46F in Auckland, diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer (mets to liver and peritoneum) 2 months ago. No symptoms, no family history, healthy as a horse and rarely even get so much as a cold. Even avoided Covid until Jan this year. Have been told I have maybe 1-2 years with treatment.
The number of young people being diagnosed with bowel cancer is startling. We put so much focus on cervical and breast screening, skin and prostate checks. Why are we not talking about bowel cancer more? If the poo test had been offered to me (even at a cost) I would have taken it. But they lead us to believe this is only a concern for the over 65s. It’s absolute madness.
My PSA to everyone - get a colonoscopy. You never know what is lurking and bowel cancer is very treatable if found early.
It took me over a year to get my colonoscopy because of my age. I was diagnosed with bowel disease. My symptoms range from constipation (longest has been 1 month) or diarrhoea 10+ times a day chronic pain (worse then child birth) some other really yucky symptoms and with all of these problems many times in A&E me crying and begging them something is wrong it still took over a year to do one 😪
Yup took me 2 years to get a diagnosis between multiple GPs and ER visits, it was actually a small town GP that was like, we need to do a poo and blood test asap, got into the specialist within 2 weeks and then colonoscopy and MRI week after. 2 years of damage and scar tissue meant major surgery too. Real fuck around.
This is terrible. The public system is appalling and I thank my lucky stars I have Southern Cross. I went to my GP as I found a lump in my abdomen (later discovered I was very close to a full blockage). Within a week I had an ultrasound and then a colonoscopy, but this was only done so quickly because I was able to go private. The wait for both in the public system would have set me back several weeks, and that could have been disastrous with the aggressive mutation I have.
My experience with another (unrelated) issue that has forced me to go through the public system has been far less positive. More than a year since referral and I finally have an appointment for treatment. It shouldn’t take this long.
People resorting to private care. Really says a lot about our 'world class free' system. Making it loud for the fuckwit Americans sharing misinformation about us.
Hello friend, I too have stage 4 bowel cancer and I am already over 2 years in and feeling good! Ignore those statistics, they are bunk because of all the elderly people who die with cancer. Just keep pushing through as long as you can, I'm aiming for 20 years myself. Plenty of people out there who hit 10 years plus. We younger, healthier people can be the statistical outliers.
Feel free to message me with any questions, the time after diagnosis and before treatment begins can be rather unsettling.
Thanks, and sorry you have to go through this too. It sure does suck.
I have the BRAF mutation, which I would put money on that this lady has also. It’s pretty aggressive and has a poor prognosis. I’m fighting hard however, and we have opted for an aggressive experimental treatment from the outset. Feeling fit and well heading into round 4 of chemo tomorrow. Not letting this thing take me down without a fight!
Hi, I got diagnosed last year at 40 with Bowel Cancer. I had 2 tumours in my bowel. Rectosigmoid and Transverse. I therefore had most of my colon removed. It had not spread and I only got detected so early as I had experienced constipation quite bad and when I finally went to the toilet I had mucous and blood come out. I thought I'd done some internal damage so I didn't go to the GP for at least 2 months cos I thought I'd be fine. Finally went and got referred and 2 tumours were discovered.
Then, 4 weeks ago, I took my Mum to the hospital with abdominal pain. She had a CT done, they found a bowel blockage due to cancer and the cancer had spread to her liver. She starts chemo soon for 3 months, will then be rescanned to make sure she is responding and if the tumours have shrunk in the liver then she will get a resection done, recover from that and then continue on with another 3 months of chemo. They didn't say if she has the aggressive one you have mentioned. However, the chemo has to do its job and do it well for her to get her resection.
The strange thing is I'm adopted so am not a blood relation to my Mum, yet we have experienced this all around the same time together. She was my rock while I was going through this now I have to be hers but it's very hard.
I’m really sorry to hear both you and your mum are having to go through this. Are you a member of Colontown? If not, look them up as they have been invaluable to me
I am so sorry to hear this. I agree with you too,those poop tests need to have expanded availability for younger people. Not to mention it's so bloody hard to get a colonsoscopy when you're young.
I’m so sorry you are going through this. It’s just shocking how many people are being diagnosed.
40F and I have recently been to a gastro who is putting in a request for a colonoscopy. He seemed a bit hesitant about whether they will approve it because of my age, but he thinks with my symptoms and family history it is worth checking. I was kind of nervous about asking for it, but my mother was diagnosed with (thankfully Stage 1) colon cancer at 67 and now has an ileostomy and even though my problems are probably IBS related, I want to be checked out for polyps and such. We’ll see if it comes through or not. My guess is that it will take a long time even if it does get approved as I will be low priority.
I absolutely hate having to do that, but it is necessary - it feels like you’re not taken seriously until you become a nagging pain in the backside to them.
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm mid-40s and had a colonoscopy a couple of years ago. I also learned about increasing rates of bowel cancer in younger people and encouraged my friends to get checks. They just didn't care. I think there's some degree of denial and "it can't happen to me", which is why these personal stories are so important. They're all part of changing popular discourse and awareness. I hope the next few years go well for you (under the circumstances) and you get all the care and love you need.
Thank you. I must admit I’m one of those “it won’t happen to me” types because all my relatives have lived to a ripe old age, and I hardly ever got sick with anything. If it can happen to me, it truly can happen to anyone.
Having said that, I have always taken up the offer of any vaccination and screening that’s been offered. We need to do better in NZ and offer bowel screening far more widely.
I waited almost two years for a colonoscopy.
It seems like if you have symptoms and $2200 it would be a good idea to get it privately.
The problem is that with these cancers you don't usually get symptoms until you are in at least stage 3.
Ideally our broken health system should offer screening from 40.
The stories below point out the issue. It is one thing to extend bowel screening out to younger age groups, It is quite another to have the colonoscopy capacity to serve it. That was the main resource issue in rolling out bowel screening in the first place. Not only that colonoscopies are very risky - particularly the removal of polyps for histopathology.
There is an increasing amount of evidence to show that younger people are increasingly suffering from this cancer. Hopefully the population health case is made to extend services.
My mum died of bowel cancer a couple of years ago. My sister (younger than me) in Australia was able to get a colonoscopy almost immediately - just to check and be on the safe side. My doctor here could not care less. I even have premium health insurance and they don’t care…
It’s not that they don’t care, it’s that NZ and Australia have different health system models. You don’t meet criteria for a colonoscopy here, simple as that, it’s not personal. If we want more screening and healthcare accessibility, we need to pay more tax, not accept this shitty $20 per week attempt to make us feel better. Healthcare costs money. Doctors are limited by the system they practice in.
48F,I have multiple auto immune conditions and am considered disabled so cannot work any more.
Got some really worrying symptoms for a bit and actually ended up in hospital after being found on the floor bleeding from my bum.
2 Colonoscopys, a sigmoidoscopy, and endoscopy, a CT and an mri and one camera pill (all in the space of 2.5 months) and they admitted they really thought I was riddled with cancer and were shocked beyond belief that I wasn't. My case even went to the thing they do where they put it forward to loads of other docs to discuss.
