Fuck - this means they suspect cancer doesn't it?

[vipersnest1]

I went for an appointment at 'the bum clinic' on Tuesday. I was told I need further tests and they would take weeks.
I've had a call today to say I've been referred for an urgent flexible sigmoidoscopy and have an appointment on Monday.
I know it could just be to rule it out, but it's the 'urgent' part of it that has thrown me.

The NHS is blunt and tell you how it is, they are testing to clear you

Really pleased for you and also it's brilliant that you gave them such helpful feedback. Hopefully you will have made this procedure a bit easier for many other women in future.

@vipersnest1 so pleased for you - in my case it was stage 3 bowel cancer but I'm now 17 years on and just had my latest check up and I'm still good - yes, it's embarrassing and uncomfortable having these procedures but the NHS saved my life, so if anyone has any kind of symptoms in that region, please please get checked out

That's great news! @vipersnest1 It's good that people get checked out. Unfortunately people too often don't, due to embarassment. Glad you are being so pro-active with your health. Locally we have a 'send in a sample if you are in the right age group' scheme. I overcame the ick factor to do it, and was fine.

Thank you all!

Yes, it was embarrassing (and I got to have a proctogram and physiology the day before). My bum was the last area of privacy IYSWIM (having had all and sundry looking at my vadge in the past - multiple prolapses), but I needed it to be done to find out why I have the symptoms I do.

I'm not going to go into it here, but suffice to say that I have quite nasty problems in that area, and cancer needed to be excluded as a cause. I just hope that I can progress to whatever treatment I need soon, but I know all of the test results need to be written up and passed to my consultant, so I'll have to wait for the wheels to grind.