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[CE1976]

How did you get on at the gp? Hope they were reassuring and you’re feeling less anxious x

[Popmummy]

Hello
Well, I saw doc yesterday afternoon. She said that she felt that even though I was correct that they do a ‘symptomatic’ FIT test, she still did not think my bouts of diarrhea were enough to warrant more testing and felt that more testing would make me more anxious anyway. She said that as my bouts are often many weeks apart, this reassures her. She said the negative screening I did was still a very good indicator too. She thinks it’s ibs. I said it was not food related and she said it doesn’t have to be and that stress can have a big impact. I said that I felt I was too old at 56 to have ibs, but if I’m honest with myself, I have always had tummy troubles, particularly when abroad, anxious or even ill with a cold!

I now have to trust her, even though the little voice is telling me not to.
Thanks for checking in xx

[CLKD]

A nervous gut?  Mine has been problematic since age 3 when I was taken away from a secure environment. 

Did your GP explain the fight/flight response? 

[CE1976]

Glad to hear you’ve had a bit more reassurance. If she had any doubts I’m sure she’d recommend further tests. Hopefully you can put it out of your mind a bit now. (Hard if you’re a worrier like me!) x

[CLKD]

I don't need to be worrying, for me it's an instant physical reaction.  There are situations which act as triggers though.

[Popmummy]

Yes - for me too it can be instant, like I’m happily sat watching TV, then think uh oh! Then other times it’s directly linked to anxiety and fear.

[CLKD]

Yep.  Fight or flight.  Put me onto a Motorway and I immediately want to have a wee ....... and why are the loos ALL THAT WAY from the car park 

[Popmummy]

 

[CLKD]

Well I am told by designers that it makes the public go through the whole complex = the possibility of people buying 'stuff'.  'they' don't seem to realise that a Mum with a "I need to wee now" child doesn't have time to go through to the facilities!!

[Terri123]

Personally I'd be insisting the GP referred me for a colonoscopy or funding one privately myself.  Bouts of diarrheoa, however far apart in time, are not normal.

Sadly, I have personal experience of a 61 year old family member with a normal faecal occult blood test and no other symptoms except bouts of diarrhoea who was repeatedly fobbed off by her GP.  She eventually succeeded in insisting on referral for colonoscopy and has now had a massive bowel op, large cancerous tumour present including spread to lymph nodes and has her 3rd chemo session later this week 😔  I'm sorry if this story adds to your anxiety but, as you'll appreciate,  I feel strongly that patients need to be very assertive with GPs about these things.

[Popmummy]

I’ve only just seen your reply. Very scary. I hope your family member I’d doing ok.

I haven’t had a bout since November and have been assured that something serious would cause symptoms to be much more persistent.

[fiftyplus]

Great that your results are back and normal. Did they tell you your actual values? Good that you have a gp appt to discuss it - hopefully she can reassure you.
Not that it helps but I can certainly relate to your anxiety! x

Thanks

I just got ‘Normal’, but that’s because my fit was done through the screening program. I have been worrying about these bouts of diarrhea and was going to ask my doctor for the test, however when the screening arrived in my post I did that. You don’t get numbers with screening but the threshold for amount of blood is 120! Whereas if I hadn’t received it done by GP because of my symptoms the threshold is just 10. So my anxiety is screaming that I will need another fit!

X

You're right that the thresholds are different. Mine was 23.5 and I ended up having a colonoscopy and having polyps removed (one of them bleeding but not enough to show up in my poo). But they have 120 as a cut off because it is highly unlikely anything sinister will have developed while the number is below 120 so I really think you are overthinking this. I don't think you are classed as symptomatic unless your symptoms are persistent and don't go away. With yours being intermittent I wouldn't say that is persistent. However it may be worth getting the more sensitive GP one done just to put your mind at rest as it doesn't sound like you are in the head space to let this go.

Penguin may I ask what was your experience of having the colonoscopy done? - it is just I have to get one done soon and feeling very scared about it all x

[CLKD]

That's a relief [C what I did there  ] .......

[fiftyplus]

Oops I don't know what happened there ....

I was just wondering what @ Penguin's experience was of the colonoscopy, as I am still feeling very scared about it all this morning

[Joaniepat]

Great that your results are back and normal. Did they tell you your actual values? Good that you have a gp appt to discuss it - hopefully she can reassure you.
Not that it helps but I can certainly relate to your anxiety! x

Thanks

I just got ‘Normal’, but that’s because my fit was done through the screening program. I have been worrying about these bouts of diarrhea and was going to ask my doctor for the test, however when the screening arrived in my post I did that. You don’t get numbers with screening but the threshold for amount of blood is 120! Whereas if I hadn’t received it done by GP because of my symptoms the threshold is just 10. So my anxiety is screaming that I will need another fit!

X

You're right that the thresholds are different. Mine was 23.5 and I ended up having a colonoscopy and having polyps removed (one of them bleeding but not enough to show up in my poo). But they have 120 as a cut off because it is highly unlikely anything sinister will have developed while the number is below 120 so I really think you are overthinking this. I don't think you are classed as symptomatic unless your symptoms are persistent and don't go away. With yours being intermittent I wouldn't say that is persistent. However it may be worth getting the more sensitive GP one done just to put your mind at rest as it doesn't sound like you are in the head space to let this go.

Regarding the thresholds for FIT tests, the upper limit of 120 applies to England and NI. For Scotland and Wales it is 80. The reason for the higher limit in England and NI is because the NHS in these countries would not be able to cope with the number of colonoscopies they would have to do if it was any lower. If a GP gives you a FIT test to do, the upper limit is 10. Mine was 13.5 so I was fast tracked for a colonoscopy.
JP x