blood loss

trca

Hi and welcome to the online community and the bowel group, I'm very sorry that you've had to join us because of the complications found when your husband had a colonoscopy and endoscopy and finding he had colon cancer.

When an operation is planned the medical team need to be satisfied that the patient is fit to be operated on and obviously being anaemic can be a problem in an operation as it could mean a blood transfusion being needed during the procedure and apart from the risks in the operating room it can also delay recovery

The pre op assessment today was the final checks to make sure he was fit for the operation and as his heart started to race whilst doing the bike this would also be a concern.

Yes it is normal for the operation to be cancelled until the anaemia and the cause is sorted out and he may need some more tests to get everything sorted out (anaemia is when there is not enough red blood cells to meet the body's needs) Once the tests are complete he may need an iron supplement or further blood transfusions and possibly a review of his diet. It is important that the cause of the anaemia is established and treatment started before he can be put forward for his bowel surgery in the future.

Hopefully all will be sorted out very quickly.

If you would like to ask one of our specialist nurses a question you can do this by posting it on the Ask a Nurse page. They can answer general questions but can't give specific diagnosis but they will be able to give you advice.

Please keep in touch with us and keep us updated on the progress of your husband and if you need to know anything about the proposed surgery or what happens afterwards we are here to help and support you with advice when you need it.

Ian 

Hi trca, sorry you are going through this. As always, very good advice from

I would just like to add that the anaemia is probably due to the colon cancer. They bleed in small amounts for quite a time, without it being noticed. The racing heart is probably caused by the anaemia. They have to do further investigations to be sure, and get him fit for surgery. The delay will not be critical. As Bodach says, they are making sure he is safe. Good luck to both of you