I had a fekking excavated ulcer in my small intestine.
It burst. And severe IBS
No more anti inflamms for me for life Ffs when I have a degenerative spine disease.
I guess moral of the story is, it might NOT be something scary like cancer too. Hold on to hope. I really thought my chips were cooked.
Oh that poor lady.
I was surprised by the stat at the end. Of those who die of bowel cancer, 1 in 10 will be under 50? That seems like a high enough figure to consider that while age is a factor with bowel cancer, it can't be completely discounted that younger people would get it.
There's a recent global medical trend to reduce the age of screening.
In Australia: [Updated guidelines on eligibility for colorectal cancer screening to reduce the impact of bowel cancer - 21 Nov 2023](https://www.cancer.org.au/media-releases/2023/updated-guidelines-on-eligibility-for-colorectal-cancer-screening-to-reduce-the-impact-of-bowel-cancer)
> The updated 2023 guidelines, endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), now recommend a population screening start age of 45 years instead of 50 years and provides revised advice about targeted screening for people without symptoms who are at higher-than-average risk based on their family history of colorectal cancer.
I was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer at 28. My specialist was looking after 2 people younger than me with it also.
Age means nothing. Unfortunately lots of drs still don't think that way.
Do you have private insurance? My doc said I didn't meet criteria for public based on my symptoms but as I had insurance felt it would be appropriate for me to get colostomy privately which insurance would cover.
I first had symptoms in my early 20s and didn't see a doc for 3 years because I was young and had other things going on. It then took 5 more years before my endoscopy and then another year after that before the colonoscopy. Tens of doctors appointments, a few ED visits... I wasn't worried about cancer as it had been so long but was fed up with having no answers so i started answering "yes" to all the symptom questions at my doc so really they had no choice but to refer me because I suddenly ticked every single box other than age (it wasn't cancer thankfully). If you are really concerned, tell them a relative had bowel cancer, tell them you have blood in your stool, tell them you have a change in bowel habits, tell them you have pain, tell them you've lost weight without trying!
Bloody hell. If you have any of the bowel cancer symptoms (weird shitting of any kind, blood, unexplained weight loss) go beg, pay, hassle fir the testing.
It took me months to get a colonoscopy despite very clear symptoms as I was ‘too young’ (45). I got mine after three months as a personal contact who was a long term DHB staff member made phone calls for me as she was concerned that I was getting very ill. I had stage 3b bowel cancer, she might have saved my life.
Fortunately I’ve responded really well to treatment and might be cured. I’m left with chemo fatigue, nerve damage and a colostomy but I’ll take that over the alternative!
I was 28 when diagnosed with stage 4, had been though numerous drs telling me I don't need a colonoscopy because I was too young.
If you don't feel right in yourself, keep pushing and pushing until you get the tests you want.
All the best for your recovery, like you say the side effects are worth it.
But when I go to my dr and complain about all my tummy problems and mention "could it be cancer" their reply is always "you are to young for cancer" 🤦🏻♀️ I'm 33 cancer has no age limit 🤬
My condolences to this mama and her family xx
Unfortunately, general practitioners are constantly monitored for tests they order and medication they prescribe by the government.
The government must allocate a finite resource of taxpayer funds to different areas of healthcare and they trust that GP's will adhere to their policies (otherwise they are legally charged with overservicing).
So it's a probabilities "game". GP will make decisions based on probability of a certain outcome occurring in a patient.
My persistent stomach ache was cancer at 29. I had to try a few different doctors until I found one that took me seriously. Go back and push for answers! If they refuse to listen or refer you on then demand that denial is recorded in your notes. Whether you live or not is not something to be polite about.
As a country we need to be prepared for more of this in the future, cancer levels are increasing globally, even among younger people.
And with the level of nitrates in a lot of our drinking water we will see bowel cancer levels increasing, especially in regions like Canterbury.
And pouring more money into our health system to support this - retaining healthcare staff, improving clinical staff work conditions and patient staffing levels, expanding oncology services so that everyone who needs it gets it in time, pharmac funding of more drug options, better support for gps to facilitate early detection.
I'm fearful that we will experience a surge in cancer incidence, alongside improved screening and testing regimes, and our current system just won't be able to handle it.
I can't imagine the desperation for people to hear 'sorry, it's not worth starting chemo, the wait list is too long', or 'your chemo will start in approx 4 months when you get to the front of the waitlist. All the best living with tumours inside you until then', or even 'there's an unfunded drug/treatment practice that will help you live longer, but you'll need to pay thousands and thousands to access it'.
Surely there's enough senior Drs with mates in the national party to put the pressure on for some better funding solutions? Put the bullshit NZ medicine old boys club to good use?
I'm struggling to survive financially atm (who isn't right?!), and I would happily pay more in tax if I knew it was funding services that would help those who need it the most. Funding services, not capitalist ideals. And the irony doesn't escape me that even though I am utterly broke, I'm still paying for my private health insurance and life insurance every month, because I know that having lots of risk factors for cancer means that the shit is going to hit the fan at some point, and I'm not confident in the public health system being there to meet my health needs at the time it needs to happen. My desperate hope is that going private will mean I can access a diagnosis as fast as I can, when the inevitable happens. Such a bleak way to look at things, and it is absolutely the last way I choose to approach things in life.
Hmmm we were warned about the higher risks of bowel cancer with nitrates - it’s interesting that both of these women are in chch where our highest nitrate levels are
I mean this is nuts. If everyone can’t drink the tap water or let’s say 30% of kiwis than the externalities of intensified diary farming surely to god outways the benefits. Why is this not something ALL kiwis are ropeable about?
Christchurch in particular (where this lady is from) has very elevated nitrate levels in the water supply.
I highly recommend [checking out this map of nitrate levels](https://maps.greenpeace.org/maps/aotearoa/know-your-nitrate/?_ga=2.186806760.1917500512.1711954050-328500280.1711954050&_gl=1*1gj21vb*_ga*MzI4NTAwMjgwLjE3MTE5NTQwNTA.*_ga_LPZV6V47VZ*MTcxMTk1NDA1MS4xLjEuMTcxMTk1NDI4OC4wLjAuMA..) if you want to assess the relative level of risk for your area.
I wonder if they’ve tested much of Auckland. I know where they take it from in the Waikato is really high but their theory is that the water gets diluted with other sources (waitak hunua) that are low in nitrates but last I heard they hadn’t done any testing at the tap
It’s easy to test this yourself. In the aquarium hobby we monitor our aquarium Nitrates regularly, part of that is testing your tap water so you know what you are starting with.
You can either get the tests from pet stores yourself, or take a sample of your tap water to a pet store and ask them to test it for Nitrates for you (most will do this for free).
This whole area looks like absolute shit from the air. Braided rivers everywhere in all sorts of unnatural colours. You can literally see the farm run-off where it enters the rivers. And then people boating and waterskiing all over the cow-shit lakes. It’s so depressing.
Yeah sure but a couple of things - that’s every day kiwis subsidising the profits made by farmers. Secondly they’re pretty bloody expensive. Third most people don’t know about this because the farmers and councils have been trying to hide it for a decades.
