Im not sure if I should be posting this on here, if I should have posted somewhere else I apologise.

My Mum is 54yrs old and for the last few months has been suffering with severe abdominal pain which initially we thought could be IBS.

Mum was sent for a test - sorry I cant remember the name - where bariameal ? was put up her back passage so that she could be scanned. Within days my Mum was called to the hospital to recieve the results which had shown a narrowing in her bowel and an apt was arranged the following week ( today ) for a camera to be inserted so that they could confirm what had caused the narrowing. Mum was told after this procedure that she has a tumor covering part of her large bowel and part of her colon and it will need to be removed, I believe a biopsy was also taken. The operation should be in the next few weeks and they may take part of her bowel away.

Mum has to have a C scan next week to check mainly her lungs and neck I think.

I realise we have to wait for the results but im not sure what all of this means, cancer has not been confirmed and im trying to stay positive but I believe thats whats coming.

My Mum is adament that she has a tumor not cancer and does not believe that she could have it.

i just wondered if anyone has any thoughts on this, I feel that I cant ask my Mum too much as I dont want to scare her but i want to be prepared and not sure what to expect.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Hi there A. Sorry you had to wait for a reply but I was having computer problems yesterday. Of course you are allowed to post on this board.

I know all this is scary, as you say yourself you are scared and confused. This is natural at this stage with any medical problem but especially when there is a chance it might be cancer.

Working through your post point by point. The first test your mum had done was a barium enema. This is used a bit like an xray to look for all sorts of problems with the digestive tract. The camera was then used to get more precise information. Sometimes this alone is enough to confirm a cancer, if not then a biopsy will offer more exact information. The surgeon will want the results of the biopsy before deciding exactly what to do next.

She is now going to have a CAT scan by the sound of it. This does not mean the doctors necessarily suspect there is anything of a problem elsewhere as it is often done anyway before major surgery.

Right, down to the nitty gritty! A very large proportion of tumours/growths in the colon and bowel are found to be non cancerous. Yes that's right, non cancerous.

The basic operation though is the same, especially if a tumour is large. Removing part of the bowel and/or colon is the best way of ensuring the whole tumour, regardless of type, is removed. Your mum may find she needs to be fitted with a stoma bag but it is amazing just how much of the colon can be taken away without a bag being needed. The very good news is that there is a very, very high success rate in this operation.

About the way your mum is handling this. Don't pressurize her to think along the lines that she might have cancer. Time enough to cope with that if that diagnosis is made. The oncology teams in hospitals are only too aware of the fears surrounding this disease and will do all they can to guide and support. There is an information folder on this board's main page. Take a look there too if you are one of those people - like me - who have to be fully informed about anything! Keep posting on here too, even if it is just to offload your worries.