UKC

Dear Climbing community, please, please could you spare a few pounds to sponsor myself and my work colleagues for Bowel Cancer UK's 'Step up for 30.'

Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK.
Help Bowel Cancer Uk to raise awareness and reduce deaths from Bowel Cancer.

Thank You

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/SurreyBowelCancerScreeningTeam?utm_s...

In reply to waterbaby:

Good for you. And thank you from someone whose brother in law is halfway through chemo for stage 4 advanced bowel cancer with liver mets. Before chemo, the prognosis was dreary to say the least (1% chance of seeing 5 years). Midway scan was about as good as it could be short of divine intervention and he now has "options", so we're all chuffed to bits to have a bit of hope.

Keep making a difference

In reply to mountainbagger:
Thank you for your support.
Sorry to hear about your Brother-in-law but glad to hear he now has options.
I wish him all the best.

In reply to waterbaby:

To anyone else reading this, if you are offered bowel screening at 55yrs or from 60yrs please take up the offer. We are not looking for cancers, we are looking for benign polyps which have the potential to change into cancers. When we do find a cancer it is usually in the earlier stages, which has a better outcome.
If you have any symptoms at any age, bleeding, loose stools or pain, go and see your GP.

In reply to waterbaby:

After thirty years of disruption caused by export travel I'm happy to get a decent morning habit reestablished after I return home. I watch for blood and I have done the NHS screening test - does this pick up polyps? My father had bowel cancer and lived for years with a colostomy.

In reply to waterbaby:


My brother in law is 44. And he says he had no symptoms until just before they discovered it at such an advanced stage. So I would definitely recommend screening if you are offered it.

In reply to Rigid Raider:

Hi Rigid Raider
The poo test kit that is sent out every 2 yrs from 60 is looking for blood in the stool. Polyps and cancers sometimes bleed. If you have a positive test you will be invited for a colonoscopy...think 'picolax thread.'

The colonoscopy looks for Polyps and removes them.

In reply to mountainbagger:

I did wonder how old he was. Unfortunately by the time you have symptoms the cancer can sometimes be advanced which is why screening is important. Sadly screening starts from 55yrs which doesn't help those people who develop it much earlier.
If you have a strong family history of Bowel Cancer it is worth asking for a one off colonoscopy.

In reply to waterbaby:

Thank you to the UK climber who generously donated

In reply to waterbaby:


Thanks, yes both my wife (his sister) and his Mum have booked themselves in for one.

A friend of mine is also a survivor, having been diagnosed with stage 3 (?) bowel some years ago (also under 50). He's recently been given the all clear. He was being screened regularly due to family history, so they caught it early (though it had already spread to one (?) lymph nodes).

UKClimbing user was me

In reply to waterbaby:

Having just had a shed load of polyps removed I'm very happy to support you and help spread the word.

Keep up the good work!!

In reply to waterbaby:

Just donated, it got my dad last year. But not till he reached 94.

Well done for the fund raising and raising awareness.

In reply to More-On:

Thank you

In reply to mountain.martin:

Thanks so much

In reply to waterbaby:

My pleasure
(to give this a bump)

In reply to waterbaby:

Is it right that diet can make a big difference, with things like sausages and red meat being unhelpful?

In reply to waterbaby:


In Scotland, that shit-testing kit is sent out every 2 years to anybody aged over 50. Is it 60 in England? I wonder why the difference? Funding, I guess.

I always enjoy sending mine back, addressed to Prof Sample O'Shite, at Dundee Teaching Hospital.

In reply to Rob Parsons:

Scottish life expectancy being what it is they start looking earlier?


Actually with a quick google, appears to be more common in Scotland than England, so that may affect the value of screening programs.

http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/stati...