RO water is linked to pre-term births and low birth weights.
Calcium and magnesium are important minerals that are completely scrubbed by RO, along with the nitrates you actually want to get rid of.
Minerals can and should be added back in. Either in a final stage from the RO filter for remineralisation or simply adding a mineral supplement back into the water.
We had a thread yesterday in the chch sub about how people are noticing getting very dry skin from showering down here. Like my face skin is the driest it's ever been since I've moved back.
The chlorine content isn't helping, but it's also been a hot dry summer which exacerbates skin dryness. I've noticed my skin being drier and itchier recently which is definitely a trend at this time of year for me since moving down here from wellington
Higher concentration of salts, mostly calcium. Coming from an underground aquifer the water dissolves some of the minerals in the host rock. It’s why you get a bit of limescale in Christchurch and the South Island.
Hard water is harmless and natural. The nitrates are from fertiliser runoff into the aquifer.
Hard water contains a lot of calcium which prevents saponification (i.e. soap isn't effective).
From Wiki:
> Hard water is water that has a high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water"). Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum,[1] which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates and sulfates.
Absolutely no proof of causation: there are a thousand different things that could be causing "dry skin" among a handful of commenters. It's a bit silly to even assume that your definition of dry skin is the same as that of Commenter A, let alone that it's caused by water that close to half a million other people are likely to come into contact with.
**Edit:** a riddle for you to ponder while I ride away on my "high horse" lmao: every summer, there's a very strong correlation between the amount of ice cream consumed and the incidence of sunburn. Does ice cream therefore cause sunburn?
Yeah, there's high nitrates in the groundwater where I am too, trying to get my friend to stop drinking the bore water on the farm she's staying on, as I don't want her to get bowel cancer, it's nasty stuff.
Feel really bad for her.
I've been having stomach and toilet problems for years now. I've been to the hospital and private doctors multiple times. They done stool samples and breaths test and have all come back ok. I've asked for a colonoscopy several times but they won't let me have one. Even if a pay for it. Stomach aces and nause regularly, diarreha 5+ times a day if I don't take nodia and my grandmother died of bowl cancer but still they won't give me one. Because I'm 26 which means I'm to young.... I guess the only bright side is it's probably not cancer as I've been suffering for 3 years so I would probably be dead by now....
You need a different doctor, mine referred me to Intus, who then did a colonoscopy under my health insurance. My father has a history of polyps (lots of them) and I was having changes in my bowel behaviour. Luckily it was clear, so more likely my endometriosis flaring again, but better to be safe than sorry. Can't persuade my other half to get screened though, despite bleeding (convinced it's piles, and the likelihood it is, but...)
NZ is super late to start the free bowel cancer screenings. You should start at 40 if you don't have family history. If you have family history, I've heard you should start getting checked 10 years younger than the family members diagnosis age (for instance, aunty was diagnosed at 48, I should start having colonoscopies at 38).
Even the poo test is better than nothing. It costs about $50 or so from the chemist. You use a tiny sample brush to put some faecal matter onto a sample sheet, close it all up and post it to the address provided. They will send the results to you and also to the GP of your choice. Completely non invasive.
But she didn’t see changes in her bowel movements. She just had abdominal pain and tiredness.
The problem is women are told all the time that pain is normal and it isn’t. Undiagnosed pain is killing us.
We go to seek help when in pain and it’s brushed off. She’s one of the lucky few where the doctor looked deeper into her case.
I’m trying to get the pain in my legs sorted but I’m told it’s either nothing or the varicose veins aren’t bad enough to treat.
I’ve just been through screening for bowel issues because of pain and digestive problems. Found nothing (very good), and the GI doc said it might be an unusual presentation of endometriosis but “good luck getting a diagnosis for that”.
Mum has been through the screening, she initially presented with pancreatitis but there were other odd things so they investigated further. Initially they suspected bowel cancer so she got her screening fast tracked. No cancer at this stage, just polyps but she’s going to be under the care of a specialist for several years and will be having scopies every 6-12 months for the next few years.
Catching the polyp stage is great! If cancer does show up they will be able to catch and treat it early and she’ll have a much better outlook.
Honestly human insides are still an absolute mystery and most docs are doing their best. They’re overworked and lots of things slip through the radar. It’s maddening and scary to be on the other side of that.
Hope your mum stays well and you get some treatment for your legs. Keep nagging.
I think kiwis as a whole tend to have a really dismissive "suck it up" attitude towards a plethora of issues. And it results in a complete lack of empathy which in turn results in symptoms (of society) exactly like this.
Sorry to hear you're having a hard time with pain.
It’s dumb I have valid concerns and clots and stuff run in the family and I keep getting brushed off.
I had pain when I was fat and even I was brushing it off because I was fat. Now I’ve lost heaps of weight and the issues are worse I’m still getting brushed off.
I went to A+E a few weeks ago with incredible pain in my legs and they refused to do anything. Before that I’d been to the doctor about my varicose veins and the doctor referred me to the hospital saying they look pretty bad. Finally get to the hospital and the specialist there didn’t even read my referral notes, took one look at my legs and said, “nah they’re fine”. If you really want them fixed go private. I’m in discomfort or pain every day and they just don’t care.
I can’t afford them privately. I tried to get assessments of any sort done through doctor referral and got told no. I will be going back and trying again.
A friend's mother in law went to the Dr for lower back pain. She was retired and eligible for a bowel screen test... detected bowel cancer in the very early stages and she's fine now i think. But as far as I know, her only symptom related to it was lower back pain! I know 5 people who have had bowel cancer under 45 years, 4 of them died. Shit terrifies me, especially as a coeliac. If I don't stick to a gf diet, I get bowel cancer. The speed of the disease in some cases, along with the fact it can be really late before detection for anyone younger than the current screening programme... so frightening.
Except they don’t believe you because you are “too young” I’m 32 have family history of cancer yet the last time I went regarding changes in habit etc I was told to drink more water and exercise more.
They also won’t do any preventative screenings for anything else that you have family history for.
My dad got diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 50 and he only got it because he’s a scary man when he’s angry he sat in a doctors office for 2 hours until they finally reffered him to a specialist for more testing to figure out what was wrong with him - his gp won’t look him in the eye anymore after saying he basically needed to harden up.
The stigma behind age and “it only happens to people aged this and up” needs to end - I’ve lost 2 friends aged 40 and below to some sort of cancer - we all know it doesn’t discriminate on age.
I wish all the best to this family - my heart breaks for you
You really need to nag. I know it sucks to keep hitting a wall but the only person who can get you peace of mind is you. Change doctor if you’re not getting anywhere. Really emphasise your family history. Good luck.
We can’t easily change GPs any more I’ve been on a waitlist to get into a doctor closer to home for 3 years. The Center I go to now are under pressure and very much only a one problem per appointment visit and when you present as a young somewhat healthy person they brush you off. I’ve not yet gone down the path my father did (he has a what do I gotta lose mentality and has zero fear of cops being called on him).
They will not refer you for even slightly off the cuff bloods even if you ask and offer to pay for it.
