My name is Boca The Bear! My name is short for Bowel Cancer and I am here to help people who have it and who are at risk of getting it.
Daddy Mike's daddy has it and the cancer has claimed 2 people in daddy's family and I don't want daddy's daddy to be the 3rd.
--- Did you know that; Bowel Cancer is the 3rd most common form of cancer killing over 16,000 people, and over 35,000 people being diagnosed with Bowel Cancer every year in the UK?
Lifestyle and dietary habits are known to play a part and research has added weight to the theory that a high-fibre diet can reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer.
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Bowel cancer is a disease where cells of the bowel (large intestine made up of the colon and rectum) grow in an uncontrolled way. The mass of extra cells forms the cancer.
At first there may not be any symptoms, but as the bowel cancer grows, symptoms may develop but can vary.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
· blood in your stools (faeces or motions)
· a change in your bowel habit - passing stools more or less often (diarrhoea or constipation)
· still feeling like you need to go to the toilet after emptying your bowels
· stomach pains
These symptoms can be caused by other conditions. For example, bleeding from the back passage can be caused by piles. But anyone with these symptoms should see their GP.
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There are three main treatments for bowel cancer:
· Surgery
This is an operation to remove the cancer. Four out of five people with bowel cancer have some kind of surgery.
· Radiotherapy
This uses high energy rays (like X-rays) to kill the cancer cells.
· Chemotherapy
This uses drugs to destroy the cancer. It is sometimes used after surgery for bowel cancer.
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· try to eat a healthy balanced diet that includes at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day
· eat plenty of fibre to keep your bowels healthy and working normally
· try to do some moderate exercise (eg brisk walking) for around 30 minutes on five or more days of the week
· if you are overweight, try to lose some weight
· drink alcohol in moderation - no more than three to four units a day for men and no more than two to three units a day for women
· don't smoke - cigarettes are full of cancer-causing substances*
*One unit is the same as a small glass (125ml) of wine, half a pint of ordinary strength lager or beer or a small pub measure (25ml) of spirits.
-------------------------------------------------------Your health assessment questionnaire
You will need to bring a completed health assessment questionnaire with you to your assessment. Please complete this as fully as possible. This forms the basis for your discussion with the BUPA doctor, and the information you provide will help us to understand and address your individual needs.
Classic Health Assessment questionnaireBowel cancer test
If you are aged 45 or over, you will be given a bowel cancer test kit at your health assessment. You will need to collect a small sample from each of three bowel movements and return it to the centre as soon as possible.
Please read through the factsheet for instructions about how to use this kit.
Bowel cancer test factsheet
What it measures
· Presence of microscopic blood in a stool sample
Health implications
· If present it may be due to a bowel tumour
· Research has indicated that early detection of problems with this test may reduce mortality from bowel cancer------------------------------------------------------
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If you want more information about Bowel Cancer then please take a lookey at these links!
Bowel Cancer UK @ http://www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk/
- Registered Charity Number 1071038 -
Beating Bowel Cancer @ http://www.beatingbowelcancer.org/
- Registered Charity Number 1063614 -
Birmingham Bowel Clinic @ http://www.birminghambowelclinic.co.uk/html/default.asp
Cancer Bacup @ http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Home
- Registered Charity Number 1019719 -
Cancer Research @ http://www.cancerhelp.org.uk/
- Registered Charity Number 1089464 -
Tackling Bowel Cancer Foundation (Australia) @ http://www.tacklingbowelcancer.com/index.asp
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