bright red blood in massive amounts - turned the toilet water bright red. However, sometimes, actually most times, the evidence is not quite that obvious. I think most folks, especially the younger folks, have a variety of symptoms that lead to them getting checked out.

    The best thing you can do for your friend, is to gather information, share it with him, and then let him decide. It may take him a litte while to let the information sink in and then take appropriate action - he has bigger issues on his mind with a baby on the way.

    if it is colon cancer with
    if it is colon cancer with the sypmtoms i describe, ie lymph nodes swelling up periodically in the upper body, and extreme fatigue and all the bowel stuff etc....would it be curable?

    i'm worried i'll push him to get tested, and it is advanced :(

    i know he's got a baby coming, but it may not have daddy if he ignores it for months...
  • usakat
    usakat Member Posts: 610 Member
    beacon said:

    if it is colon cancer with
    if it is colon cancer with the sypmtoms i describe, ie lymph nodes swelling up periodically in the upper body, and extreme fatigue and all the bowel stuff etc....would it be curable?

    i'm worried i'll push him to get tested, and it is advanced :(

    i know he's got a baby coming, but it may not have daddy if he ignores it for months...

    Only a DOCTOR can answer that....
    ....and only after fully checking him out with diagnostic tests - colonoscopy, CT scan, biopsies, etc...
  • This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • beacon
    beacon Member Posts: 77
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    thank you all, for your
    thank you all, for your replies and information.
    it has also made me feel like i'm not some crazy health nut and have a valid concern...when it was my skin cancer i approached the doctor about, i was belittled and scolded for wasting a precious doctors appt for a "flaky patch of dry skin" and sent home with a booklet called "i feel sick-when should i call the doctor?" designed by the NHS to educate patients about what is worth making a doctors appt for, and what is wasting the health systems resources (such as going to the doctors for a common cold).
    i KNEW from my research on the net that i most likely had a basal cell carcinoma,but it was definately dodgy, but the doctor seemed to be miffed that i knew more about skin cancer than he did, and dismissed my worries. he refused to send me for any further investigation, so i waited until i visited family in australia, and went to a skin cancer clinic to get diagnosed, and brought the pathology report back to the uk on my return to get treatment, which was photodynamic therapy, and was successful.but i was only offered that after asking if i could have that instead of cuterage and cautery, or an excision, as it was in a highly visible place and i am young and vain (well, i didn't want a massive scar).
    i also did a lot of reading after my husband had a polyp found do i knew what sort it was and what we were dealing with, to ask the right questions to the specialist (can\t remember what they're called ,but my dh calls him the bum doctor:) ) and this time the specialist was impressed that someone took an interest in their own families health instead of just going along blindly...
    so i know alot of doctors just really fob people off, or seem to get ticked off if you pip them to the post and guess the diagnosis before they do, and it really worries me that my friends doctor dismissed the possibility of bowel cancer/problems so swiftly and is looking for a chest infection or some other crap!
    in the uk ,you are assigned a gp, so what can he do if he tries to push for testing and she still dismisses his worries?
    what is the best way to convince a doctor to do the tests you want?
  • beacon said:

    thank you all, for your
    thank you all, for your replies and information.
    it has also made me feel like i'm not some crazy health nut and have a valid concern...when it was my skin cancer i approached the doctor about, i was belittled and scolded for wasting a precious doctors appt for a "flaky patch of dry skin" and sent home with a booklet called "i feel sick-when should i call the doctor?" designed by the NHS to educate patients about what is worth making a doctors appt for, and what is wasting the health systems resources (such as going to the doctors for a common cold).
    i KNEW from my research on the net that i most likely had a basal cell carcinoma,but it was definately dodgy, but the doctor seemed to be miffed that i knew more about skin cancer than he did, and dismissed my worries. he refused to send me for any further investigation, so i waited until i visited family in australia, and went to a skin cancer clinic to get diagnosed, and brought the pathology report back to the uk on my return to get treatment, which was photodynamic therapy, and was successful.but i was only offered that after asking if i could have that instead of cuterage and cautery, or an excision, as it was in a highly visible place and i am young and vain (well, i didn't want a massive scar).
    i also did a lot of reading after my husband had a polyp found do i knew what sort it was and what we were dealing with, to ask the right questions to the specialist (can\t remember what they're called ,but my dh calls him the bum doctor:) ) and this time the specialist was impressed that someone took an interest in their own families health instead of just going along blindly...
    so i know alot of doctors just really fob people off, or seem to get ticked off if you pip them to the post and guess the diagnosis before they do, and it really worries me that my friends doctor dismissed the possibility of bowel cancer/problems so swiftly and is looking for a chest infection or some other crap!
    in the uk ,you are assigned a gp, so what can he do if he tries to push for testing and she still dismisses his worries?
    what is the best way to convince a doctor to do the tests you want?

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator
  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member
    snommintj said:

    my new rule for friends
    I ask everyone I care about if they have blood in their poo, or if it is dark. I don't think this would go over well if I weren't sick. Everyone seems to get into the conversation though. If they say yes, I give them my doctors name and harass them until they go see the Dr. Your friend has blood in his stool. He needs to get checked.

    Hahaha!
    I'm so with you there! I recommend colonoscopies to everyone! I have an Internet business, and on the bottom of every page is the colorectal blue star, and underneath it reads, "Colonoscopies are no big deal...Cancer is! Get screened!". After having half a dozen doctors tell me it was "very unlikely" to be cancer because i was young, and regardless of my symptoms, and ending up a stage III because of it, i push colonoscopies everywhere. One little scope up the butt that you barely feel, and most likely won't remember, verses rectal exams forever, and never being able to poop right again!

    Go ahead and tell him to get a colonoscopy!

    Many hugs,
    Krista
  • kristasplace
    kristasplace Member Posts: 957 Member
    vinny3 said:

    friend
    I would be concerned that he has a problem without a diagnosis. The low ferritin level is more of a concern in a man. Besides the basic blood count he should have a chemistry panel (liver, kidney, blood sugar etc) and a blood test for the thyroid. He also needs a colonoscopy but, unfortunately, he can't be forced. I had hemorrhoids for years too but one time the bleeding was from rectal cancer rather than the hemorrhoids.

    You are a great friend. ****

    Hey Vinny3!
    I've been asking about you!! I know i haven't been posting much, but i haven't seen you around whenever i come read. How have you been??
  • beacon
    beacon Member Posts: 77
    unknown said:

    This comment has been removed by the Moderator

    hi all
    my friend got his

    hi all

    my friend got his results back from having his ferratin retested after 3 MONTHS of supplement, and THE LEVELS HAVEN'T CHANGED!

    its still the same level as it was 3 months ago!

    so i asked him what his doctors thought about that, as i was certainly hearing major alarm bells that a 35 yr old male that has been taking iron supplements for so long has had no rise in iron levels....

    their advice and opinion was JUST TO KEEP TAKING IRON SUPPLEMENTS THEN AND IT WILL GO BACK UP!
    my god!
    what sort of monkeys do we have here in the uk!

    so anyway, he is now open to hearing some advice, and asked me some stuff and what he should push to get done...
    i suggested the FOC test and a colonoscopy?
    i did mention that if there is a cancer the foc test can still miss it if it isn't bleeding at the time of the stool sample.

    it doesn't sound like his doctor has even a marble for a brain, so how can he make sure he gets the outcome he wants when he goes back in and asks for tests for cancer on thursday?
    remember, this is the tight fisted nhs that we are talking about, who seem to give you no testing unless you come in half dead already!
    i have a number of links i have found on the internet from medical type sources for doctors suggesting investigations if patient presents with xyz etc, that i thought maybe he could print out to take in as ammo for the doctor, so she knows hes informed, and if it was me i would also tell the doctor that i am noting down what actions i am asking her to take and if she refuses to send me for tests and it turns out down the track i have xyz which was not picked up as she refused me testing, i will take appropriate legal action! (is that a bad thing to tell a doctor?)

