| Bowel Cancer
What you should know about Poor Combustion and Backfire...
 The
short and tall of it
The bowel is sometimes called the gut. It digests and absorbs food.
There are two parts, the small and large bowel, which reflect the
width of the gut rather than its length. Cancer more commonly appears
in the large bowel and rectum, which is the very last part of the
gut. Bowel cancer is common and treatable when it’s caught
early.
Causes of Bowel Cancer
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CHECKS AND TREATMENT...
Men die of embarrassment every single day in Ireland. Yes, having
a rectal examination is not everyone's idea of a good day out
but it can save your life. It is not painful and your doctor
does them every day.
A sample of your bowel movement (or stool) may also be taken
to check for blood, whether or not the blood is visible. This
can be detected by a special test (known as a FOBT or Faecal
Occult Blood Test).
If the results of these tests raise suspicions, you may need
to go for further tests. These will give a better picture of
what is happening in your bowel.
If you do have bowel cancer, treatment will depend on where
the cancer is, whether it has spread and your general health.
Surgery is the main form of treatment, but More doctors are
combining it with chemotherapy and radiotherapy. |
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The definite cause of bowel cancer is still a mystery. But we know
some things do increase your risk. Your risk is higher if:
- you eat lots of junk food, fat and sugar and not enough fibre;
- someone in your close family had bowel cancer;
- you don’t exercise;
- you’re overweight;
- you smoke tobacco;
- you or a member of your family have a bowel condition called
polyps or adenomatous polyposis. This can significantly increase
your risk. Trying to pronounce it can be pretty stressful too!
The good news is you can reduce
your risk, even if bowel cancer is in the family.
- Check out your diet. Reduce the amount of fat and sugars and
eat more fruit, vegetables and fibre.
- Try to keep active regularly and keep your weight under control.
- Discuss your family history with your doctor. Your GP may advise
more frequent tests.
- Quit smoking. click here to learn more
Better sooner than later
Being ‘bowel aware’ is the name of the game. Guts
play up at the best of times but there are some warning signs that
you shouldn’t ignore.
- bright or dark red flecks in your stools;
- a change in the way your bowels are working, which lasts more
than a month. This means diarrhoea, constipation or both;
- bleeding from the back passage or blood on the toilet paper;
- a regular bloated feeling, trapped wind or fullness;
- a feeling as though there is something left to pass even after
you go to the toilet;
- pain or discomfort in your belly or back passage;
- weight loss for no good reason;
- increasing general tiredness or weakness.
Remember! These symptoms don’t always mean cancer. But if
you have any of them, get your doctor to check them to be sure.
Click
here for more info
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