Cancer Spread

Honestly.  I think most of us have experienced those thoughts . It’s the route anxiety takes us . However I don’t think it’s usually the speed of spread they would anticipate happening . Certainly with my mum these situations were part of it and not much changed waiting on treatment . In fact her oncologist told her to go and have a holiday .

Take care ,

Court 

Hi Court!

Thanks again. I'm just so scared its spread within that time. Its only been 2 weeks but feels like an eternity!! He see's the oncologist on Thursday this week. I really hope and pray that they will be able to do something for him. Surgeon has said that the cancer is slow growing but I'm scared the oncologist will say different as he's the one that arranges the treatment. My anxiety as you may guess is through the roof and into outer space and it's only Monday. My imagination is just running away with me now. Take Care.

Vicky 

My husband was diagnosed with colon cancer in December after complaining to his GP for 10 weeks that he was constipated and having abdominal pain, for them to tell him that it was IBS, he also asked them could it be cancer for them to tell him he is too young for cancer, they only seen him twice done a few blood tests that showed his white blood cells were not normal so put him on folic acid, he also passed an alarming amount of blood from his back passage 2 days before I brought him to hospital, I rang his doctors to be asked by the receptionist what colour is the blood and to be then told by the receptionist that there was nothing to worry about as the blood was bright red, Since when are receptionists doctors. According to the health and and social care Facebook you should contact your doctor asap regarding any blood being passed whatever colour. I emailed a picture of the blood that was in the toilet to his doctors and they didn't look at it, didn't contact us regarding it so I rang them the next day and was told by the receptionist That the doctor will not look at that email, I'm sorry but the GP has a lot to answer for. it was on the friday 10th of December I had to rush him to hospital with severe abdominal pain, he was given a ct scan in the early hours that showed he had diverticulitis, on the Monday he told me he felt something explode inside, his bowel had ruptured and he ended up having to get an emergency open bowel surgery, he had sepsis. He had to get a stoma bag put on as a result. Just after Christmas we were told he had stage 3 bowel cancer, he had to wait for his wound from surgery to heal before he could start chemo, in February he caught covid and had to get stents in his kidneys which postponed his chemo further, he got his first round of chemo on the 18th of March and was fine, not sick or run down, 2 weeks later he was constipated again on the 30th of March I took him to the cancer center to get checked, we were told he had a bowel obstruction and had to be on bowel rest, in April we were told that there was nothing more they could do and it was now in gods hands, my husband died on the 22nd of May at the age of 37, were together 18 years only got married in August last year and have two beautiful young heartbroken daughters. I blame his GP for Neglecting him when he needed them most, if they had of handed him a letter to go straight to the hospital to get Properly tested he would probably be here now and probably could of prolonged his life.

Hi Nicole85

I am so sorry and sad to read what you both went through . You tried incredibly hard to be heard and get the right investigation . A very painful set of circumstances to overcome .

I am alarmed that a non medically qualified person would even suggest some diagnostic work over the phone . I doubt it’s even accurate as our mantra here is all bleeding needs to be checked out to find out what is causing it . Brighter blood might be from a different location but does not In my mind indicate the cause of it . I do hope that email with the photos was passed onto the relevant people .

I can only imagine the frustration and anxiety you both went through . Whilst still less common in younger people , statistically it has shot up and campaigns to try and prevent people from not being thoroughly investigated are ongoing . But I agree , I read too many people hitting walls in that age group .

I am so sorry you have had such a terrible time . My heart goes out to you .

Our helpline staff are available to chat at any time .0808 808 0000

Have you raised your concern with the practice?

Thinking of you .

Court 

Hi,

Yes I've sent an email asking questions etc on the 22nd of June, waiting on a reply.

