Any male 60 years olds

[postman]

I got a letter from the NHS last week .Telling me they would be sending me a small package .
It arrived today .

It's all to do with bowel cancer .Or the checking to see if you have it .

Anyone on here had a similar invitation .

And do you think it a good idea.

 

[TheDoctor]

Are we talking 'Poohsticks' here?
And I don't mean the chucking-stuff-in-the-river game...

 

[chillyuk]

Not the most pleasant of jobs, but neither is dying from bowel cancer.

Your call, your gamble.

Bill, 62 years old.

 

[Bill Gates]

I got a letter from the NHS last week .Telling me they would be sending me a small package .
It arrived today .

It's all to do with bowel cancer .Or the checking to see if you have it .

Anyone on here had a similar invitation .

And do you think it a good idea.

When I got mine I wasn't going to bother then what with getting a chasing letter and my wife telling me I should then I set about gathering the samples- not very pleasant task.

Now I'm not best pleased with the advice I've had from my GPs and consultants re my cardiac disease and one even told me that I would be dead within 2 years if I didn't take statins to reduce my cholesterol. That was over 3 years ago and the last time I looked in a mirror I was still there.

So cycnical old me dutifully returned the samples, and sure enough within a couple of weeks a letter arrived from the clinic. Great I thought lets look at the results. A bit of a downer there, no I haven't got bowel cancer and there again I might have. The bloody idiots had somehow spoilt the samples and wanted some more.

Nah. I'll live with not knowing thanks.

 

[ASC1951]

It's all to do with bowel cancer. Or the checking to see if you have it.

Anyone on here had a similar invitation.

Yes.

And do you think it a good idea.

Yes.

It's your own decision, but I think Bill Gates' attitude is bizarre - "I ignored advice on disease #1 and I haven't been proved wrong yet, so it's safe to ignore it on disease #2". That's like crossing the road with your eyes shut because 'we all have to go some time'.

I can see an argument for not having a blood test for prostate screening, which is known to return a lot of false positives, but not a bowel cancer test. People think cancer is binary - once you've got it, you're dead - but that is cobblers. Many cancers are curable if you catch them early enough and most are far more treatable. http://www.nhs.uk/Pathways/Bowelcancer/Pages/Avoiding.aspx

It's a no brainer, Postman. Crap on the sticks and send them in.

 

[Bill Gates]

Yes.

Yes.

It's your own decision, but I think Bill Gates' attitude is bizarre - "I ignored advice on disease #1 and I haven't been proved wrong yet, so it's safe to ignore it on disease #2". That's like crossing the road with your eyes shut because 'we all have to go some time'.

I can see an argument for not having a blood test for prostate screening, which is known to return a lot of false positives, but not a bowel cancer test. People think cancer is binary - once you've got it, you're dead - but that is cobblers. Many cancers are curable if you catch them early enough and most are far more treatable. http://www.nhs.uk/Pathways/Bowelcancer/Pages/Avoiding.aspx

It's a no brainer, Postman. Crap on the sticks and send them in.

Why's that then?

Just because I'm not bothered about taking a crappy test doesn't mean I'm inviting some sort of divine retribution. I think that your analogy of crossing the road with your eyes closed is what is bizarre. There is a high probability of getting hit by a vehicle if you do that. Hardly the same is it?

What if they introduce screening for brain tumours, CJD, motor neuron disease, lung cancer etc. etc. Does that mean my attitude is bizarre if I choose not to participate. Speak for yourself and keep sending in the shitty sticks, just in case!

 

[ASC1951]

Why's that then?

Just because I'm not bothered about taking a crappy test doesn't mean I'm inviting some sort of divine retribution. I think that your analogy of crossing the road with your eyes closed is what is bizarre. There is a high probability of getting hit by a vehicle if you do that. Hardly the same is it?

Not the same, no, but about as sensible. It was you that mentioned ignoring the advice about statins, Bill, so presumably you thought it was relevant to your decision not to take the BC test.

What's the rationale for 'living with not knowing', when there is an easy free test with little downside?

 

[Bill Gates]

Not the same, no, but about as sensible. It was you that mentioned ignoring the advice about statins, Bill, so presumably you thought it was relevant to your decision not to take the BC test.

