To think these people are being reckless with their health?

[Kaylasmum49]

After a conversation at work about bowel screening i'm shocked at the amount of people who don't participate in this. Also there are some that don't have any of the screening tests that are offered.

Aibu to think that they are being reckless and even quite selfish, especially if there are children to consider?

My mum and dad have both had theirs done, and didn't blink at it but my stepdad is really offended by the idea and won't do it. I can't fathom it personally, I've always been for my smear tests and was lucky that early cancer cells were detected, treated and saved my life. For a few seconds of indignity, I'd rather have peace of mind.

You can lead a horse to water and all that...............

EveMoneypenny that is about educating people. Ask questions, do some research and make an informed decision.

I imagine if you grew up to find your parent had died because she couldn't be bothered to get a smear test, or go for a screening that would have saved their life, it could potentially destroy you.

I'm sorry you are being ridiculous. You cannot ever say that screening would have saved someone's life. There is a chance it might have and then they could walk under a bus/ have a heart attack/ or whatever. I really dislike this guilt tripping parents stuff, parents are just flawed people like everyone else.

I’m with you OP but I think many people are reckless with their health and life style. I’m bloody fed up of it in my family.

Dad: died of bowel cancer aged 62. He drank far too much and barbecued anything, 52 weeks of the year.
Mum : died of liver fairlure aged 60. Was an alcoholic.
MIL: still living, has had a dreadful diet all her life. Cooks from scratch but portion size and sugar are issues. Is obese and type 2 diabetic. Had to injection and now has many health issues linked to being a diabetic.
FIL just had triple heart bypass is obese, diet same as mil.

BIL just had massive stroke aged 49. Has been in hospital for 3 months, Will not be out anytime soon. Is obese and type 2 diabetic.

They are/were middle class, professional people who are reckless imo. Costing the tax payer huge amounts of money.

It’s made me determined to look after my own health, take up any screening offer d and try to avoid any of the above.

My DP does not have bowel cancer but was told for years he had IBS. A simple blood tests when things got really bad, showed he did not have that. A colonoscopy ruled out bowel cancer. Now having further tests.

People own their bodies so can make good and bad health decisions. I admit I did not fully understand why people make poor health decisions until I had a horrific 5 years with a murder of family members, other bereavements, family illness, and a lot more besides. My aim sometimes was just to get everyone including myself through the day. Eating healthily and getting exercise really did not feature as a must do.

The trouble with many of these screening tests is that the NHS are often preaching to the converted. Those of us who are conscientious (the 'worried well'?) will take part and those who don't want to know aren't listening. Most of are somewhere in the middle
Very true the people who will go to screening tests are more likely to be people who are already living reasonably healthy lifestyles who have the lowest risks of the diseases that they are being tested for
conscientious people tend to be conscientious across the board

Some don't accept screening as they would not accept the treatment that would be offered with a positive result.
You may not agree. That's fine. Their body, their choice.

YABU.
People make their own choices -- it's called patient autonomy.
A lot of harm can be caused by false 'positives', too.
A huge body of research about those harms caused by all screening programmes.

Yes, if anything we're over-screened.
To the extent that you can go to the GP with a potentially serious problem, which is sidelined or overlooked completely, because they're too concerned about the fact that their computer screen has flagged up that you missed X screening on X date.
Then there is constant advice about how you can have screening or health checks for

High Blood Pressure.
and you can have Diabetes Screening.
Then there are the 'free' age related health checks.

Screening has it's place, but if you're not careful,
other potentially lethal conditions are overlooked because of the screening.

It's very controversial subject.

A lot of time the reluctance / denial is tied up in trauma - bad medical experiences, family experiences etc.

I had abnormal cells found on a smear and colposcopy at 22. The combination of that experience, some sexual assaults, and then the most disturbing medical experience of my life meant I stopped having follow up smears about age 30. It's only now I have children that I'm making myself do it but the fear and trauma is overwhelming, not to mention the fear of what will be found after avoiding it. I'm not saying it's responsible but I do understand it.

I thought the smear test had changed so that you could do it yourself and then give the results to the GP?

I have never had the option of doing a smear test myself. And yes a horrific smear test that I should really have reported, has made me afraid of further tests. I only get it done after a bit of nagging from DP and GP contacting me. I am always frightened before hand.

Many women have been raped. There are good reasons many women do not go for smear tests.

Interesting thread OP. I was one of the first bowel cancer screening specialist nurses when the program first rolled out, DH is a bowel screening endoscopist. I had to do a lot of promotion of the program when we first started, I was literally out at community centres /the WI / church halls etc.. trying to address some of the same attitudes / negative opinions / fears that are on here.

