Pooh Sticks and Bowel Cancer Tests: A Lighthearted Comparison

I'm sure that you all know the game played by Winnie the Pooh and one of his friends and hundreds of children where you each drop a distinctive stick on the upstream side of a bridge across a stream, then you rush across to the downside and see whose stick comes out first, hence the winner. The name of this game is Pooh Sticks.

A less attractive version is the bowel cancer test sticks which you dip into your poo, and some unfortunate soul tests them for cancer cells. I am due for my biannual game soon and checked what the process is with a "normal/plain" colostomy. You possibly all know about this, but apparently, you just dip the sticks into the poo in your bag and proceed as normal.

I hope this may be useful to some of you, and I apologize for boring some of you. Best wishes to you all.

Good advice, even if you know it's always good to be reminded. Fingers crossed you get the all clear. I had a bowel screening kit come last week, but I have an ileostomy and had my colon removed over 30 years ago, so I'm lucky and don't need to do it.

That won't work for me. I have an ileostomy, and there is no connection between my colon (what's left of it) and my ileostomy where the poop comes out. So I couldn't just stick a stick in my bag and get a sample that would tell them anything about colon cancer. I have to go the old-fashioned way and get sedated and have them stick a camera up my butt. I am not due for that for 2 more years, though, so I am okay for now.

Thanks, Ben.

Hi Queenie!

I'm afraid that I am unfamiliar with this practice. I had not realized that it was even necessary in these highly technical times!

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No poo-sticks for those of us with an ileostomy.

I loved the visual of kids running down a stream bank to see whose sticks come first... happier times!

Not too sure what that is. No doctor has spoken to me about this yet; I've only been post-op now for 6 weeks, still waiting for answers, but thanks for the info.

Hello Queenie. I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I have had the same thought: just pop the stick into the bag and that's it. I'm looking forward to reading what others say who have gone through the experience.

Do you mind me asking why you are going back to the ileostomy? I'm asking because next week they are going to remove my tumor surgically and do a hysterectomy while they're there. My endometrium thickened, so they are just going to yank all of it out. In the future, I will hopefully be able to reverse my ileostomy. I've read here where other people went back to the ileostomy and was just wondering if you had a bad time with it being reversed. Sorry for rambling on so much. I hope you don't mind me asking! Take care. 🌹 Rose

We get it from our wonderful NHS, but you should be able to get it in other countries. They say "offered," but it gets delivered by the postman every 2 years unless you tell them you don't want it. Essentially, it's 5 little strips/sticks of cardboard and some plastic gloves. You collect a sample of your poo on the sticks and send it back in the attached container.

Your sample gets tested for traces of blood. If it's positive and possible, you get a colonoscopy, as of course, it could be from an anal fissure or hemorrhoids, and you either get cleared until 2 years later, or the NHS clinically processes you appropriately.

The official description:

"The primary colon (bowel) cancer test offered by the NHS is the faecal immunochemical test (FIT), a home-based stool test sent to individuals aged 50-74. If the FIT test is positive, further investigation, usually a colonoscopy, is recommended.

FIT Test:
This test checks for hidden blood in a stool sample, which can be an early sign of bowel cancer.
Eligibility:
People aged 50-74 are automatically invited for screening every two years.
How it works:
The FIT kit is sent by post, and the individual collects a small stool sample at home and returns it for testing.
Colonoscopy:
If the FIT test is positive, a colonoscopy is usually recommended to examine the bowel lining and identify any abnormalities.
Other Tests:
Depending on the situation, other tests like CT scans, MRI scans, or blood tests may be used to assess the extent of the cancer."

Hi Iceberg. I'm not sure how it works in Canada, but from my lived experience when my son spent several years there doing his post-doc, and also from working as a health professional, your health service is excellent and very highly regarded. The pooh sticks/colon cancer test is an age-related thing, and here it's managed centrally across the country. It isn't associated with stomas directly; the risk is more relevant to aging, and I just looked into it to check what I do now. But it seems that my advice is only relevant to people with colostomies; ileostomies don't need to do this as they have no colons and hence no risk of colon cancer. I hope this helps and that you are warm and well in your wonderful country. My son was in London, Ontario, and we toured a bit of Canada; it's very beautiful, the people are lovely, and I loved seeing black squirrels! But please forgive me; I think poutine is foul! But Canada is still in my top three countries in the world.

No relevance to my post, but I'm just sending you all the best for your surgery. I hope your outcome is everything you could wish for.

I still love playing it, whether with adults or kids!

Sorry you have to go through the sedation and probe process. Apparently, I had/? still have a very acute angle in my colon, so the camera up the bum was very painful and useless! I think they said the angle may have been chopped off, so that's another plus for me. And with the FIT test - I must stop calling it pooh sticks - there's another step before colonoscopies. All the best to you, Infinity.

Hi Mindy. I am so sorry to hear about your problems. That is really hard, and you are heroic for just keeping yourself going. I have infinite admiration for you. I'm sure it sounds stupid, as I am not religious, but I had a touch-and-go experience when I had my stoma created; pulling plugs were discussed, and I feel strongly that the positive energy I was "sent" by friends saved me. So I'm sending some to you. I hope things will turn around for you and that your life will bring you love, joy, and beauty to focus on. You are heroic.

It seems that those who have it, i.e., are not ileostomies, follow your guidance, and the local stoma advice people concur; just smoosh the stick around in the bag. It seems progress has happened since 2 years ago; it's just a single plastic stick now. Joy unbounded!