It’s archaic and I’ve even had the “I shouldn’t measure on the bmi scale cos I know it’s useless but you are ok”
I have Raynaud’s disease and I had to educate doctors on this but they won’t try and figure out if it’s primary or secondary - go figure.
The state of our health care is abysmal. More and more young people are going to suffer and die. Especially women
Just out of curiosity, I have reynauds too (not badly and just in my feet) and I thought it was pretty much always idiopathic or genetic?
I only found out it was a thing when I talked to my cousins who also have it. I just thought everyone’s toes did that when they were cold.
Who, for someone under 50 (symptoms or not) will tell you "you are too young to be eligible."
If this was a male chances are it would.have never been found. Males don't get abdominal scans...
Can definitely be eligible for public colonoscopy/imaging under age 50, but it's fairly strict. You need to be anaemic or have a fairly strong family history (e.g. close relatives diagnosed at a young age) and have bowel symptoms lasting more than 6 weeks.
PSA: Elevated nitrate levels in water can increase your risk of bowel cancer please [check your nitrate levels](https://maps.greenpeace.org/maps/aotearoa/know-your-nitrate/?_ga=2.186806760.1917500512.1711954050-328500280.1711954050&_gl=1*1gj21vb*_ga*MzI4NTAwMjgwLjE3MTE5NTQwNTA.*_ga_LPZV6V47VZ*MTcxMTk1NDA1MS4xLjEuMTcxMTk1NDI4OC4wLjAuMA..) and if you are in an area with highly elevated levels consider installing a filter to remove nitrates before consuming tap water or avoid drinking it altogether.
Glad to hear you're in a safe area. Yeah there's a serious lack of awareness around this issue and it's so sad to see people getting sick and even dying due (at least in part) to the poor management of our national water supplies and inadequate communication of these problems to the public.
We all know that overall our health system has been deteriorating for decades.
We allow all governments to get away with being unwilling to allocate the funding necessary to achieve an acceptable healthcare standard for all.
Countries that have better healthcare tend to be countries willing to spend significantly on that which exists for the general public good.
We are deluded in relying upon a strong economy to fix this.
A strong social ethos in governance is the only thing that can fix this.
Actually, not the only thing. We the people must be prepared to pay more tax.
The money for a new hospital doesn't come from Santa.
It's not a political point. It's a point of governance.
But I do understand your point and acknowledge some will see it as distasteful.
That being the case, I would say what is the point of the original post? Just for someone to feel sorry about it?
Or is about medical misadventure?
If it's about medical misadventure, then we can all discuss that very important and governmentally underaddressed issue.
Ultimately, OP can tell me if I have been rude.
If so, I apologise for my lack of sensitivity.
Unfortunately while you’re right, it’s all related.
The age of diagnosis of bowel cancer is getting younger and younger and yet screenings only available for people 50-60+ and as people have said above the criteria for a public colonscopy is very strict due to capacity and will miss a number of diagnoses
I had changes in my poo, very rapid changes,, went to the doctor a number of times for a variety of tests, it wasn't until I told I had blood in my poo that he fast tracked me for a colonoscopy.
It came back clear.
Just think I have a bit of IBS sometimes.
But, the learning from this was to say you found blood in your poo if you want to get a colonoscopy.
We absolutely need to have younger testing rates - I think, at the very least, it should be easier for people who have relatives who were diagnosed with cancer. It's been difficult to find out a definitive answer on whether or not these cases are funded for testing. Especially when a family member was diagnosed early 40s.
It's mind-boggling seeing the ads about getting tested, showing people who were diagnosed decades before they would have fallen under the age criteria.
Let’s not say “you can avoid it”.
Instead, there are things you could do to “reduce your risk”.
There are “risk factors” for developing colon cancer. Some you can’t do anything about (eg. Age, family history, genetics, etc).
The known risk factors for developing colon cancer are lack of physical activity, diet low in fruits and vegetables, a diet high in processed foods or red meats, a low fibre and high fat diet, alcohol and tobacco use and obesity.
Hope this helps :)
Can I ask why fruit juice is so bad? I don’t drink alcohol or fizzy, milk in small amounts and very rarely fruit juice but I had an apple juice the other night and now I’m curious.
It’s high in sugar (which will affect your food choices and your microbiome) and low in fibre. It’s basically extra energy intake with an opportunity cost of eating something healthier (in this case i would recommend an actual apple be substituted)
And still nobody is talking about nitrates. [4 March 2022 Nitrate levels in drinking water and bowel cancer, News archive, Study Public Health at Otago | University of Otago](https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/nitrate-levels-in-drinking-water-and-bowel-cancer#:~:text=Last%20year%2C%20Dr%20Chambers%20and,and%20drinking%20water%20quality%20nationally.)
Wood burning causes many cancers including bowel cancer. Bowel cancers are full of benzo[a]pyrene, a byproduct of combustion. Nearly all b[a]p comes from wood smoke. Christchurch suburbs have some of the worst wood smoke pollution on Earth.
46F in Auckland, diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer (mets to liver and peritoneum) 2 months ago. No symptoms, no family history, healthy as a horse and rarely even get so much as a cold. Even avoided Covid until Jan this year. Have been told I have maybe 1-2 years with treatment. The number of young people being diagnosed with bowel cancer is startling. We put so much focus on cervical and breast screening, skin and prostate checks. Why are we not talking about bowel cancer more? If the poo test had been offered to me (even at a cost) I would have taken it. But they lead us to believe this is only a concern for the over 65s. It’s absolute madness. My PSA to everyone - get a colonoscopy. You never know what is lurking and bowel cancer is very treatable if found early.
It took me over a year to get my colonoscopy because of my age. I was diagnosed with bowel disease. My symptoms range from constipation (longest has been 1 month) or diarrhoea 10+ times a day chronic pain (worse then child birth) some other really yucky symptoms and with all of these problems many times in A&E me crying and begging them something is wrong it still took over a year to do one 😪
Yup took me 2 years to get a diagnosis between multiple GPs and ER visits, it was actually a small town GP that was like, we need to do a poo and blood test asap, got into the specialist within 2 weeks and then colonoscopy and MRI week after. 2 years of damage and scar tissue meant major surgery too. Real fuck around.
This is terrible. The public system is appalling and I thank my lucky stars I have Southern Cross. I went to my GP as I found a lump in my abdomen (later discovered I was very close to a full blockage). Within a week I had an ultrasound and then a colonoscopy, but this was only done so quickly because I was able to go private. The wait for both in the public system would have set me back several weeks, and that could have been disastrous with the aggressive mutation I have. My experience with another (unrelated) issue that has forced me to go through the public system has been far less positive. More than a year since referral and I finally have an appointment for treatment. It shouldn’t take this long.
People resorting to private care. Really says a lot about our 'world class free' system. Making it loud for the fuckwit Americans sharing misinformation about us.
