What’s your excuse? – Why it’s important to take charge of your health

Bowel cancer screening is not something many people like to think about, and you may have even ignored the Faecal Occult Blood Test (iFOBT) kit that comes in the mail every two years after you turn 50. But did you know that if found early, nine out of ten cases of bowel cancer can be successfully treated?

For 59-year-old Mount Nelson local Paul Salter, sadly a bowel cancer diagnosis didn’t come as a surprise. Several years earlier, Paul had received his first bowel screening test in the mail. Although he was reluctant to use it, he ended up needing a polyp removed and went on to do another test four years later in 2016 which came back negative.

When he started experiencing early warning signs of bowel cancer such as changes in the frequency, volume and consistency of his bowel movements and eventually finding blood in his stool, Paul put off going to the doctor. He made excuses that he was too busy with his work as a firefighter during the busy 2018/2019 summer of bushfires – despite being concerned that something wasn’t right.

“Even though I was aware something was wrong, I foolishly decided to ignore the symptoms and convinced myself that I couldn’t afford to take the time to go to a doctor. When I finally had a colonoscopy in April 2019, I was told at the age of 57 that I have bowel cancer.”

“I still get tired even though I’m not having treatment, which seems to be my new norm. I’ve always been really active with things like swimming, running, going to the gym, fishing and playing golf, then all of a sudden my world was turned upside down. Being able to keep swimming during my chemotherapy was really good for my mental health. It’s something I’ve done nearly all my life, it made me feel normal if that makes sense.”

He encourages other cancer patients to listen to their body and put their health and wellbeing first throughout treatment and beyond.

“I was advised early in my diagnosis about the importance of getting regular exercise, but you also should rest when you need to. I didn’t rest and that’s when I started to have issues. Exercise is good for your mental health and body, but when your body says it’s time to rest – it’s time to rest.”

With Paul about to mark his 60^th birthday and recently celebrating the birth of his first grandchild, he says he has a lot to be thankful for.

“No matter how fit and healthy you think you are, this can happen to anyone. Take it from me, don’t neglect your health or ignore the early warning signs like I did.”

“Don’t make excuses to avoid going to the doctor. Plenty of my friends are as stubborn as I am and don’t worry about regular check-ups. Get your bowel screening, follow up on any changes.”

“After all, it’s your life and your future – what’s your excuse?”