Hi Nicole85

I am so sorry to hear that. What an absolute dreadful experience you have had. My condolences to you all. Yes the medical practice I would like to think is somewhere we can put our trust in but sometimes it never works out that way. Receptionists!! Ha! as my late father used to call them `little tin gods` they think they are. Think they must be the same all over the UK and GPs are still blaming Covid for preventing them conducting face to face appointments. It's unbelieveable how on earth do you diagnose someone over a telephone without physically examining or looking at them!! My husband has just had his 2nd diagnosis of his bowel cancer recurring after a successful operation to have it removed back in January this year. At the time of his follow up appointment with the oncologist back in February I asked him if my husband need any further chemo or radiotherapy sessions and he said no and said if there is nothing needing done at the present time they don't do or start anything. I just wonder if they gave him extra sessions it may have killed off any micro cells that may have got missed because seemingly these cells can be missed. But they are the experts so you have to take their word for it. My husband is 68 so he's within the `dodgy` age bracket. I've had my fill of cancer and I really thought that back in January that was it and it would leave us alone. My sister had breast cancer 3 years ago and it got caught early and she is cancer free now she's 71 this year. My mum died from bowel cancer 26 years ago but way back then they didn't have the technology they have now. My dad passed from lung cancer 10 years ago, my husband's brother passed with oespheagal cancer 8 years ago and my father in law passed with cancer too but don't actually know what type it was he had but he passed a good few years ago too. I just fear now for my husband as he is at the age now his brother passed. I am just very bitter about this I think for the fact that they got it all the first time and its back within months. I am just a complete mess just now and just can't focus on anything else or function. He see's his oncologist on Thursday this week and I just hope he can tell him that there is some way it can be managed. His surgeon who performed his first operation said surgery is not an option because of where it is (in his stomach lining and pelvis) but she did say that it is `slow growing` so I keep holding on to that that hopefully it won't go anywhere fast. My best wishes to you Nicole.

 I hope you get the answers your hoping for on Thursday. 

My husband begged for surgery in April when the cancer had spread to his small intestine but the surgeon said surgery was not an option for him, he said my husband was too weak and would not recover in time to start chemo again as the caner would just spread to another area, as the surgeon put it my husbands cancer was spreading like creeping ivy, I just wish they had offered my husband mire ct scans as ge was having no luck before he started chemo, he was getting infections recovering from his operation that was done in Dec so I wish they done regular scans to make sure the cancer wasn't spreading

That's awful Nicole! My heart really goes out to you!  Apparently my husband had his original tumour lying dormant for 3 or 4 years his surgeon told him showing no symptoms. Symptoms started to surface at the end of 2020 when he began having to run to the toilet about 10-15 times a day. Before that he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2019b (the year he retired). We started to work on that eating healthily and going to the gym about 3 times a week. Then of course Covid happened in 2020 so everywhere went into lockdown and everywhere closed. We tried doing exercises at home online but kind of all fell away. Then at the end of 2020 sports centres etc started opening again partially in Scotland (Glasgow) but this was when all his health issues began. He kept putting it down to a bad bout of diahorrea but it didn't stop. The after Christmas and New Year in February 2021 he contacted the doctor and of course it was all phone consultations. He was asked to hand in a stool sample and then got a phone call that he was being referred for a colonoscopy that didn't happen until May 2021 when it was done they said there were `abnormalities` and further scans and tests would be needed. I ended up the way I am now and I really hoped I would never feel that way again but here we are a year on and back to square one. I wasn't so bad when we found out about the cancer last year because they were going to do a stoma operation and then cut the cancer out. This time though because his surgeon said that an operation is not an option at this stage- whether she means now or in the future- is making me more anxious than before. The NHS do their best I suppose but something is definitely wrong somewhere when people like your dear husband don't get seen because of his age. Take Care!

Vicky x.

hi Nicole85, some things don't change. Back in 2008 my Doctor ( without examining me) told me I had piles despite me telling him I never needed to 'push' and had blood sometimes in my poo. After further visits and being given the same info. I had the great fortune of being seen by a Locum (my usual Dr was head of the practice). She examined me and said to be on the safe side she'd refer me for a colonoscopy.  I was in my early 50's ( also considered too young to have bowel cancer). This revealed I had rectal cancer and would need a bag for life. My staging was 3. Surgeon told me the cancer had been in me for years. Luckily it hadn't spread. It makes me so angry when I hear blog like yours. I must have cost the NHS a lot of money as due to complications I needed three operations. It's an outrage these four ups are still happening. I was lucky. Sending lots of hugs.

It just angers me that they could of caught it sooner if they had of sent him to the hospital asap for further tests. But there advice was that my husband had to keep going down to A& E to move up the list for a scan