    it seems anyway, that my friend is now open to the possibility that something may be lurking and needs to be investigated, so now he just has to convince the doctors of the same, o any suggestions as to how to get the nhs to comply, and where to go if they still refuse to send you for tests ,that would be great.

    also, is it a good idea, or a bad idea to send him links of things i have found ?
    on the one hand, they are rather frightening, as he fits the bill for some of the stuff, and i don't want to cause undue stress (particulary as some of it talks about ADVANCED staged etc symptoms, and i don't him to assume hes dying from cancer) but on the other hand, if the doctor sees that material she may be more inclined to take him seriously and the penny may drop with her too...

    thanks for your time..
  • beacon
    beacon Member Posts: 77
    beacon said:

    hi all
    my friend got his

    hi all

    my friend got his results back from having his ferratin retested after 3 MONTHS of supplement, and THE LEVELS HAVEN'T CHANGED!

    its still the same level as it was 3 months ago!

    so i asked him what his doctors thought about that, as i was certainly hearing major alarm bells that a 35 yr old male that has been taking iron supplements for so long has had no rise in iron levels....

    their advice and opinion was JUST TO KEEP TAKING IRON SUPPLEMENTS THEN AND IT WILL GO BACK UP!
    my god!
    what sort of monkeys do we have here in the uk!

    so anyway, he is now open to hearing some advice, and asked me some stuff and what he should push to get done...
    i suggested the FOC test and a colonoscopy?
    i did mention that if there is a cancer the foc test can still miss it if it isn't bleeding at the time of the stool sample.

    it doesn't sound like his doctor has even a marble for a brain, so how can he make sure he gets the outcome he wants when he goes back in and asks for tests for cancer on thursday?
    remember, this is the tight fisted nhs that we are talking about, who seem to give you no testing unless you come in half dead already!
    i have a number of links i have found on the internet from medical type sources for doctors suggesting investigations if patient presents with xyz etc, that i thought maybe he could print out to take in as ammo for the doctor, so she knows hes informed, and if it was me i would also tell the doctor that i am noting down what actions i am asking her to take and if she refuses to send me for tests and it turns out down the track i have xyz which was not picked up as she refused me testing, i will take appropriate legal action! (is that a bad thing to tell a doctor?)

    it seems anyway, that my friend is now open to the possibility that something may be lurking and needs to be investigated, so now he just has to convince the doctors of the same, o any suggestions as to how to get the nhs to comply, and where to go if they still refuse to send you for tests ,that would be great.

    also, is it a good idea, or a bad idea to send him links of things i have found ?
    on the one hand, they are rather frightening, as he fits the bill for some of the stuff, and i don't want to cause undue stress (particulary as some of it talks about ADVANCED staged etc symptoms, and i don't him to assume hes dying from cancer) but on the other hand, if the doctor sees that material she may be more inclined to take him seriously and the penny may drop with her too...

    thanks for your time..

    any ideas?

    any ideas?
  • msccolon
    msccolon Member Posts: 1,917 Member
    beacon said:

    any ideas?

    any ideas?

    my thoughts
    I think that if it looks like a monkey and sounds like a monkey, it might be a monkey. Being afraid that not only might he have cancer but that it is at an advanced stage already should make it more imperative that you get him to understand your concern and he get to a doctor soonest! Ignoring cancer doesn't make it go away, and if it ISN'T cancer, he can get some intervention to fix whatever ails him! And he will be ever so grateful that it isn't cancer and that you cared about him enough to get him in to insist he be checked out! Even other intestinal issues such as ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis and Crohn's can be VERY serious and be just as dangerous to one's health; my sister has ulcerative colitis and wound up in the hospital. Had my mother not insisted she go to the hospital she wouldn't still be with us today.
    mary