Discussing bowel movements may not be at the forefront of everyday conversation, but talking about the ‘number two’ happens to be a number one priority at the moment.
Bowel cancer is Australia’s second biggest cancer killer, and June is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month.
Having experienced a close brush with bowel cancer last year, 66-year-old David Powell encouraged others to take advantage of free bowel screening tests.
“The worst part is that people don’t want to talk about it and it’s so easy to talk about,” Mr Powell said.
The retired baker based in Mackay, north Queensland, said he was grateful that he completed a free Faecal Occult Blood Test after he received it in the mail.
“I didn’t know what to expect … but it was so self-explanatory it was easy to do,” he said.
Following his test results Mr Powell was advised to visit a doctor; he was then referred to the Mackay Base Hospital to undergo a colonoscopy.
Mr Powell had three polyps removed which are growths that have the potential to develop into cancer.
“I was glad they found something and glad they could get rid of it rather than be told six months later that I had bowel cancer,” he said.
Aware of the benefits of detecting bowel cancer early, Mr Powell encouraged his friends and family to complete the free bowel screening tests.
“The hardest part for me was to find which fridge to store it in before I sent it away and it ended up going in the beer fridge,” he said, tongue-in-cheek.
“People should get off their bums and go and get tested because it’s so easy — they send it to you — it’s free.
“Get it done and it could save your life.”
People aged 50 and over should get tested
Health promotion officer for the National Bowel Cancer Screening Program Rachel Stewart-McLean said almost 80 people died each week in Australia as a result of bowel cancer.
“It’s a pretty substantial amount of people that we’re losing to bowel cancer when it’s a preventable cancer when it’s found early — that’s a sad statistic,” Ms Stewart-McLean said.
She said 90 percent of people diagnosed with bowel cancer were over the age of 50, which is the reason why screening kits are sent to people between the ages of 50 and 74.
“It’s definitely a new way to work in the preventative space rather than looking after people once they have the illness,” she said.
Signs or symptoms of bowel cancer
Ms Stewart-McLean said signs of bowel cancer can include a bleeding from the bowel or a noticeable change in bowel habits.
“Signs of weakness, tiredness or breathlessness could be signs that something is going on down there, and feeling of incomplete emptying when you do pass a bowel motion,” she said.
“Those sorts of signs can be warning signs, so definitely talk to your GP.”
Another way to cut your risk of bowel cancer, according to Ms Stewart-Mclean, is to limit your intake of red meat and processed meats such as bacon and sausages.
“Not cutting it out, but certainly cutting back,” she said.
She also recommended that if there was a history of bowel cancer in the family people should be looking at getting tested on a regular basis.
“I just think that the screening program is available free of charge … it’s done in the privacy of your own home, nobody needs to know that you’ve done it, and it could save your life,” she said.