Worried it's bowel cancer

[Scaredy_Cat]

Hello,

Thanks for reading (what has turned out to be) my really long post. I was just wondering what people's opinions are about my recent worries. Having suffered with health anxiety for years, I find it difficult, (as I suspect many (or most?!) people who also suffer with it do) to tell whether my worry is valid, but I really do think it is this time.

So I'll try to sum up everything. I was diagnosed with IBS 6 years ago and have had problems on/off with my stomach ever since. For the past 2 and a half months, however, I've had this pain just to the right of my belly button. It hurts to touch and when I run, even when I've just started to run, it feels like I have a stitch. I've also had (sorry to go into detail) but darker stools, which I know can be a sign of blood. Although all of this is worrying, the thing that has affected me on a daily basis is my extreme fatigue, especially after eating. It's not just like feeling a little sleepy, it's just that as soon as I've eaten my heart starts to pound and I need to lie down. Even sitting up is tiring!

I have mentioned it to the doctor a few times when going about other things, but they don't seem concerned. Regarding my tiredness after eating, the advice I received was "eat less sugary foods" . When I mentioned the pain, the doctor felt my abdomen, and when they did, it didn't hurt anymore. I realised afterwards, however, that it only hurts to press when I'm standing/sitting up. When I lie down and press, the pain disappears.

I'm now getting worried and, as I do, assuming the worst (bowel cancer). I'm only 24, but have been reading stories online (I know, I know, BIG mistake!), of people who have been diagnosed with bowel cancer in their 20s. They had similar symptoms to mine, and the doctors think anything of it, until it was too late. I know it's rare, but it does happen. I also think I've done things which increase my risk. I've had a poor diet ever since being a child (apart from the very occasional orange juice or milkshake, he ONLY things I drank from the ages of 6 years-13 years were fizzy drinks). My meals were usually something like burgers, chips and beans (every night). Never ate fruit (still don't really), never ate veg, never drank water. I've also had problems with my spine since the age of 10, which means I've had a ton of x rays, and also a ct scan, which I think may increase my risk. ALSO, and I'm embarrassed to admit this, but I started binge drinking at weekends when I was 14 and did this almost every weekend until I was about 18. I have drank between now and the age of 18, just not every weekend.

So with all of this, I'm now thinking that my worries about it being bowel cancer are not completely unjustified. I do have another appointment, but I'm thinking that they're just going to tell me it's nothing again. What should I do if they do? Trust them, or push for tests? I don't want to push if I'm just panicking for nothing, but don't want to miss anything either. Would really appreciate some advice! Thank you

[katesa]

Hi there,

Well, I'm not a doctor.

But I do know that you should take a lot of the stories you read on the internet with a pinch of salt.

For example, as a carer of someone with terminal cancer, I was a moderator on a board for cancer patients and their carers. I won't go in to specific details but let's say I happened to know that there were only 8 cases of a particular cancer between the ages of 25 and 30 in the UK the previous year. Miraculously, on that board, there were over 50 people who claimed to have been diagnosed the previous year, all in that age range and from the UK.

I am exaggerating the above but not by much.

So on to you hon.

You know you have IBS. You know you have a rubbish diet. And you're surprised that you have pain in your stomach and weird tummy issues?

Try changing your diet for just a few weeks and see what sort of difference it makes.

I always tell people to go to their doctors for new symptoms and problems but I don't think you need to push for tests. See another GP about your pain if you doubt your own doctor but honestly, it just sounds like IBS and a bad diet to me.

You are 24 years old. Many people have done far worse to their bodies at your age than you have but they are fine. You are so young that you can make huge changes to your future health by tweaking your habits now. If you carry on like you are now then yeah, I might say that you should push for the tests if you were 30 years older. But right now, you just need to look after yourself more.