April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month – an excellent opportunity to bring attention to this disease that takes the lives of 30 people every day in the UK. [Bowel Cancer UK]
The NHS bowel screening programme is open to those aged 60 to 74 and is expanding to people aged 50 to 59 over the next 2 years. Faecal Immunochemical Tests (FIT) are sent to registered patients every 2 years for people to provide small samples regularly.
If you have been sent a bowel screening kit, it is vital to your health that you provide a sample and send it back as required.
According to the NHS, 30% of people do not return their samples, which proves to be an issue with a disease such as bowel cancer where early screening and diagnosis are crucial for successful treatment.
Symptoms of bowel cancer may include:
- changes in your poo, such as having a softer poo, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
- needing to poo more or less often than usual for you
- blood in your poo, which may look red or black
- bleeding from your bottom
- often feeling like you need to poo, even if you’ve just been to the toilet
- tummy pain
- bloating
- losing weight without trying
- feeling very tired for no reason
Please read more about Bowel Cancer and Screening at the resources below.
