A GP has warned others of "subtle" changes they must look out for when it comes to spotting the signs of bowel cancer after first-hand experience of battling the disease herself.
Bowel cancer is cancer found anywhere in the large bowel, which includes the colon and rectum, and is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK with 43,000 people newly diagnosed each year. Doctor Anisha Patel, 44, has been on a mission to raise awareness of the deadly disease and its symptoms since being diagnosed with stage 3 rectal cancer five years ago.
The Surrey GP has even written a book, Everything You Hoped You'd Never Need to Know About Colorectal Cancer, to offer her first-hand experience of the disease to help others who have just been diagnosed. After thankfully having been in remission for four and a half years, Dr Patel is continuing to share her advice on the subtle changes in your body to look out for that could be a warning sign of the killer cancer, The Mirror Reports.
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The biggest piece of advice the doctor has for others is to ensure they know what's typical for their own body - this way, any red flag changes will be much easier to spot. While checking the toilet before you flush might not be the most pleasant thing to do, getting to know your poo could just end up saving your life.
Dr Patel advised: "People should know their own bowel habits but often people don't know what's normal for them, so my biggest advice is to check your poo before you flush the toilet, check the tissue, because sometimes you don't even know if there's blood on it. So make sure you know what's normal for you in terms of diarrhoea, constipation, mucus and blood."
The GP added that it's "persistent changes" people should be looking out for - a persistent change can be any new symptom that lasts for more than three weeks. The NHS echoes this advice, urging people to see their doctor if they have any symptoms of bowel cancer for "three weeks or more".
The health service lists the symptoms of bowel cancer as:
- Changes in your poo, such as having 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
Dr Patel went on to share one of the biggest warning signs she spotted before being diagnosed - which could easily have been missed without a vital poo check. "Changes in the shape of your poo are important," she explained.
"When I had cancer, my poo actually became thin and ribbon-like because there was a tumour obstructing it coming out, so it was basically compressing it and making it thin. So it's subtle things like that."
While it may make you feel uncomfortable to talk about your poo, Dr Patel has urged patients not to be embarrassed when it comes to detailing their symptoms to a GP. "We see this all the time," she assured.
The GP added: "I am regularly examining various bits of the body and I don't see any part of the body different to something else." It's particularly important not to leave any details out when it comes to changes in your body, as a warning sign that may seem 'embarrassing' to you could be the vital piece of information a healthcare professional needs to get you on the path to the correct diagnosis.
The NHS says that while the above symptoms are very common and can be caused by other conditions, it's always important to get checked out by a GP if you experience any of them. If they are being caused by bowel cancer, finding it early may mean it's easier to treat.
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