Walsall father urges others to learn about symptoms and signs of bowel cancer after diagnosis days before Christmas
A Walsall father who ignored his bowel cancer symptoms is urging others to get clued up on the signs and symptoms of the disease.
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Shafqat Khan, a dad of four, had thought little of the changes to his bathroom routine and increased abdominal pain, dismissing his symptoms as simple constipation.
Two days after his 50th birthday, however, Mr Khan received a routine bowel cancer screening kit through the post and completed the faecal immunochemical test (FIT), which found high levels of blood in his stool sample.
He was referred to New Cross Hospital to have a colonoscopy and was told he had bowel cancer, just days before Christmas last year.
He said: “I never thought it would happen to me. Even when I was sent in for further testing, I was in denial that my symptoms could be anything other than constipation.
“I’d mentioned putting my appointment on hold as I was nervous to have the colonoscopy, but the consultant persuaded me to keep my consultation. That decision ultimately saved my life.
“I thought the procedure would be uncomfortable, but all the staff were so empathetic and lovely.
"They see this every day and they did everything to put me at ease. I will remember them for the rest of my life.”
Following a CT scan at Cannock Chase Hospital, it was confirmed that, Mr Khan’s cancer had not spread and, in March, he underwent successful surgery at Walsall Manor Hospital to remove part of his bowel.
As the cancer was discovered in the early stages, Mr Khan managed to avoid radiotherapy and chemotherapy and didn’t need a colostomy bag, but will remain under surveillance following his surgery.
He said he is now passionate about raising awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer, encouraging people to speak to their GP if something doesn’t feel right.
He said: “My brother sadly lost his life to bowel cancer when he was 39 and we were asked to undergo screening because of this.
"As a family, we’d avoided doing this out of fear.
“I’d read that blood in the stool was a key symptom but because I couldn’t see any bright-red blood present, I thought that everything was okay.
"I didn’t realise that a dark stool could indicate bleeding. If I’d have known this, I probably would’ve taken my symptoms more seriously.
“I’m still under active surveillance for other issues but I feel so relieved.
"I hope my story encourages people to not put off screening and to learn more about the warning signs”.
To find out more about cancer screening, go to Bowel cancer screening - NHS.
