In August 2006, after ignoring blood leaking from where it should not I visited my GP for a checkup. He strongly advised an investigation of my colon. The options available were a barium enema via the public hospital system, which could take up to 6 months, or a colonoscopy through a private specialist which could happen within 10 days. I went with the colonoscopy and selected Frank Frizelle. I had met Frank a couple of years earlier when he performed emergency surgery on Teresa's mother following a perforated ulcer.
On 21st August I experienced my first colonoscopy and had expected it to confirm Irritable Bowel Syndrome or an ulcer, both due to the stress I had been experiencing. I will never forget waking from the procedure and being told that I had cancer.
A couple of days later I had a CT scan and chest X-Ray and met with the surgeon on 24th to plan the next steps. My choices were to ignore the cancer and live for another year or so with reducing quality of life (no way), or remove a segment of colon, either privately at a cost of around $40,000 or via the public hospital system. I went public and certainly do not regret that decision. As I was already locked in with Frank he would be my consulting surgeon in Christchurch Public Hospital.
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