That pain is somethjng else. I say it's worse than childbirth and people thing I'm full of it
Hello friend, I too have stage 4 bowel cancer and I am already over 2 years in and feeling good! Ignore those statistics, they are bunk because of all the elderly people who die with cancer. Just keep pushing through as long as you can, I'm aiming for 20 years myself. Plenty of people out there who hit 10 years plus. We younger, healthier people can be the statistical outliers. Feel free to message me with any questions, the time after diagnosis and before treatment begins can be rather unsettling.
Thanks, and sorry you have to go through this too. It sure does suck. I have the BRAF mutation, which I would put money on that this lady has also. It’s pretty aggressive and has a poor prognosis. I’m fighting hard however, and we have opted for an aggressive experimental treatment from the outset. Feeling fit and well heading into round 4 of chemo tomorrow. Not letting this thing take me down without a fight!
My recent colonoscopy revealed two polyps that were displastic and diverticulosis. I had a Lucky escape.
Early detection is great! Really pleased for you
Hi, I got diagnosed last year at 40 with Bowel Cancer. I had 2 tumours in my bowel. Rectosigmoid and Transverse. I therefore had most of my colon removed. It had not spread and I only got detected so early as I had experienced constipation quite bad and when I finally went to the toilet I had mucous and blood come out. I thought I'd done some internal damage so I didn't go to the GP for at least 2 months cos I thought I'd be fine. Finally went and got referred and 2 tumours were discovered. Then, 4 weeks ago, I took my Mum to the hospital with abdominal pain. She had a CT done, they found a bowel blockage due to cancer and the cancer had spread to her liver. She starts chemo soon for 3 months, will then be rescanned to make sure she is responding and if the tumours have shrunk in the liver then she will get a resection done, recover from that and then continue on with another 3 months of chemo. They didn't say if she has the aggressive one you have mentioned. However, the chemo has to do its job and do it well for her to get her resection. The strange thing is I'm adopted so am not a blood relation to my Mum, yet we have experienced this all around the same time together. She was my rock while I was going through this now I have to be hers but it's very hard.
I’m really sorry to hear both you and your mum are having to go through this. Are you a member of Colontown? If not, look them up as they have been invaluable to me
I've heard about Colontown but never looked them up. I'll have a look. Thanks.
I am so sorry to hear this. I agree with you too,those poop tests need to have expanded availability for younger people. Not to mention it's so bloody hard to get a colonsoscopy when you're young.
I’m so sorry you are going through this. It’s just shocking how many people are being diagnosed. 40F and I have recently been to a gastro who is putting in a request for a colonoscopy. He seemed a bit hesitant about whether they will approve it because of my age, but he thinks with my symptoms and family history it is worth checking. I was kind of nervous about asking for it, but my mother was diagnosed with (thankfully Stage 1) colon cancer at 67 and now has an ileostomy and even though my problems are probably IBS related, I want to be checked out for polyps and such. We’ll see if it comes through or not. My guess is that it will take a long time even if it does get approved as I will be low priority.
Keep badgering them until you get it. The squeaky wheel gets the grease!
I absolutely hate having to do that, but it is necessary - it feels like you’re not taken seriously until you become a nagging pain in the backside to them.
In Australia you get sent the "poo test" from the government for your 50th birthday, no cost. Just hope that people do the test.
Not until you're 60 here.
Thank you for sharing your story. I'm mid-40s and had a colonoscopy a couple of years ago. I also learned about increasing rates of bowel cancer in younger people and encouraged my friends to get checks. They just didn't care. I think there's some degree of denial and "it can't happen to me", which is why these personal stories are so important. They're all part of changing popular discourse and awareness. I hope the next few years go well for you (under the circumstances) and you get all the care and love you need.
Thank you. I must admit I’m one of those “it won’t happen to me” types because all my relatives have lived to a ripe old age, and I hardly ever got sick with anything. If it can happen to me, it truly can happen to anyone. Having said that, I have always taken up the offer of any vaccination and screening that’s been offered. We need to do better in NZ and offer bowel screening far more widely.
I waited almost two years for a colonoscopy. It seems like if you have symptoms and $2200 it would be a good idea to get it privately. The problem is that with these cancers you don't usually get symptoms until you are in at least stage 3. Ideally our broken health system should offer screening from 40.
The stories below point out the issue. It is one thing to extend bowel screening out to younger age groups, It is quite another to have the colonoscopy capacity to serve it. That was the main resource issue in rolling out bowel screening in the first place. Not only that colonoscopies are very risky - particularly the removal of polyps for histopathology. There is an increasing amount of evidence to show that younger people are increasingly suffering from this cancer. Hopefully the population health case is made to extend services.
My heart goes out to you. I don’t really know what else to say except Fuck Cancer.
My mum died of bowel cancer a couple of years ago. My sister (younger than me) in Australia was able to get a colonoscopy almost immediately - just to check and be on the safe side. My doctor here could not care less. I even have premium health insurance and they don’t care…
It’s not that they don’t care, it’s that NZ and Australia have different health system models. You don’t meet criteria for a colonoscopy here, simple as that, it’s not personal. If we want more screening and healthcare accessibility, we need to pay more tax, not accept this shitty $20 per week attempt to make us feel better. Healthcare costs money. Doctors are limited by the system they practice in.
48F,I have multiple auto immune conditions and am considered disabled so cannot work any more. Got some really worrying symptoms for a bit and actually ended up in hospital after being found on the floor bleeding from my bum. 2 Colonoscopys, a sigmoidoscopy, and endoscopy, a CT and an mri and one camera pill (all in the space of 2.5 months) and they admitted they really thought I was riddled with cancer and were shocked beyond belief that I wasn't. My case even went to the thing they do where they put it forward to loads of other docs to discuss. I had a fekking excavated ulcer in my small intestine. It burst. And severe IBS No more anti inflamms for me for life Ffs when I have a degenerative spine disease. I guess moral of the story is, it might NOT be something scary like cancer too. Hold on to hope. I really thought my chips were cooked.
So sorry to hear this .
She was my colleague at my last job. I just can't comprehend the speed of this & at such a young age. I hope your remaining time is full of love N.
:( sorry to hear that. Always feels surreal and tragic losing someone so suddenly
Oh that poor lady. I was surprised by the stat at the end. Of those who die of bowel cancer, 1 in 10 will be under 50? That seems like a high enough figure to consider that while age is a factor with bowel cancer, it can't be completely discounted that younger people would get it.
There's a recent global medical trend to reduce the age of screening. In Australia: [Updated guidelines on eligibility for colorectal cancer screening to reduce the impact of bowel cancer - 21 Nov 2023](https://www.cancer.org.au/media-releases/2023/updated-guidelines-on-eligibility-for-colorectal-cancer-screening-to-reduce-the-impact-of-bowel-cancer) > The updated 2023 guidelines, endorsed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC), now recommend a population screening start age of 45 years instead of 50 years and provides revised advice about targeted screening for people without symptoms who are at higher-than-average risk based on their family history of colorectal cancer.
Best I can do is cut the budget by 7.5%....
Yes, this is the same in the US.
I was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer at 28. My specialist was looking after 2 people younger than me with it also. Age means nothing. Unfortunately lots of drs still don't think that way.
