A Forfar man has told how he was given medication for constipation – but it turned out he had cancer.
Ron Kerr went to see his GP because he was having trouble going to the toilet.
He was prescribed a laxative but returned a month later as his symptoms were continuing.
His GP referred him to Ninewells for a colonoscopy on Christmas Eve in 2013.
It was here a nurse told him he could have bowel cancer – which was confirmed as being at stage one through more tests.
‘You think the worst’
The 82-year-old retired housing manager says the diagnosis left him scared.
He said: “The news came as a shock at the time and is still quite a shock now.
“I would get really worried. When you have cancer you can’t help but think the worst.
“I knew that waiting for my test results would likely be a really difficult time, so I went over to the Maggie’s Centre in the hospital grounds for support.
“I am so glad I did as the emotional support and advice I received there was invaluable.
“It was a scary time, but again the support and reassurance from the staff was a great comfort.”
In early 2014, Ron had keyhole surgery to remove his tumour. He also had chemotherapy as a precaution.
His treatment was completed by June 2014, with more tests and consultations held over the following five years.
While his treatment was successful, Ron admits that he was scared about the cancer coming back.
He said: “When I met my surgeon he said I was lucky they caught it so early.
“I thought it was a strange thing to say at the time, but in hindsight I can see he was right.
Early Bird campaign
“I kept thinking every pain I felt was the cancer coming back.
“But the more people I spoke to I realised this wasn’t true and not every pain was cancer-related.”
Ron has spoken out as part of the Be the Early Bird campaign from the Scottish Government.
It encourages people to get symptoms checked as early as possible.
Some of the tests around bowel cancer can be a bit embarrassing, but it’s so important to get everything checked out
April is also Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and Ron is urging people to be aware of any changes in their body.
He added: “If you’ve got a problem, you’re best speaking to someone.
“Some of the tests around bowel cancer can be a bit embarrassing, but it’s so important to get everything checked out.
“The doctors and staff who do these tests are used to it and are great at putting you at ease.”
Conversation