Talking with others helped me feel safer

The past 15 years have seen these kinds of exams change quite a bit, and it is like day and night. There’s absolutely no reason to be afraid nowadays as long as the doctor is experienced and attentive to the patient. It is important to me to talk with the doctor before the colonoscopy. It helps me to be familiar with the person doing the examination and the room where it takes place. I don’t see what is being done and don’t feel any pain. I’m not afraid at all of having a colonoscopy.

I was very lucky to find a good doctor right in the town where I live. I have now been with the same doctor for about twelve years. I trust him and am convinced that he does the colonoscopies correctly. He has a lot of experience with this disease. He is very open and I am quite sure that he does a good job. I can be honest about what I am thinking and we can discuss the results. It is important to me to have the opportunity to discuss the results and any further steps hours after the examination, and not just right after the colonoscopy has just been finished and I am still feeling the effects of the anesthetic.

I have already had many conversations about this topic with my doctor. It really helps to know that he is very careful during the examination.

I have now had this condition for decades. But I have only just now realized that regular colonoscopies can help detect signs of bowel cancer early enough.

I take medication to treat the inflammation caused by the ulcerative colitis. These medications may also lower my chances of getting bowel cancer.

Whenever I notice the first signs of escalation, that is when the ulcerative colitis symptoms – blood in the stool, diarrhea or pain – worsen, I react immediately. This means that in recent years I have been able to avoid very severe outbreaks that require hospitalization. Before that I would make the mistake of waiting too long to see the doctor and then finally starting therapy.

A healthy lifestyle is also important to me. I hope that can help me to keep from developing cancer. I go jogging several times a week and try to eat healthy. My goal is to have a feeling of physical wellbeing.

I think it over quite often: “Am I doing enough or are there other options I should be trying?” It’s not easy. There were also plenty of times a while back when my daughter was still very young that I was very worried about getting bowel cancer that would not be detected until it was too late. Some nights I would lay awake and think about it, and also had to cry. I wondered whether what I was doing was right and how I would deal with my fears, and that was damn difficult. But that was a long time ago. All I can say is that dealing with these issues and talking a lot with my doctor helped to make me feel a bit safer. Under those circumstances I just needed someone with specialist knowledge who I could talk to openly. Talking with other people who have ulcerative colitis and who are in a similar situation is also a great help.

It’s important not to shut your eyes and to deal with the issue of bowel cancer. I think you shouldn’t just sit back and expect others to do it for you. You have to leave your comfort zone and really grapple with it. Then you will feel like you’ve done everything you can and won’t have regrets later on.