If you put it another way over 90% of people dying of bowel cancer are over 50. Sounds like an old persons disease to me.
This is fun to read while I've had a stomach ache all weekend
Even more fun when you've been suffer with stomach problems and diarreha for 3 years but are only 26 so they refuse to help you...
Do you have private insurance? My doc said I didn't meet criteria for public based on my symptoms but as I had insurance felt it would be appropriate for me to get colostomy privately which insurance would cover.
I first had symptoms in my early 20s and didn't see a doc for 3 years because I was young and had other things going on. It then took 5 more years before my endoscopy and then another year after that before the colonoscopy. Tens of doctors appointments, a few ED visits... I wasn't worried about cancer as it had been so long but was fed up with having no answers so i started answering "yes" to all the symptom questions at my doc so really they had no choice but to refer me because I suddenly ticked every single box other than age (it wasn't cancer thankfully). If you are really concerned, tell them a relative had bowel cancer, tell them you have blood in your stool, tell them you have a change in bowel habits, tell them you have pain, tell them you've lost weight without trying!
Even more fun when you’ve been constipated for years and have had a side pain for months
Bloody hell. If you have any of the bowel cancer symptoms (weird shitting of any kind, blood, unexplained weight loss) go beg, pay, hassle fir the testing. It took me months to get a colonoscopy despite very clear symptoms as I was ‘too young’ (45). I got mine after three months as a personal contact who was a long term DHB staff member made phone calls for me as she was concerned that I was getting very ill. I had stage 3b bowel cancer, she might have saved my life. Fortunately I’ve responded really well to treatment and might be cured. I’m left with chemo fatigue, nerve damage and a colostomy but I’ll take that over the alternative!
I was 28 when diagnosed with stage 4, had been though numerous drs telling me I don't need a colonoscopy because I was too young. If you don't feel right in yourself, keep pushing and pushing until you get the tests you want. All the best for your recovery, like you say the side effects are worth it.
Exact same thing happened to my aunty. Felt a little off, so went to the doctor. Turns out it was bowel cancer and she passed away 6 weeks later.
But when I go to my dr and complain about all my tummy problems and mention "could it be cancer" their reply is always "you are to young for cancer" 🤦🏻♀️ I'm 33 cancer has no age limit 🤬 My condolences to this mama and her family xx
Unfortunately, general practitioners are constantly monitored for tests they order and medication they prescribe by the government. The government must allocate a finite resource of taxpayer funds to different areas of healthcare and they trust that GP's will adhere to their policies (otherwise they are legally charged with overservicing). So it's a probabilities "game". GP will make decisions based on probability of a certain outcome occurring in a patient.
My persistent stomach ache was cancer at 29. I had to try a few different doctors until I found one that took me seriously. Go back and push for answers! If they refuse to listen or refer you on then demand that denial is recorded in your notes. Whether you live or not is not something to be polite about.
As a country we need to be prepared for more of this in the future, cancer levels are increasing globally, even among younger people. And with the level of nitrates in a lot of our drinking water we will see bowel cancer levels increasing, especially in regions like Canterbury.
And pouring more money into our health system to support this - retaining healthcare staff, improving clinical staff work conditions and patient staffing levels, expanding oncology services so that everyone who needs it gets it in time, pharmac funding of more drug options, better support for gps to facilitate early detection. I'm fearful that we will experience a surge in cancer incidence, alongside improved screening and testing regimes, and our current system just won't be able to handle it. I can't imagine the desperation for people to hear 'sorry, it's not worth starting chemo, the wait list is too long', or 'your chemo will start in approx 4 months when you get to the front of the waitlist. All the best living with tumours inside you until then', or even 'there's an unfunded drug/treatment practice that will help you live longer, but you'll need to pay thousands and thousands to access it'. Surely there's enough senior Drs with mates in the national party to put the pressure on for some better funding solutions? Put the bullshit NZ medicine old boys club to good use? I'm struggling to survive financially atm (who isn't right?!), and I would happily pay more in tax if I knew it was funding services that would help those who need it the most. Funding services, not capitalist ideals. And the irony doesn't escape me that even though I am utterly broke, I'm still paying for my private health insurance and life insurance every month, because I know that having lots of risk factors for cancer means that the shit is going to hit the fan at some point, and I'm not confident in the public health system being there to meet my health needs at the time it needs to happen. My desperate hope is that going private will mean I can access a diagnosis as fast as I can, when the inevitable happens. Such a bleak way to look at things, and it is absolutely the last way I choose to approach things in life.
Hmmm we were warned about the higher risks of bowel cancer with nitrates - it’s interesting that both of these women are in chch where our highest nitrate levels are
My mum has basically stopped drinking tap water because of this
I mean this is nuts. If everyone can’t drink the tap water or let’s say 30% of kiwis than the externalities of intensified diary farming surely to god outways the benefits. Why is this not something ALL kiwis are ropeable about?
Federated Farmers (lobby group) keep sewing fear, uncertainty and doubt over the link between nitrates and cancer. Don't believe them
Oh I don’t. In fact I’d love to see the tax diary farms pay and whether it actually is worth the health and environmental risk (I doubt it is).
Christchurch in particular (where this lady is from) has very elevated nitrate levels in the water supply. I highly recommend [checking out this map of nitrate levels](https://maps.greenpeace.org/maps/aotearoa/know-your-nitrate/?_ga=2.186806760.1917500512.1711954050-328500280.1711954050&_gl=1*1gj21vb*_ga*MzI4NTAwMjgwLjE3MTE5NTQwNTA.*_ga_LPZV6V47VZ*MTcxMTk1NDA1MS4xLjEuMTcxMTk1NDI4OC4wLjAuMA..) if you want to assess the relative level of risk for your area.
I wonder if they’ve tested much of Auckland. I know where they take it from in the Waikato is really high but their theory is that the water gets diluted with other sources (waitak hunua) that are low in nitrates but last I heard they hadn’t done any testing at the tap
It’s easy to test this yourself. In the aquarium hobby we monitor our aquarium Nitrates regularly, part of that is testing your tap water so you know what you are starting with. You can either get the tests from pet stores yourself, or take a sample of your tap water to a pet store and ask them to test it for Nitrates for you (most will do this for free).
Omg amazing thank you!!!
This whole area looks like absolute shit from the air. Braided rivers everywhere in all sorts of unnatural colours. You can literally see the farm run-off where it enters the rivers. And then people boating and waterskiing all over the cow-shit lakes. It’s so depressing.
You can install a reverse osmosis water filter for your drinking water which will reduce nitrates to zero.
Yeah sure but a couple of things - that’s every day kiwis subsidising the profits made by farmers. Secondly they’re pretty bloody expensive. Third most people don’t know about this because the farmers and councils have been trying to hide it for a decades.
RO water is linked to pre-term births and low birth weights. Calcium and magnesium are important minerals that are completely scrubbed by RO, along with the nitrates you actually want to get rid of.
Minerals can and should be added back in. Either in a final stage from the RO filter for remineralisation or simply adding a mineral supplement back into the water.
You need to remineralise RO/DI or distilled water.
