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Fit test score 396.8

Sarah92
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Hello. 

I have had PR bleeding and abdominal pain and lost almost 4 stone, all getting worse for around 4 months.

3 weeks ago I went to the GP regarding my symptoms, I put it off for a while as I have a long complicated medical history, including lupus overlap disease, FND and have previously had a hysterectomy for endocervical adenocarcinoma along with a history of endometriosis and adenomyosis. So I didn't want to go and it be put down to anything pre-existing.

I previously went to university to study medicine however had to leave due to my health, so I feel silly I put this off.

So I eventually went and the GP sent me for blood tests, a faecal calprotectin and a FIT test.

The fit test came back positive, and they called me the next day after the positive came back to book me in with the colorectal consultant, I went to the appointment yesterday and asked what my levels were and they said they were 396.8, I asked if it was correct that the scope is 2 to 400 and >10 is what's deemed positive and he confirmed that's correct, and he has booked me in for several tests as a "P1" urgent, he asked if I had any questions, I said no. 

I guess I was in a daze and now I don't know why I didn't ask more questions, from my basic knowledge from university I know those figures aren't good. 

But now I am wishing I asked what those figures mean and the percentage/likelihood of them finding something. 

The way I process things is I always need to know the worst case scenario and prepare as any better news is a bonus to me. 

My partner is trying his best and tells me to be positive and I know he is trying to help but my head us spinning and I need to know the figures/percentage to prepare myself. 

I just want to be told straight, the waiting and positive thoughts is just too much for me. 

Please help.

  • Hello Sarah92.

    Thanks for getting in touch. My name is Joanne and I’m one of the Macmillan cancer information nurses.

    I’m sorry to hear that you are facing ongoing uncertainty and worry after receiving your FIT test results and having your consultant appointment.

    I can see that you have joined our Bowel cancer forum and you may also want to have a look at the Worried about bowel cancer forum at Bowel Cancer UK .

    As nurses on the support line, as we don’t have access to your healthcare records, we are unable to give an indication of what this result means for you as an individual but I thought that it might be useful to share some further information on the risk factors for developing bowel cancer.

    You could consider getting back in touch with the consultant that you saw – you can contact his secretary via the hospital switchboard and ask if you could speak to him again or send an email with the questions that you have.

    Most consultants will be happy to do this as there is an awareness than an initial consultation can be overwhelming and leave you with further questions.

    I hope that this information on Understanding your FIT test result. is also useful.

    A positive FIT test itself does not mean that you have bowel cancer but is used to detect blood in stools which normally cannot be seen visually. A positive result will mean that you will then undergo further tests and investigations to identify the cause of the bleeding.

    Whilst the presence of blood can be a symptom of bowel cancer, this blood may also be due to non-cancerous conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, haemorrhoids (piles) and stomach ulcers.

    An urgent Colonoscopy is usually carried out next. This enables the doctors to examine the bowel and take samples of tissue (biopsy) from any areas that appear abnormal. These samples then need to be examined for any signs of cancerous cells, or to confirm the presence of pre-cancerous conditions such as bowel polyps.

    Abnormal areas of tissue may also be due to infection or inflammation.

    You may also be referred for further tests at this stage depending on the outcome of the colonoscopy.

    All the information from these tests is needed to confirm a diagnosis of bowel cancer before any treatment options would be planned and this whole process can take a number of weeks to complete.

    We all deal with uncertainty and The worry of waiting in different ways.

    It is very normal to imagine some of the worst-case scenarios and is something that many people will do when facing further tests which may result in a cancer diagnosis.

    The support of friends and family with some positivity and reassurance can help you to balance these worst-case scenario thoughts but it’s also important that you are able to access further sources of support as you need to such as this information on dealing with the emotional impact of health issues.

    It can also be useful to chat things through with one of our nurses and you can do this by phone or webchat.

    I hope this information is helpful at this time  - please do let us know if there is anything else we can chat through.

    Kind Regards

    Joanne

    Ref JH/UH

     

    Joanne H - Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

    Remember you can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 00 00 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or by email.

      

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