I can say that at our local screening centre we have saved lots of people from dying of bowel cancer, not just by diagnosing early cancers but also by removing polyps.
I will be 50 next year and will be arranging a colonoscopy for myself.

As far as I know it's not possible to do a smear test yourself - you need to take a sample of cells from the cervix, you need to be able to see the cervix, hence the speculum.

You can take your own swabs for other things though, like chlamydia so maybe you're thinking of that?

Last time I had a smear test I could have sworn the nurse said that you could take some kind of swab and do it yourself?

My DM takes LOVES a health screen. She dramatises them all "I might have X so I have to go to the hospital". She pushes for non routind tests screens and investigations and if she doesnt get them she pays for private testing.

She smokes, overeats and has never walked further than to her car.

But at least if she dies I can reassure her grandkids that she did what she could to stay alive to watch them grow up cause she went to her routine screens

I don't participate in any screenings. I have other health issues that are already burdensome enough, and having seen early cancer treatment play out dozens of times now, I have zero interest in being treated if I'm diagnosed. Why would I waste resources being screened if I won't do anything with the results?

I also find it strange that the screening age is 60 in England. Why such a big change in the starting age from one country to another?

Gingerbread,

Does your dm worry about being ill? If so she could have health anxiety. I have horrendous health anxiety and its completely debilitating.

I imagine if you grew up to find your parent had died because she couldn't be bothered to get a smear test, or go for a screening that would have saved their life, it could potentially destroy you

I think that is quite offensive to those of us who have lost our parents, and in fact to anyone. We don't owe our bodies and our decisions to our children, and most of us have enough sense and compassion to understand that people are flawed imperfect beings and it's not up to us to judge them for their personal decisions.

People can do as they please with their own health and the rights of their DC don't come into it - it's called free will. People are always doing stupid things, if you think about it. Smoking, drinking, eating junk, not exercising, driving too fast, not going for regular check-ups offered for free on the NHS - you name it. I can think of several people who hastened their own deaths by doing things they knew full well were bad for them. My FIL died this year in his 70s from lung cancer. He smoked his whole life, despite knowing it was bad for him. He also ate junk food by the ton, never ate vegetables and never took any exercise. DH was always trying to make him see sense, but the stubborn old bastard was full of his own self-justifications. In the end though, his actions shaved approx. 10 years off the lifespan he could reasonably have expected to have. It was his life to live and ruin - and he jolly well did!

I guess it's the "glass half full v half empty" debate.
I'm absolutely pro health screening, but do wonder sometimes if we do too much of it.

Each to their own I suppose!

My father recently had a colononscopy after losing his sister to bowel cancer. He's under 60 and was diagnosed with cancer. He had no symptoms but requested the early screening because he didn't want to see his family suffer like he just watched his sister and family suffer. My youngest sibling is only 16.
It was discovered early and hopefully the early discovery will lead to an easy and full recovery.
So yes, I would urge everyone to do the screening.

Does your dm worry about being ill? If so she could have health anxiety. I have horrendous health anxiety and its completely debilitating

Nope. Just self centred and lazy.
Any lifestyle ailments she gets are "genetic".
She enjoys the attention and drama of "doctor shopping"
She THOROUGHLY enjoys going for screenings. Not that shell ever heed any resulting health advice mind..
If she's out on any medication she'll tell everyone that she'll be "on it for life" and 6 weeks later she'll have seen some herbalist and replaced her "for life" meds with crystals and Angel cards...I
She's always getting tested for intolerance to find out why she's fat. She has NEVER tried eating less and moving more.

Attending/not attending health screenings is NOT a good barometer of whether it not you're responsible about your health

OK perhaps a bit too much info here but if you can stand the wording;!

Some years ago i noted a bit of red "ish" coloured blood on me poo. A sort of dark red it was seemed to be there all the time. After a while i took a picture of it and mailed it to my doc. Doc called me rightaway and wanted me to havew a colonscopy as soon as possible this week wouldn't be soon enough!

So thats what I did litterly shitting myself as I had visions of bowel cancer this is a very common symptom. So the night before I had to doseup witj "fleet" it 'err cleans out the system and yes it does what it says on the tin;! Come the morning off to hospital and was anethesised work up rembered someone or somethiung wigginling around inside but otherwise quite painless.

Met up with consultant who proudly showed me a colon polyp and quite a big bleeding one too and after it was cheked it was pre cancerous but with the long silver snake as its called it can snip them out thats what was done and a possible cancer cured.

What usually happmes is that these said go cancerous and then speads before symptoms are noticed and then its either too late ofd bits of the bowel have to be removed.

One of the easiest cancers to stop if its detected in time.

This site has a lot of info under paitent edcuation theres a vid on there showing one polyp being snipped out a possible cancer removed in seconds!

www.gihealth.com/education.html