‘I would encourage everyone to get on board with bowel screening – if someone as chicken as me can do it, then anyone can’
Dublin man Keith Cairns got word in 2017 that traces of blood were found in his BowelScreen sample. Having gone through the colonoscopy and other tests, he wants to encourage other over 60s to avail of this potentially life-saving service. He tells Arlene
THE phrase ‘dying of embarrassment’ is sometimes used, but of course none of us really mean it in the literal sense. But unfortunately our reluctance to deal with certain health issues could lead to serious illness and in some cases, may even be fatal. This is why the National Bowel Screening Programme is urging people to avail of the free screening service which is provided to everyone between the age of 60 and 69 who is on the bowel screening register.
April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and people in this age bracket are advised to make sure they are registered for BowelScreen in order to receive a free FIT (faecal immunochemical test) by post, which can be completed and returned in a just few simple steps.
The programme aims to detect colorectal (bowel) cancer as early as possible and remove adenomas or polyps (abnormal tissue growths) which greatly reduce the risk of future bowel cancer development.
And the test is very easy to do, as Keith Cairns can attest to.
The 72-year-old says he is a prime example of the success of the service because he is a selfconfessed ‘chicken’ when it comes to health procedures. After receiving a FIT test annually in the post, he made sure to complete it as quickly as possible as he wanted to ensure any issues were dealt with sooner rather than later. And while for the first year results of the test came back clear, in 2017 he got a letter to say that some blood had been found in his stool sample and he would need to undergo further testing.
“I’m a great man for taking part in surveys and responding to things, so when the kit for doing the business arrived for the first time, I just got on with it and sent it back in the post,” says the retired bank manager from Terenure, Dublin.
“It was all clear and I just got on with things. So when it came again the following year, I did the same and sent it back, fully expecting it to be clear again. But this time, I got the dreaded letter which said that some traces of blood had been found and I would need to go for a colonoscopy.
“I had never had one before and I am the biggest chicken which ever walked. I’m afraid of needles and even going to the dentist is a big deal, so I was really dreading it.
“However I thought it would be really stupid not to go ahead with it and I made myself get on with it.”
Having received the letter telling him that he would be referred for the procedure, Keith, who together with his wife has three grown-up children and one grandson, was hoping that there may have been an error and he wouldn’t need the examination after all, but several weeks later, the call came with the date for the colonoscopy.
“I didn’t hear back for about six weeks after the initial letter, so I thought, or rather hoped, that I wouldn’t get called at all,” he says. “Of course, I was being delusional as I didn’t want to go through with it, but then I got a call from a lovely nurse who put me at ease and told me that there was nothing to worry about and it really was worthwhile getting it done.
“I got a preparation pack in the post which I had to drink the night before the procedure to clear out my system and I remember texting a friend at one point to say that nothing was happening.
“He replied with ‘Just wait’ and when it kicked in, it really cleared me out and to be honest, this was more eventful than the colonoscopy itself.
“The next morning I went down to the hospital where they put a canula in my arm — I was really nervous about this, but they did it so well that I didn’t feel a thing. Then about 20 minutes later, I was brought into another room where they plugged a line into the canula and then it was happy days. I don’t remember a thing after that and to be honest, at that point, I couldn’t have cared less what was going on.”
‘I think men, particularly my generation, are very bad at sorting out health issues’
People should avail of all the screening available to them, whether it’s bowel, breast, cervical or whatever. If you get good news, then that’s great and if you get bad news, then at least you can be fixed, and life goes on. But if you do nothing at all, you will end up in a box, it’s as simple as that’
Half an hour later, Keith was back in the day ward, drinking tea and delighted to have been brave enough to overcome his fears and go through with the vital examination.
The colonoscopy revealed some polyps which were removed and analysed. Fortunately, they were completely benign, a fact he was officially informed of by letter a couple of weeks later.
“The whole thing was a great success,” he says. “I was 100pc OK, and everything was so well done. In fact, I was so anxious about going through all the needles and the procedure, but it was completely fine. And I actually wrote them a letter afterwards praising them for the service as the HSE get a lot of flak, so I wanted to give praise where praise was due.
“It’s a super service and it’s completely free — and best of all, I’m as fit as a fiddle.”
The Dublin man is delighted that he managed to overcome his fears and says this, coupled with embarrassment could be the reason why there is a low uptake of the service.
“I wasn’t nervous about the possibility of having cancer as I hadn’t reached that stage yet in my mind. For me, the fear was about the colonoscopy itself,” he says.
“But I think a lot of people are scared of finding out that something is wrong with them, there is a little bit of an idea that if they don’t know, then it is not actually happening — which is of course not true. And I think men, particularly my generation, are very bad at sorting out health issues. In general we are closed up and macho about things that we really should be open about.
“After I had my procedure done, I was down the pub telling anyone who would listen all about it as I was staggered when I learned how many people don’t bother availing of the service. I think about 40pc of people who receive the free kit don’t use it and just throw it away — it’s amazing.
“I would encourage everyone to get on board with it as soon as the kit arrives. They should not be scared or embarrassed as it is such a simple process, and if someone as chicken as me can do it, then anyone can.
“People should avail of all the screening available to them, whether it’s bowel, breast, cervical or whatever. If you get good news, then that’s great and if you get bad news, then at least you can be fixed, and life goes on. But if you do nothing at all, you will end up in a box, it’s as simple as that.” Professor Pádraic Mac Mathuna, clinical director of BowelScreen, agrees that everyone who is eligible should avail of screening. “This Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, we urge everyone aged 60-69 years to check that they are on the bowel screening register, and to do the test,” he says.
“Bowel cancer (colorectal cancer) is one of the most common types of cancer diagnosed in Ireland, affecting around 2,800 people every year. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in Ireland and it affects both men and women.
“But if detected at an early or pre-cancer stage, bowel cancer is easier to treat and there is a better chance of cure. Bowel Cancer Awareness Month serves as an annual reminder to people in their 60s to do the test. It is free, it is simple, and it could help save their life.”
For queries, patients can call the BowelScreen freephone information line on 1800 45 45 55 or email bowelscreen.ie