Worried I have bowel cancer at 23? Please help

[Worriedguy1996]

I woke up about a week ago with a burning sensation while weeing which concerned me as I’ve had an UTI in the past (I’m a male) however I didn’t have chance to see a doctor the same day so I just waited a few days to see how it went. I started to get quite bad abdomen pains, I found it very painful to walk, turn in bed, cough or sneeze, no changes in bowel movement. I’d say on a scale of 1-10 - it was about 5,6. I think the pain was everywhere in my abdomen, not just on the left or right side. So I went to the out of hours doctor expecting it to be another UTI. The nurse said no infection was found which surprised me so she said to visit my GP. The pain went pretty quickly and I can’t feel anything now.

Fast forward a few more days - I have quite bad constipation. I haven’t had a bowel movement since Tuesday and when I do strain a lot, a tiny piece of poo comes out with mucus and dot of bright red blood (sorry to be TMI) and it was long and pencil like! I had blood tests recently which showed as normal except my haemoglobin MCH was a tiny bit low but everything else is within the normal range (I do have an underactive thyroid which isn’t being treated at the moment)

I’ve googled my symptoms (yes - I know doctor Google isn’t my friend) and they all say bowel cancer

I’m going to push my GP for a referral to see the colonoscopy but I’m so worried it is bowel cancer? Has anyone has the same or similar symptoms as me and found out it was something else? I’m not sure if I posted this in the right place and I don’t mean to disrespect those battling with this awful disease - I would just like some help as I don’t know who else to turn to.

Thanks for reading

If you're that concerned, have you thought about going private? The cost for a consultation and bloods would be less than £1000.

The NHS can only offer tests that are clinically necessary, and your GP has decided they are not.

Or do you think the money might be better spent on seeking help for your anxiety?

I am considering going private as I know this will put my mind at rest. If it come back as clear - then I will deal with my anxiety

I spent many years convinced I had every type of cancer under the sun. Didnt matter how much people told me it was all in my head it felt so real! Your mind is a powerful thing and can actually make symptoms appear. Also stress plays havoc with your stomach. It's only now I'm on medication looking back I realise how much time and energy I wasted.
This is very unlikely to be cancer but you're not going to let it pass until you have a definitive answer so I hope you manage to get that :)

I have taken another blood test. All good except my haemoglobin level has dropped by 10U/L?! Im still not anemic but wow - that is scary! My haemoglobin level is 15.7 now and my RBC is 5.8. I’m so concerned and worried! . My liver function and CRB are normal. Can anyone reassure me?

That is surely very patronising practice on the part of the GP. I agree that your symptoms are unlikely to be cancer, but it could be the beginning of ulcerative colitis or even Crohns; You need to go see another doctor who will not fob you off just because you are under 30.

Hb (haemoglobin) can vary by 1g each way just on different samples from the same person (so 16.4 to 15.7 is unconcerning in itself). I fear you are winding yourself up into a coiled spring of anxiety here.
Look at it this way - if you can muster all your strength and put this to the back of your mind for a few weeks, the symptoms may settle as your stress levels subside. In the vanishingly unlikely event of there being 'something wrong', a few weeks will make no difference to outcome.

I totally agree pink. He refused to give me a blood test or stool test and gave me a CBT leaflet instead! I do suffer with anxiety very badly but do not dismiss my concerns!

Is your anxiety also being treated?

Can you afford for a private bowel, is it endoscopy? I doubt the nhs will pay for one.
The blood is probably from piles. The pain is probably constipation related. I think bowel cancer is rare.
However you do sound like you have very high levels of anxiety. Rather than deal with that , your brain has latched on to bowel cancer as a way to be mean to you. Dyswim? My brain likes to replay all of the horrible things that have happened to me. I don't know why it wants to upset me. So to start with look into breathing exercises and maybe meditation. But I think you need to seriously think about whether you need some medication to help you with your anxiety. I find anxiety is a devious bitch.

I had a colonoscopy privately two months ago cost under 2k.

Thanks for all the responses guys. I do admit - I read in the paper about a girl who was misdiagnosed with IBS for over a year which turned out to be advanced bowel cancer. I then started to feel constipated, felt sick, loss of appetite (didn’t eat at all for a week) thus lost quite a bit of weight. I’m gaining weight again thankfully and I’m back to my old appetite
I was having abdominal pain before I read that article though. I’ve tortured myself for nearly two weeks reading about under 50s who were fobbed off by their doctor for years and it turned out to be cancer (it seemed like they were having problems for years/had a history of a funny tummy/colitis - which I don’t have)

I have heard of Lynch syndrome but I do not have any family history of cancer.

You almost certainly haven't got bowel cancer. The symptoms that you have taken to indicate bowel cancer more normally indicate any of several other conditions that are far more common than cancer. If you googled your symptoms they will have listed them with cancer being at the bottom of the list as a possibility yet you gave decided to ignore the other more common conditions and go straight to cancer. This is because of your anxiety, not because of the symptoms.

You need to treat your anxiety.

All I can tell you is that my husband had bowel cancer and his symptoms were nothing like yours.

Walkacrossthesand - I feel as though you’re right. My partner says my anxiety is very bad and says nothing is wrong with me! I wish I didn’t have anxiety - it honestly ruins my life

SootySueandSweeptoo - I’m sorry to hear. I wish you all the best! What were your symptoms if you don’t mind me asking? My anxiety isn’t being treated currently but I do take propanolol time to time which does help.

sqeakywheel - oh god. Yes! I am super anxious all the time! I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about bowel cancer and the thought hasn’t left my head since I read that article. I am looking into CBT currently.

The GP (or a different one in the practice) might respond better if you go in and describe your symptoms to them, rather than providing a diagnosis that you’d like them to disprove.

How are you getting all these bloods done? And what background do you have in being able to correctly interpret them? Hb isn’t really telling you anything about the past weeks symptoms as it’s generally considered to be a “three month look back” type of thing. As a fit, healthy adult and therefore having a body able to compensate very well, it could be months before a problem has manifested to the point of impacting on blood results.

QueenofPain - I saw another GP a few days later. She said she will do a parasite test (nothing was found), FIT test, full blood test (I’m still awaiting the FIT test results, very anxiously) so I’m glad another GP is taking my concerns more seriously!

I would book for a private scan- very worth the money to get the reassurance

If someone has anxiety to the level that the OP has, this will be a recurring problem, even if the scan is clear, @anon812 He can't throw thousands at every health related panic.

And anyway, a scan isn't what he needs to reassure him. A simple poo test that the over 50s get free, would probably do the job. It must be possible to get one of those done privately.

IBS?

...actually, he seems to awaiting the result of the poo test. It seems to be called the FIIT test now. I know it as the FOB (faecal occult blood) test.

Have you tried any medications? It might be worth trying some IBS medications to see if they make a difference. Also peppermint tea helps when you are bloated.

How is your diet? Fluid intake? Do you exercise as that helps keep the bowel moving.

I have IBS, spent months worrying about serious bowel problems with symptoms similar to you (I'm also someone who struggles with anxiety) but getting the right medication for IBS means I'm fine now.

saraclara - what were your husband’s symptoms? If you don’t mind me asking?

Ginger - I feel like it could be IBS. Except blood in stool isn’t part of IBS. I do have all the symptoms of IBS though. The blood isn’t all the time though.

I do notice these red pieces in my poo time to time? It’s definitely not blood, what else could it be?

Gingerkittykat - my diet has been pretty atrocious lately! I only drink water but I haven’t been eating too great!