What will happen when I go to the GP?
Your GP will begin by finding out more about your symptoms. S/he will ask you about you toilet habits which may feel embarrassing at first but remember your GP is used to talking about embarrassing things. You may be asked about specific changes in your bowel habits e.g. blood, mucus, and diarrhoea. Your GP will want to know when changes/problems started, what makes the problem worse or better, any medication you may be taking, and any family history. It may be helpful, (but not essential), to keep a diary for a week or so prior to seeing the GP so that you are clear about your information.
You may also have questions that you would like to ask the doctor. If it is helpful, you could write questions down, or bring your partner/friend with you for support.
Your doctor may then examine you. This will involve feeling your tummy for any tender areas, and examining your rectum with a gloved finger, for any lumps. This is painless and your doctor will be used to doing these tests.
Your doctor will then discuss her/his opinion with you and may then decide to arrange for further tests with a specialist. Again don’t forget to ask any questions that you have.
Remember that many people will not need to be referred for further tests.
But if you are diagnosed and treated in time, bowel cancer is completely curable.
If you are referred on, it doesn’t mean you have cancer. More information is needed to clarify the cause of the symptoms. The tests that the specialist may do include:
- Blood tests to check for anaemia and to check liver function.
- Physical examination
- Barium enema. This is an x-ray examination where you have to take a laxative the day before to clear out the bowel. The enema, a mixture of barium (a thick white liquid which shows up on x-ray) and air is passed into the back passage through a tube. Any abnormal areas show up black against the white.
- Colonoscopy and sigmoidoscopy.
These investigations involve passing a long thin telescope into the bowel through the bottom to enable the doctor to see the lining of the bowel. The same instrument can be used to remove polyps and take a sample (biopsy) from areas that appear abnormal. These samples are then sent to a laboratory for examination by a pathologist. Again these procedures are usually uncomfortable but not painful.
For more information, see
www.coloncancer.org.uk Pathway 3-How colon cancer is diagnosed.