Talk me down!! Positive home stool test.

[peachesgalore]

Have health anxiety so totally spiralling. Did a home stool test for no other reason than I am a hypochondriac and a very faint line has appeared. It got more pronounced after the allotted time but not sure if it has a colour. Have ordered another one as dint want a colonoscopy if possible and I’ve heard you can get false negatives.

What is the test for? There's no context as to what you're testing for and why

It’s got bowel cancer and it detects blood in the poo

I had this. Did a FIT test at the doctors - it was negative. Ask for a FIT test. I really wouldn't do these at home tests.

These things are notorious for positives as there can be multiple reasons for blood in stool from internal / external piles to anal fissures. If you have concerns / symptoms of bowel cancer that concern you should visit your GP in the first instance.

Have you got piles by any chance?
That could be a reason for a positive.

I think re doing the test is a good idea and contacting GP if second one is positive.

Do you have any symptoms?

No piles always seem to have an upset stomach though. Thank you for the replies in so scared

I did one through the gp .. prevention thing . Mine was fine however the leaflet said something about a large number of of people are recalled because like many people said can be so many reasons . Go see your gp .

I’m really scared to go to the gp now but I appreciate what you are saying

The blood could be from anywhere cancel the order talk to the Dr's about a proper test a colonoscopy is allegedly not too bad (my dad has had loads) the prep is the worst and ask to be sedated

Blood in the stool can be dozens of things including internal piles, anal fissures from constipation. In most cases it is something minor. But it should always be checked out because it can also be indicative of bowel cancer and bowel cancer often doesn't show symptoms until its too late which is why we screen.

Survival rate for bowel cancer caught in the early stages is 94% for people under 50. A very worthwhile test but you do have to follow it up or it's pointless doing it.

In your case though, I wonder if you have some kind of intolerance to gluten or lactose or something as you say you get frequent upset stomachs. Or IBS, Coeliac etc. That would cause blood in your stool too.

Could that be diagnosed in middle age tho? I’m terrified of cancer

There are a million reasons why you could have blood in your stool and the vast majority of them are nothing serious at all.

But, you need a doctor to make that diagnosis. I know it’s not pleasant but if you have health anxiety and it is something that does need to be treated on an urgent basis, think how much worse it will be for you the longer you leave it. The quicker you make that appointment and get the diagnosis, the earlier they’ll have caught whatever it is (from a food intolerance upwards), the less you’ll need to be poked about with and the quicker you can get on with your life knowing that you don’t have the most serious of outcomes.

If you’re the right sex, anything can be diagnosed in middle age. But the chances of it being cancer are much lower than it being something that could be fixed by some changes to your diet. Phone the dr now, before you have a chance to talk yourself out of it.

You need to be scared of having cancer and it not being treated.
So get to gp get further tests and if needs be start cancer treatment then you moving forward
If you do have cancer and no treatment you may die so ignoring the test will not help you
If you follow up and do not have cancer maybe you identify a treatable condition

OP I say this kindly. Go to the Gp, if you are a hypochondriac then nothing anyone says on mumsnet is going to reassure you. If you’re really worried that’s not going to help any stomach issues either. Book an appointment.

I had one from the doctors, extremely high for blood, I had coeliac disease they found nothing sinister x

I’ve had bowel cancer and I’m still here twenty five years later so please just go through the process of getting a more reliable test and visit the GP, don’t leave it out of fear. Whenever I suspect something may not be right I’m on it immediately. Get the test you send off to the hospital and they will send you a written result.

The line came up after the time had passed that’s the only thing so I’m not sure

Would you be completely reassured and stop worrying about it if every single poster on here told you that, in that case, it was fine, you were in perfect health and you only needed to worry if the line came up early? Of course not. The only way to end the worry and anxiety you’re feeling is to speak to a doctor and get a diagnosis.

What was the point of doing the test otherwise?

Has anyone ever had this happen where a line showed up later ? Sorry I know it can with pregnancy tests but can’t find anything online about the cancer tests. I have filled in a form on the nhs app to my doctor.

Home tests aren’t reliable. If you’re worried about an ongoing upset stomach then see your GP. Could well simply be a result of the anxiety though.

It’s not a bowl cancer test.
it detects not visible blood in fecal matter. There can be microscopic blood samples for so many reasons.

Sorry should have have said for bowel cancer that was a typo. I’m just talking what it says in the box which says it’s a test for bowel cancer. I understand blood can occur for other reasons though. I’m very stressed

these tests only show blood in the poo ,it’s an indicator that’s all it is , as everyone else has said there are a number of other reasons for blood showing up so book in with your GP. Hypochondria can be a form of self-harm where you torture yourself with thoughts of what may be wrong, stress in itself causes health issues so it’s your GP that can help ,not mumsnet.