Highland MSP Edward Mountain in 'post your poo' plea over bowel cancer screening
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Highlands and Islands MSP Edward Mountain has said no-one should have any qualms about "posting your poo" as part of Scotland's national bowel screening programme.
In a video posted on social media, the Conservative politician acknowledged that some over-50s may feel "queasy" about using the testing kit they receive but urged them to go ahead with it.
Mr Mountain shared his personal experiences of bowel cancer treatment as he encouraged people to learn about the symptoms.
He was speaking during Bowel Cancer UK's Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, aimed at raising awareness.
Scotland's bowel screening programme invites men and women aged between 50 and 74 to take part in screening every two years. The screening seeks to find cancer at an early stage when treatment is likely to be more effective.
Bowel screening is the only screening programme where the test is completed at home.
Mr Mountain called on those who receive bowel cancer kits through the post to take full advantage of the tests.
In his video, Mr Mountain said: “It was some two years ago that I was diagnosed with bowel cancer in this very office. And I have four asks this afternoon – three for you, and one for the government.
“My first ask is to you – I want you to check yourself. If you have blood in your poo, if you have a pain in your stomach, if you have irregular bowel movements which you can't account for, or you're losing weight, please go and see your doctor – it could save your life.
“My second request is that if you're over 50 and you get sent your bowel screening testing kit, that you actually do it. It's really simple – you take a sample and put it in this yellow envelope that's provided.
"Now some of you might feel queasy about doing that, but my message to you is simple: be a rebel, it's the only time that you can legally send your poo in your post to somebody else. So do that.
“My third ask is an ask of the government. What I would like to do is to see the government increase the sensitivity of our tests.
"Now I absolutely acknowledge the fact that Scotland leads the United Kingdom in bowel cancer screening. But by increasing the sensitivity from 80 to 20 we would pick up more people with bowel cancer at an early stage.
“And my final ask is one for everyone. If you see this video and you get the opportunity, retweet it. It might help somebody, it might save their lives and save them going through the treatment that I had to have in the form of chemo and radiotherapy.”
Since initial treatment, Mr Mountain continues to be monitored and is now determined to raise awareness of the disease.
Around 43,000 people each year are diagnosed with bowel cancer, according to Bowel Cancer UK.
The organisation’s website states: “Nearly everyone survives bowel cancer if diagnosed at the earliest stage. However, this drops significantly as the disease develops. Early diagnosis really does save lives.”
