Had to beg the doctor for an urgent referral

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I have been back and forward to the docs for months now with back ache, hip pain, lower abdominal pains and constipation with a bit of diarrhoea.

I have had an x-ray for the back pain, a physio referral and full bloods plus a faecal calprotectin test.

The pain in my stomach and blood in my stool/ change in BM have progressively got worse and I have very limited appetite, losing weight.

The pains come and go but when they are there, they are unbearable and are most of the day now. Ranging from a crampy ache to sharp stabbing pains very low down.

My faecal calprotectin results were 117 and I was told this would not be IBD by 2 docs. I have been referred for an ultrasound for ovarian cysts as one doctor said he could feel either a poo or a cyst in that area!

Today after the pain has increased further and more noticeable blood in my stools I went back to the doctors and after 3 months of this progressing, asked for an urgent referral.

He was very surprised that I thought it could be cancer and was adamant that it's not. He suggested IBD is much more likely even though his colleagues thought not.

What I was most surprised by was the fact that despite having 3/3 symptoms which have persisted for months, he couldn't do an urgent referral for a colonoscopy as I'm under 50 (47!)

He did eventually agree to do it but I could see that he had to override the computer system telling him to abandon the referral due to my age. I'm so relieved he agreed as it saved me nearly £3000 paying privately.

I have looked online and my symptoms still seem closer to polyps or cancer than any IBD or diverticulitis.

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