Terrified I have bowel cancer

[Madgesty76]

Hi there. I don't know what to expect from this thread. Some reassurance and a virtual hug maybe. But my story so far is that for the last year I've had bleeding from my back passage (sorry tmi) every time I have a bowel movement . Sometimes there's mucous with it . I left going to my GP because I was scared of what they would tell me. However I ended up in my nearest A and E last Monday because my health anxiety just got out of control. The doctor was so understanding. They did a full blood count and a digital rectal exam. Everything came back clear. Abdominal exam didn't find any lumps and the rectal exam showed no piles or lumps. No anaemia . All bloods were within normal range. I have no pain whatsoever. However I gave a stool sample which I'm getting the results of tomorrow and a colonoscopy is being arranged. I keep having the urge to empty my bowels all the time. I am at my wits end because all I keep thinking is I'm going to die of bowel cancer. I have small kids , I'm on my own and I'm just so scared. Any advice would be really helpful please. Thank you x

You need to try to compartmentalise your fear. Not easy. But tell yourself tonight I won’t think about it and every time your mind goes to it try to make yourself think of something different. Most likely it will be internal haemorrhoids. Don’t Google the symptoms. Hope everything goes well for you.

Thank you........ trying to stay positive x

Could be something as simple as cutting back on dairy as that can increase mucus production but they’ve done a lot of tests so far and all looks good so try not to spiral

Mucous is often a sign of inflammatory issues. I had awful issues after having pancreatitis due to a gall stone. The consultant told me that inflammation/irritation makes the bowel contract to get rid of waste more quickly and this removes the protective lining- the bowel then produces mucous to protect itself.

Thank you. Yes I'm trying not to let my mind run away with me. Hopefully it'll be a good outcome x

Yes it's quite frightening when you don't know what's happening to your body. Thank you so much for your reply x

Try not to worry! Easier said than done I know.
It could be numerous things like Colitis IBS etc.
My mother was bleeding quite a lot and it was Colitis.
I know several other people that have had bleeding and it’s been nothing sinister.
Take care xxx

I had this and it was diagnosed as proctitus after a colonoscopy. Basically acute inflammation of the rectal area of the bowels.

It cleared up and haven’t had it since. I can contact them if it ever flares up again.

I take omega 3 for its anti-inflammatory properties and feel this helps (notice mild discomfort if I stop taking).

I had this, also proctitis. I made some changes to my diet eg give up alcohol, eat less red meat and more fish and veg etc and it cleared up after a while. If it's fresh blood it's less likely to be cancer and more likely to be inflammation related (or so I was told). Try not to worry OP, and see your GP asap for peace of mind

I had that, cut out gluten and all good.

DH just been to the docs for bloody poos too, not heard anything back so assume all good.

It happens! Unlikely to be cancer but you’re doing the right thing getting checked, as obviously it could be.

Your colonoscopy will tell you what’s wrong. I had this - shamefully for much longer, years! I had massive polyps, but they weren’t cancerous. Removed during the colonoscopy

be slightly wary of dietary advice. This is all I got for years, and the only investigation my doctors did was to test for intolerances. These investigations would never’ve diagnosed my problem

There's a long list of things that this could be other than cancer. The colonoscopy should clarify things and the vast majority of bowel issues can be managed/treated very effectively.

Don't Google and worry yourself needlessly. We are all at risk of cancer, but remind yourself that it is predominantly a disease of older age. You've done the right thing by seeking a diagnosis. I know it's difficult but try not to let your anxiety spiral out of control. Take care😀

Well done for finally plucking up courage to address the issue. The waiting for tests etc is a scary time but you've taken the first steps and as others have said there are many other explanations other than cancer for your symptoms.

And even if it did turn out to be cancer, take comfort that bowel cancer is often one of the more easily treatable ones with a good prognosis. I say that because I was diagnosed after a routine screening test showed positive earlier this year (I had no symptoms). A subsequent colonoscopy revealed a tumour and I was quickly operated on to remove that part of my colon. Although I'll be monitored for five years I am now effectively cancer free and as healthy as I was before. So please try to stay positive and have a virtual hug from me . A colonoscopy is not much fun (the worst bit is the prep beforehand, which you'll soon discover !) but there is a good chance that you'll come out of it with at least an initial diagnosis, and fast tracked for further treatment if needed. .

P.S. ignore Dr Google - if you want reliable information about bowel cancer then the two go to places are bowelcanceruk.org.uk and macmillan.org.uk. There is loads of fact sheets etc there and some dedicated forums for people with fears just like yours.

Sounds like me some years back. I was additionally scared as my maternal grandfather died from bowel cancer. The colonoscopy showed what Tuesday out to be benign polyps they were removed and all has been fine since. All I felt was slight discomfort as they healed.

Try not to worry, lots of things can happen 'down there'. I had a colonoscopy about 2 years ago for bloody stools and passing stools quite frequently. Turned out to be a fairly common infection that was treated with antibiotics.

I had symptoms like that.

It was colitis.

A course of steroids sorted it, had a few subsequent flare ups, dealt with the same way, and it hasn’t returned again in 30 years.

Can I just say a big thank you to all of your lovely replies. You've managed to reassure me . I have no results back just yet but I'll let you know as soon as I do. Big hugs to you all xxx

All of your results were positive.
There are lots of unpleasant and uncomfortable conditions that can produce those symptoms that are just that, unpleasant and worrying but certainly not life threatening. Diverticulitis is surprisingly common, for example.

A negative result is far, far more likely.

All the best 💐

(Positive as in good news! Sorry, worded that really badly!)

Hi
any news please

Well I got the fit test results back and they were clear . But I have a colonoscopy and an endoscopy on the 2nd December just to rule everything out. Thank you for checking in x