Bowel cancer, which is sometimes also called colon or rectal cancer, is a general term for cancer that begins in the large bowel. In some rare cases, this cancer can even begin in the small intestine.
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The NHS states that it is one of the most common cancers to occur in the country. 9 out of 10 people with bowel cancer are over the age of 60, but all of us should be carefully monitoring the health of our bowels.
Bowel Cancer UK reports one instance of a woman, Michelle Grant, who detected bowel cancer early due to being vigilant about changes in her poo, and it helped save her life.
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Women detects funny smell in poo changes
In October 2019, Grant suffered from a seizure, and had to take medications to manager her condition. Following the incident, she experienced constipation and she even spotted blood in her poo sometimes. Each time she approached the doctor about this, she was told that her symptoms were simply due to side effect from the medication.
But then she noticed that her poo ‘started to smell funny,’ and she could even smell it on her hands. When she broke wind, she would also have smelly bloody mucus.
Finally, she received an internal exam from a doctor, followed by colonoscopy and blood tests. In November, she received her test results which confirmed that she had bowel cancer.
Thankfully, due to her keeping tabs on her bowel health, and insistence on getting a thorough exam, Grant could receive medical attention in time, which saved her life.
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Importance of poo in monitoring for bowel cancer
As per NHS Inform, here are the main symptoms of bowel cancer:
- blood in the stool (faeces)
- changes in bowel habit, such as more frequent, looser stools
- and abdominal (tummy) pain.
Therefore, it is very important to stay vigilant to any changes in your bowel movement or poo.
Some factors which increase the risk of someone getting bowel cancer are:
- Family history: if you have instances of bowel cancer in the family, there is a chance you might have a risk of developing it too.
- Lifestyle factors: smoking, drinking, consumption of too much red meats, processed meats, being overweight or having a very sedentary lifestyle can also contribute to increase your chances of getting bowel cancer.
- Pre-existing medical conditions: Having medical conditions such as severe ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease might also lead to you having an increased chances of bowel cancer.
Sources used:
Bowel Cancer UK: ‘Michelle Grant, Runcorn’
NHS Inform: ‘Bowel cancer’
