Patrick Bastow, Edenbridge
I was working the USA in 2021. I arrived in the January but it took me until the July to get registered with a GP due to covid. I had my annual prostate cancer check as I normally do but a few weeks later I had a letter inviting me to take a routine colonoscopy in two weeks’ time. I had never heard of a colonoscopy and had to look it up. Of course, being in the USA it came with a $250 price tag. I laughed with a friend that it was just another US medical money-making scheme. Anyway, I was curious and I decided to go.
My wife had a breast cancer scare that had delayed her from joining me in the USA. Covid had also been a factor but she joined me in September and in October she drove me to the colonoscopy as they put you to sleep for the procedure. As I woke up after the procedure the surgeon told me that I had cancer. He explained that I had two very clear tumours either end of my colon. My wife asked if he was sure, and he replied that he’d been a doctor for 30 years and he had no doubt. No biopsy needed.
Very quickly I had CT scan and met up with a surgeon. He explained that it looked like the cancers had not spread but that, because the tumours were at the opposites ends of the colon, it was best to whip out the entire colon. So about two weeks later this is what happened. The surgery took about five hours. I was in hospital for nine nights as my stomach stopped working and I had to be hooked up to a machine for a few days. The biopsy came back saying that it was stage 1. I was very, very lucky. I actually donated my colon to the medical students for dissection practise!
It was strange experience lying in a hospital bed with invoices for the operation popping in on my phone. The whole thing cost over $250,000 but I had insurance to it was closer to $6,000. Never knock the NHS!
At the time, I didn’t have a family history of bowel cancer, but my uncle was diagnosed with it at the same time and had his operation a week after me.
The recovery was tricky as I was on some very heavy opioid pain killers to start with that did not agree with me. It was difficult for my wife, being away from support in a new country. She got extremely home sick. I was mentally a bit fried which I did not expect. Getting used to life without a colon has been interesting. The operation was at the end of November. By mid-February we came back to the UK. So, getting bowel cancer had more of a dramatic effect than I was expecting.
By April I was back running 10Ks. However, I have since developed a very large hernia which apparently is quite a common side effect of colon surgery. I also go to the toilet six to eight times a day minimum now and I don’t have regular bowel movements. I’m still trying to work out what the best diet for me is. I do feel a bit of fraud telling my story as I was very lucky to have the cancer spotted so early. I was not showing obvious symptoms and if I had not been living in the USA I very much doubt I would have had a colonoscopy. However, it’s great to be back in the UK.
I’m currently training to run the London marathon and will be raising money for Bowel Cancer UK.
Support Patrick’s marathon fundraising here.
