READING Peter Barron’s humorous article about the very serious problem of bowel cancer (Echo, Sept 25) I had to put in my three penn’orth as I was diagnosed with bowel cancer almost 13 years ago.

I had a pulmonary embolism and it all went downhill from there. I had a nasty chunk removed at University Hospital of North Durham by colorectal surgeon Mr Ian Bain, who has also carried out most of my seven colonoscopies.

I never had to use the enema method that Peter Barron described, in mine you took a solution called picolax which caused me to attend the toilet 14 times in an afternoon and cleaned me out big style.

The only time I actually felt embarrassed was about two days after the operation when a nurse said: “We need to know when you break wind for the first time Malcolm.”

You are starved a bit so that there is no bowel usage but after about four days I had to call over probably the bonniest nurse in the whole hospital and tell her I has passed wind.

I am still gannin’ I am very pleased to say. If you get the NHS Poop Test, just do it, it may just save your life.

Malcolm Rolling, Durham