I am going to talk about a subject that most people really feel uncomfortable talking about. Unless you happen to be me, of course…
Okay, the uncomfortable subject is our bowels. Yes, that’s right - bowels, the things that we all have but never discuss.
Well, I’m going to. You see, once we reach that certain age, we receive through the post a ‘FIT’ (faecal immunochemical test).
This is a test that looks for blood in a sample of your poo. It looks for tiny traces of blood that we might not be able to see, but which can be a sign of cancer.
But please be aware that blood in your stools can also be caused by other medical conditions and doesn’t necessarily mean that you have cancer.
The test consists of a small bottle and what looks to me like a mascara brush inside.
To cut a long story short, you have to collect poo on the mascara brush, put it back in the bottle, seal the envelope and post it off.
It will then be tested. But like everything the test is not 100 per cent and people need to listen to their own inner voice and bodies.
If it comes back reading that no further investigation needs to be done, but you feel that something is not quite right, you must always speak to a doctor.
Now, then - this is exactly what happened to me. I had seen blood in my stools and requested a test but it came back reading no further investigation.
Remember they are not 100 per cent - so, I contacted my doctor knowing that something was not right, something I hope all of you would do.
My doctor, who I must say was so on the ball, asked me to do another test.
Of course, I had a feeling that this one would come back positive, which it did.
I’m not going to lie and say that I wasn’t worried, of course I was, but I knew that sticking my head in the sand was not going to help.
As most doctors would do, my doctor requested that I see a consultant at the hospital.
The outcome was what I thought it would be: a colonoscopy. For those that don’t know what one is, I shall tell you.
It’s a long, thin, flexible tube with a small camera inside that is passed into your bottom. I have had this done before and I can assure you all that it is not as bad as it sounds.
But before the procedure you have to drink a prep laxative to clear you out, which I can tell you it certainly does.
If all of you could actually watch me taking the prep drinks you would laugh your heads off - I am such a wussy.
I hold my nose. I drink it through a straw. I even ask if anyone else wants to try it. Funny how everyone declines…
But to be perfectly honest it isn’t as bad as the first time I ever took it; things have certainly improved.
I think what I am trying to make everyone aware of is this: if you think something is not quite right, please listen to your body - it really does know best.
No matter how frightened you may feel, don’t hesitate to see a doctor, after all you know your body better than anyone else and it’s always best to be safe than sorry.
