A sports-mad school teacher has urged all Australians, young and old, to ‘check their poo’ after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer at the age of 38.
The teacher revealed that he had noticed blood in the toilet for a few weeks before going to the doctor to have it examined.
A colonoscopy revealed a huge cancerous tumor nearly blocking the young man’s intestines.
“This is an announcement from the government to check your poop every few days. You don’t have to touch it, but make sure there are no traces of blood on it and that it looks good,” the man from Newcastle, New South Wales, wrote in a post on Reddit.
He added that the cancer often grows slowly, leading doctors to believe he has had the cancer for more than a decade.
A sports-mad school teacher has urged all Australians, young and old, to ‘check their poo’ after being diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer at the age of 38 (stock image)
Despite the growth forming over such a long period of time, he said he only noticed blood for the first time in May this year.
‘Blood in the poop does not always mean cancer. People with IBS and chronic conditions such as colitis or Crohn’s disease frequently experience bloody stools,” he said.
‘Haemorrhoids are also quite common because they cause blood in the poo. It’s still worth having a colonoscopy so you know for sure what it is.’
Before his colonoscopy was revealed, doctors were 99 percent sure he just had ulcerative colitis, so the cancer diagnosis came as an even bigger shock.
The teacher didn’t say anything about pain or weight loss, which can also be signs of the disease.
Hundreds of people commented on the post and thanked him for reminding them to inspect their bowel movements more regularly.
‘There is some pressure to lower the gut test to 45, which would be a good thing. The rate of bowel cancer among people in their 50s is increasing, so this is a very important message,” said one man.
Others said they struggled to get tested despite asking their GP for answers.
‘I have had several GPs deny me a colonoscopy, even though I have had blood in my stool for four years. I’m 47, so I’ll wait another three years so I can get tested,” one man said.
The teacher admitted it is difficult to get tested and although his GP was present, it took three months on the waiting list before he could go to hospital.
‘I can’t afford a good doctor. I have to go to a major GP and he just turns me away,” said another.
Eligible Australians aged 50 to 74 will receive a free test sent to their homes every two years, but other people can buy tests from pharmacies.
A 26-year-old also jumped into the chat and agreed with the teacher’s urgent suggestion.
‘I had blood in my poop and about six months ago I was diagnosed with stage three rectal cancer. Six months of chemotherapy and the next thing is having 12 inches removed from my intestines to remove the tumor,” they wrote.
‘I had two episodes of bloody diarrhea and was told I was too young to have cancer. It was a struggle to get a colonoscopy and break the dogma that only old people get cancer.”
The teacher revealed that he is lucky to have sick leave and will be off for the rest of the year while he undergoes chemotherapy.
He also added that he has no family history of the disease and that nothing has ever “gone wrong” with his body, which is why he is still in disbelief.