A Lincolnshire woman has praised the care she received in Lincolnshire’s hospitals, for detecting and removing cancer at an early stage.
Lynette Burton, 55, from Horncastle was invited to have bowel scope screening, which is offered to all 55 year olds who are registered with a GP.
She had the screening at County Hospital Louth on Thursday 15 September, which revealed she had a polyp in her bowel. This was removed by Dr Aravamuthan Sreedharan, Consultant Gastroenterologist and his team at Lincoln County Hospital on Wednesday 28 September and sent for tests. The polyp was discovered to contain some precancerous cells and Lynette was given the results and the all clear a week later on Thursday 6 October.
Speaking of her treatment, Lynette said: “I received a letter inviting me to have the bowel screening procedure. I thought nothing of it at the time. The teams at Louth and Lincoln were both amazing. They talked me through what would happen during the procedure and answered any questions that I had. The screening was a little bit uncomfortable but not painful at all and I didn’t have any discomfort afterwards.
“I was referred to Lincoln to have the polyp removed and was really impressed at how fast I was seen and how quick the procedure was. I’d heard really good things about Dr Sreedharan so I felt confident in his hands and everyone in his team put me at ease.
“I came back in for the results with my husband Kevin a week later and was told that the polyp contained some precancerous cells which if hadn’t been removed it would have turned into cancer. It really put things in perspective and I was so grateful to the team for their care and support
“I would recommend having the screening to anyone. I couldn’t fault any of the team or the care I’ve received.”
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the UK. If it’s detected at an early stage, before symptoms appear, it’s easier to treat and there’s a better chance of surviving it.
Bowel scope screening uses a thin flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end to look at the lining of the large bowel. The main aim of the procedure is the prevention of bowel cancer with the detection and removal of polyps.
Dr Sreedharan, Clinical Director for the Lincolnshire Bowel Cancer Screening Programme said: “We are really pleased to be able to offer this treatment to patients like Lynette across Lincolnshire so we can detect cancer at the earliest stage.
“We are delighted to be able to extend the service so we can screen residents in the Louth and Lincoln area. The team has really worked hard to make this possible and we look forward to continuing the good work to complete the roll out this screening programme across the county to benefit the rest of the eligible population.”
The Lincolnshire Bowel Cancer Screening Programme at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust is looking to extend screening across Lincolnshire.
The first phase of the roll out started in September 2015 across the Louth area. Early national reporting shows this phase to be highly successful in terms of patient experience with 100% of patients reporting they were very satisfied or satisfied with their overall experience of the screening.
The second phase began in September 2016 with 55 year olds in the Lincoln area being invited to attend appointments at Lincoln County Hospital. The roll out of the whole screening programme across all Lincolnshire GP practices is expected to take two years.
Patients with any questions regarding their bowel scope invitation or who need to rearrange their appointment can call freephone 0800 707 6060 or the Lincolnshire Screening Centre on 01522 597548. Patients between the ages on 55 and 59 can opt into to the programme by calling the hub’s freephone number.