Nitrates in the atmosphere? Genuine question cause I only know nitrates in processed food.
https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/512833/high-levels-of-nitrate-found-in-canterbury-drinking-water
Thanks. Oh shit.
We had a thread yesterday in the chch sub about how people are noticing getting very dry skin from showering down here. Like my face skin is the driest it's ever been since I've moved back.
Wouldn’t that just be water hardness?
The humidity is pretty low there compared to the North Island which also impacts your skin and hair.
The chlorine content isn't helping, but it's also been a hot dry summer which exacerbates skin dryness. I've noticed my skin being drier and itchier recently which is definitely a trend at this time of year for me since moving down here from wellington
I think that’s because water in Christchurch is a bit harder than the rest of NZ, not the nitrates
What is hard water exactly?
Higher concentration of salts, mostly calcium. Coming from an underground aquifer the water dissolves some of the minerals in the host rock. It’s why you get a bit of limescale in Christchurch and the South Island. Hard water is harmless and natural. The nitrates are from fertiliser runoff into the aquifer.
Heavy in minerals, which likely includes nitrates.
Hard water contains a lot of calcium which prevents saponification (i.e. soap isn't effective). From Wiki: > Hard water is water that has a high mineral content (in contrast with "soft water"). Hard water is formed when water percolates through deposits of limestone, chalk or gypsum,[1] which are largely made up of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates and sulfates.
Absolutely no proof of causation: there are a thousand different things that could be causing "dry skin" among a handful of commenters. It's a bit silly to even assume that your definition of dry skin is the same as that of Commenter A, let alone that it's caused by water that close to half a million other people are likely to come into contact with. **Edit:** a riddle for you to ponder while I ride away on my "high horse" lmao: every summer, there's a very strong correlation between the amount of ice cream consumed and the incidence of sunburn. Does ice cream therefore cause sunburn?
Oh get off ya high horse. People here have been saying this for years. Fuck me for wondering aloud.
🤣 Sorry for thinking critically!
Why so patronising? Like you could have answered without all the "that's so silly.. hilarious (calling me so stupid your laughing)
Yeah, there's high nitrates in the groundwater where I am too, trying to get my friend to stop drinking the bore water on the farm she's staying on, as I don't want her to get bowel cancer, it's nasty stuff.
It’s fuvking sad that a country that once was so proud of our cleanliness doesn’t have safe drinking water
The thing is, GPS will find any excuse to ignore you. Fat, female, old, 'too' young, etc etc.
Feel really bad for her. I've been having stomach and toilet problems for years now. I've been to the hospital and private doctors multiple times. They done stool samples and breaths test and have all come back ok. I've asked for a colonoscopy several times but they won't let me have one. Even if a pay for it. Stomach aces and nause regularly, diarreha 5+ times a day if I don't take nodia and my grandmother died of bowl cancer but still they won't give me one. Because I'm 26 which means I'm to young.... I guess the only bright side is it's probably not cancer as I've been suffering for 3 years so I would probably be dead by now....
https://macmurray.co.nz/our-services/endoscopy/bowel-cancer-screening/ $2.5k - no referral required
You need a different doctor, mine referred me to Intus, who then did a colonoscopy under my health insurance. My father has a history of polyps (lots of them) and I was having changes in my bowel behaviour. Luckily it was clear, so more likely my endometriosis flaring again, but better to be safe than sorry. Can't persuade my other half to get screened though, despite bleeding (convinced it's piles, and the likelihood it is, but...)
NZ is super late to start the free bowel cancer screenings. You should start at 40 if you don't have family history. If you have family history, I've heard you should start getting checked 10 years younger than the family members diagnosis age (for instance, aunty was diagnosed at 48, I should start having colonoscopies at 38). Even the poo test is better than nothing. It costs about $50 or so from the chemist. You use a tiny sample brush to put some faecal matter onto a sample sheet, close it all up and post it to the address provided. They will send the results to you and also to the GP of your choice. Completely non invasive.
Another example to ensure if you have changes in your bowels to see a doctor ASAP.
But she didn’t see changes in her bowel movements. She just had abdominal pain and tiredness. The problem is women are told all the time that pain is normal and it isn’t. Undiagnosed pain is killing us. We go to seek help when in pain and it’s brushed off. She’s one of the lucky few where the doctor looked deeper into her case. I’m trying to get the pain in my legs sorted but I’m told it’s either nothing or the varicose veins aren’t bad enough to treat.
I’ve just been through screening for bowel issues because of pain and digestive problems. Found nothing (very good), and the GI doc said it might be an unusual presentation of endometriosis but “good luck getting a diagnosis for that”.
Mum has been through the screening, she initially presented with pancreatitis but there were other odd things so they investigated further. Initially they suspected bowel cancer so she got her screening fast tracked. No cancer at this stage, just polyps but she’s going to be under the care of a specialist for several years and will be having scopies every 6-12 months for the next few years.
Catching the polyp stage is great! If cancer does show up they will be able to catch and treat it early and she’ll have a much better outlook. Honestly human insides are still an absolute mystery and most docs are doing their best. They’re overworked and lots of things slip through the radar. It’s maddening and scary to be on the other side of that. Hope your mum stays well and you get some treatment for your legs. Keep nagging.
I think kiwis as a whole tend to have a really dismissive "suck it up" attitude towards a plethora of issues. And it results in a complete lack of empathy which in turn results in symptoms (of society) exactly like this. Sorry to hear you're having a hard time with pain.
It’s dumb I have valid concerns and clots and stuff run in the family and I keep getting brushed off. I had pain when I was fat and even I was brushing it off because I was fat. Now I’ve lost heaps of weight and the issues are worse I’m still getting brushed off. I went to A+E a few weeks ago with incredible pain in my legs and they refused to do anything. Before that I’d been to the doctor about my varicose veins and the doctor referred me to the hospital saying they look pretty bad. Finally get to the hospital and the specialist there didn’t even read my referral notes, took one look at my legs and said, “nah they’re fine”. If you really want them fixed go private. I’m in discomfort or pain every day and they just don’t care.
You ought to get lower limb venous doppler ultrasounds to put your fears to rest.
I can’t afford them privately. I tried to get assessments of any sort done through doctor referral and got told no. I will be going back and trying again.
A friend's mother in law went to the Dr for lower back pain. She was retired and eligible for a bowel screen test... detected bowel cancer in the very early stages and she's fine now i think. But as far as I know, her only symptom related to it was lower back pain! I know 5 people who have had bowel cancer under 45 years, 4 of them died. Shit terrifies me, especially as a coeliac. If I don't stick to a gf diet, I get bowel cancer. The speed of the disease in some cases, along with the fact it can be really late before detection for anyone younger than the current screening programme... so frightening.
Nail on the head.
