THINGS TO KNOW

WITH a little help from Bowel Cancer UK, Cara De Faye has outlined some of the symptoms to look out for - and offers some other helpful advice and facts and figures.

Possible symptoms of bowel cancer include:

■ A persistent change in your bowel habits, including diarrhoea or constipation.

■ A change in the consistency of your stools – looser or runnier.

■ A feeling that your bowel doesn’t empty completely.

■ Unexplained weight loss.

■ Rectal bleeding or blood in your stool.

■ Persistent or increasing abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, bloating or pain.

■ Unexplained weakness or fatigue.

There is no such thing as being to young or too old for bowel cancer. Check with your GP that they are not making assumptions about your diagnoses based on your age.

There has been a large increase in under-50s being diagnosed with bowel cancer, and it’s increasing in the 30s and 40s age groups, too.

Mutated cancers such as Lee Hancock’s type, BRAF V600E, are on the increase, with the largest increase being in younger women.

While a lot of bowel problems turn out not to be cancer, don’t feel brushed off if you aren’t happy that you are being taken seriously. This is your life and the earlier it is caught the easier it is to sort out.

If you have bowel cancer, the first step will be a thorough diagnosis.This will ensure you find out the exact stage of your cancer.

Make sure you find out if you have a mutation. Speak with your consultant and GP to explain this to you – it also makes sure they know too!

Understanding your diagnosis is vital to get the correct treatment and in the correct order. Understanding this early on will help with survival.

Find positive people, close your ears to the negatives, keep a focus on what you can do, not what you can’t.