What's the rationale for 'living with not knowing', when there is an easy free test with little downside?

Just spoke to my GP. I had a blood test taken a week ago. They didn't want to tell me the figures without an appointment.

Me: OK Don't bother then

Ah well actually your total cholesterol is 6.6.

Me; And what about HDL and LDL?

Can't tell you.

Me: Not much good then is it? Because it's the relationship between HDL LDL and the total plus the proportion of small and large particles of LDL is what counts rather than the total.

The ratio HDL/total is 3.2. Don't know anything else.

Me: That's good isn't it?

Well they should be much lower, do you take statins?

Me: (thinks F*ck NO!!!!!!) No I'm an athlete and watch my diet.

So you don't want an appointment?

Me: Not if you think 6.6 is too high and 3.2 ratio is too high

End

Just looked up the ratio to be healthy, and this is what was said: -

An average ratio would be about 4.5. Ideally we want to be better than average if we can. Thus the best ratio would be 2 or 3, or less than 4.

In other words there's nothing wrong and they still want to fill me full of statins. The answer to your question can be summarised with this phrase

"LACK OF TRUST"

Edit

It was being sensible that led me to believe that my GPs knew what they were doing. Taking statins would have killed me if I had carried on taking them whilst training. My HDL level is more than 2. That's fantastic and no way should I have to take statins but yet they still want me to take them. They're worse than useless, they're downright dangerous!

If HDL cholesterol is less than 1.0 mmol/L in men or less than 1.2 mmol/L in women, there is an increased risk of heart disease. A desirable level of HDL is greater than 1.0 mmol/L for men and greater than 1.2mmol/L for women and is associated with average risk of heart disease. A good level of HDL is 1.5 mmol/L or more and is associated with a less than average risk of heart disease.

Let the sensible ones amongst you take statins. My quality of life and health is more important to me thank you and if that means not being sensible so be it.

 

[postman]

Envelope will be in the post tomorrow.

Anything that can keep me healthy i'll give it a try .

Thanks for taking the time to reply .

 

[bigjim]

You don't have to be 60 you can just ask GP for the kit. I took the test because a number of my relatives including my mum died of colon cancer. So worth doing for me. I'm a sceptic with cholestrol as the body makes it's own anyway and we cannot survive without the stuff. I had a PSA with a reading of 16. GP sent me to consultant who said his list was full of people with false PSAs. My next PSA was 1.7. So who knows.

 

[ChrisKH]

Good idea.

Anything preventative on the bowel front is a good thing because even if they find something it is eminently treatable. I wouldn't be here otherwise (although much of my bowel isn't ).

 

[661-Pete]

I'll be 60 soon, but I don't know whether I'll be sent the kit. I'm probably at lower risk than some because of my diet (no meat). We'll see (or not)...

Incidentally I'm already on the statins and have been for many years. No problems. The doctor even told me, it was OK eating grapefruit in moderation (many patients are told it's a no-no).

 

[Bill Gates]

I'll be 60 soon, but I don't know whether I'll be sent the kit. I'm probably at lower risk than some because of my diet (no meat). We'll see (or not)...

Why is that then?

Incidentally I'm already on the statins and have been for many years. No problems.

Why are you on statins, and what is your dosage?

Incidentally I'm already on the statins and have been for many years. No problems. The doctor even told me, it was OK eating grapefruit in moderation (many patients are told it's a no-no).

 

[ASC1951]

Why is that then?

There is good evidence that eating a lot of meat increases your risk of bowel and colon cancers. "A lot" means a medium portion daily. The risk is greatest for red meat and processed meat, but is still less than the risk from being obese.

 

[661-Pete]

Why is that then?

Answered by ASC1951. There is some statistical evidence, but we're only talking of 'risks' though.

Why are you on statins, and what is your dosage?

I must have had a high cholesterol reading at the time I was started (can't remember what it was - and in those days I was a meat-eater anyway) - and cholesterol comes from lots of things besides meat. Anyway I'm on a fairly minimal dose which my doctor wants me to continue, and my cholesterols are now acceptably low and stable. I think that people on higher doses, or on certain types of statins, do need to be careful about grapefruit.