At the age of seventy five, I had never had a reason to be subjected to surgery of any kind, indeed I was foolish enough to believe that I was one of the fortunate ones, blessed with permanent good health.
It therefore took me a week or two or three! To acknowledge that the excellent BBC promoted Government Health Warning relating to ‘messy poos’, might even be a matter of personal concern, given the rather visible evidence.
When visiting my excellent GP and describing my symptoms, I remarked with some embarrassment, that I was possible wasting his time. He did not think so at all. On the contrary. He arranged an early appointment to see a specialist.
It was my good fortune to be directed to Mr Mark Coleman. A recognised specialist on bowel cancer.
From the first meeting, I knew that I was in the care of a very competent practitioner, who was at the same time charming, but totally devoid of bull shine, Mark tells you straight. A colonoscopy was speedily arranged. As I lay on my gurney, looking at the colour image on the computer screen, of a spiteful looking golf ball size ‘lump’ projecting into my colon, I understood why poo’s had indeed been messy.
Mark quietly explained in detail why surgery was essential. However, having caught the condition early, he felt confident that he could remove the growth entirely in one attempt, which indeed he did.
Strange to relate, I did not feel at all nervous. The nursing staff were quite brilliant in keeping spirits up, as were the anaesthetists. I do clearly recall laughing along with their team as I was wheeled into the operating theatre, and the anaesthetic did its work.
The whole experience was enlightening and reassuring. The outcome for myself and my lovely family quite triumphant really.
Perhaps the moral of this experience is first, to react promptly to the visual evidence warning. It is so easy to flush the toilet , but the cause of the problem will remain and quietly, in my case painlessly, do increasing damage.
Secondly, have faith in your surgeon. They are blessed with great skill and in Mark Coleman certainly a powerful sense of competence and caring.