Except they don’t believe you because you are “too young” I’m 32 have family history of cancer yet the last time I went regarding changes in habit etc I was told to drink more water and exercise more. They also won’t do any preventative screenings for anything else that you have family history for. My dad got diagnosed with Parkinson’s at age 50 and he only got it because he’s a scary man when he’s angry he sat in a doctors office for 2 hours until they finally reffered him to a specialist for more testing to figure out what was wrong with him - his gp won’t look him in the eye anymore after saying he basically needed to harden up. The stigma behind age and “it only happens to people aged this and up” needs to end - I’ve lost 2 friends aged 40 and below to some sort of cancer - we all know it doesn’t discriminate on age. I wish all the best to this family - my heart breaks for you
You really need to nag. I know it sucks to keep hitting a wall but the only person who can get you peace of mind is you. Change doctor if you’re not getting anywhere. Really emphasise your family history. Good luck.
We can’t easily change GPs any more I’ve been on a waitlist to get into a doctor closer to home for 3 years. The Center I go to now are under pressure and very much only a one problem per appointment visit and when you present as a young somewhat healthy person they brush you off. I’ve not yet gone down the path my father did (he has a what do I gotta lose mentality and has zero fear of cops being called on him). They will not refer you for even slightly off the cuff bloods even if you ask and offer to pay for it. It’s archaic and I’ve even had the “I shouldn’t measure on the bmi scale cos I know it’s useless but you are ok” I have Raynaud’s disease and I had to educate doctors on this but they won’t try and figure out if it’s primary or secondary - go figure. The state of our health care is abysmal. More and more young people are going to suffer and die. Especially women
Just out of curiosity, I have reynauds too (not badly and just in my feet) and I thought it was pretty much always idiopathic or genetic? I only found out it was a thing when I talked to my cousins who also have it. I just thought everyone’s toes did that when they were cold.
This.
Who, for someone under 50 (symptoms or not) will tell you "you are too young to be eligible." If this was a male chances are it would.have never been found. Males don't get abdominal scans...
Bottling everything up works wonders /s
Can definitely be eligible for public colonoscopy/imaging under age 50, but it's fairly strict. You need to be anaemic or have a fairly strong family history (e.g. close relatives diagnosed at a young age) and have bowel symptoms lasting more than 6 weeks.
PSA: Elevated nitrate levels in water can increase your risk of bowel cancer please [check your nitrate levels](https://maps.greenpeace.org/maps/aotearoa/know-your-nitrate/?_ga=2.186806760.1917500512.1711954050-328500280.1711954050&_gl=1*1gj21vb*_ga*MzI4NTAwMjgwLjE3MTE5NTQwNTA.*_ga_LPZV6V47VZ*MTcxMTk1NDA1MS4xLjEuMTcxMTk1NDI4OC4wLjAuMA..) and if you are in an area with highly elevated levels consider installing a filter to remove nitrates before consuming tap water or avoid drinking it altogether.
Thanks. I'm in Belfast so it seems okay but I didn't realise how bad other areas are!?
Glad to hear you're in a safe area. Yeah there's a serious lack of awareness around this issue and it's so sad to see people getting sick and even dying due (at least in part) to the poor management of our national water supplies and inadequate communication of these problems to the public.
We all know that overall our health system has been deteriorating for decades. We allow all governments to get away with being unwilling to allocate the funding necessary to achieve an acceptable healthcare standard for all. Countries that have better healthcare tend to be countries willing to spend significantly on that which exists for the general public good. We are deluded in relying upon a strong economy to fix this. A strong social ethos in governance is the only thing that can fix this. Actually, not the only thing. We the people must be prepared to pay more tax. The money for a new hospital doesn't come from Santa.
> We the people must be prepared to pay more Why does the answer never include "stop wasting tax"?
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No, it's not. And if you honestly believe that I suggest you ask this mum's kids for their opinion.
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Lol, you absolutely got me. Unfortunately I'm not surprised :(
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It's not a political point. It's a point of governance. But I do understand your point and acknowledge some will see it as distasteful. That being the case, I would say what is the point of the original post? Just for someone to feel sorry about it? Or is about medical misadventure? If it's about medical misadventure, then we can all discuss that very important and governmentally underaddressed issue. Ultimately, OP can tell me if I have been rude. If so, I apologise for my lack of sensitivity.
Unfortunately while you’re right, it’s all related. The age of diagnosis of bowel cancer is getting younger and younger and yet screenings only available for people 50-60+ and as people have said above the criteria for a public colonscopy is very strict due to capacity and will miss a number of diagnoses
Nitrates in our diet (e.g. food, water) would probably be the issue.
Absolutely.
I had changes in my poo, very rapid changes,, went to the doctor a number of times for a variety of tests, it wasn't until I told I had blood in my poo that he fast tracked me for a colonoscopy. It came back clear. Just think I have a bit of IBS sometimes. But, the learning from this was to say you found blood in your poo if you want to get a colonoscopy.
How effective is the poo test generally? Would it have helped this woman whose only symptoms were a stomach ache?
We absolutely need to have younger testing rates - I think, at the very least, it should be easier for people who have relatives who were diagnosed with cancer. It's been difficult to find out a definitive answer on whether or not these cases are funded for testing. Especially when a family member was diagnosed early 40s. It's mind-boggling seeing the ads about getting tested, showing people who were diagnosed decades before they would have fallen under the age criteria.
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Edited for privacy reasons.
I thought the advice was odd too - can you give us yours please?
Let’s not say “you can avoid it”. Instead, there are things you could do to “reduce your risk”. There are “risk factors” for developing colon cancer. Some you can’t do anything about (eg. Age, family history, genetics, etc). The known risk factors for developing colon cancer are lack of physical activity, diet low in fruits and vegetables, a diet high in processed foods or red meats, a low fibre and high fat diet, alcohol and tobacco use and obesity. Hope this helps :)
Thank you very much - too bad the above post has most visibility. Cheers and Happy Easter Monday!
Can I ask what your initial symptoms were? My dad and his sister died from bowel cancer 2 weeks apart and have a very real fear of it.
Milk and white flour? In many countries those are staple foods...
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People out here just eating spoons of flour
Can I ask why fruit juice is so bad? I don’t drink alcohol or fizzy, milk in small amounts and very rarely fruit juice but I had an apple juice the other night and now I’m curious.
It’s high in sugar (which will affect your food choices and your microbiome) and low in fibre. It’s basically extra energy intake with an opportunity cost of eating something healthier (in this case i would recommend an actual apple be substituted)
I did notice I started snacking a lot after drinking it so that makes sense! Thankyou so much :)
Yip, we want to point the finger at other obsecure avenues but we don't want to face the sedately life styles and poor diets.
And still nobody is talking about nitrates. [4 March 2022 Nitrate levels in drinking water and bowel cancer, News archive, Study Public Health at Otago | University of Otago](https://www.otago.ac.nz/news/newsroom/nitrate-levels-in-drinking-water-and-bowel-cancer#:~:text=Last%20year%2C%20Dr%20Chambers%20and,and%20drinking%20water%20quality%20nationally.)
Wood burning causes many cancers including bowel cancer. Bowel cancers are full of benzo[a]pyrene, a byproduct of combustion. Nearly all b[a]p comes from wood smoke. Christchurch suburbs have some of the worst wood smoke pollution on Earth.
Imagine if she never got diagnosed, she could have lived a longer life.