Colon/Rectal Cancer fear

[CJP1017]

Hello everyone new member here! I am 25 yesr old male and for the last couple of months i have been struggling wi th the fear of colon cancer (yay health anxiety!) It all began when i took some coedine for an ear infection in late January. The ear infection subsided but the coedine left me constipated. I had to go to the ER becuase of the pain. They gave me a bottle of magnesium citrate which released everything. However ever since then i have been having digestive issues. Everytime i try to go nothing will come out except lots of gas. I constantly had the urge to go the bathroom but that urge gas gone down in the last few days. Tried upping my fiber and drinking lots of water but it had minimal sucess for the constipation . Sometimes i get this full feeling near my pelvic area and it is so uncomfortable. When i do go my stools are small flat and curved (though every once and a while i get a nice big stool). Doctor thinks its IBS but I got a colonscopy on Thursday to rule out anything more serious and i am trying to hold out until then but i am so anxious and nervous about what they are going to find.

[popejoan]

Sometimes i get this full feeling near my pelvic area and it is so uncomfortable. When i do go my stools are small flat and curved (though every once and a while i get a nice big stool).

If there was a tumor blocking your large intestine you wouldn't be able to get a nice big stool every once in a while. Tumors don't get smaller.

[CJP1017]

Thank you for the response! That is what I was thinking! I should have mentioned my last large bowel movement was a few weeks ago and now I am having small flat stools at most times. I would assume that because colon cancer is slow growing a tumor wouldn't have gotten that big in a matter of a few weeks (at least I hope so)

[Aleman200]

I just want to let you know you're not alone on this fear. I'm also 25 years old and freaking out every day because i'm constipated and have signs of blood in my stool. I would hope that kind of tumor is slow growing to be honest!

[angrry]

i'm in the same boat CJP..stools have been weird off and on, had a small amount of blood twice and I've had right side pain since August...my doctor requested a colonoscopy in October...I found out last week that it is scheduled for April 18th...I am absolutely terrified I have colon cancer.

I will add though that a few years ago I was having flat stools as you describe...I had a sigmoidoscope then and all was normal...my gastroenterologist advised me that flat stools are generally not a concern..hope your scope goes well...the prep is definitely the worst part...i've had scopes before and they are not that bad

[CJP1017]

I just want to let you know you're not alone on this fear. I'm also 25 years old and freaking out every day because i'm constipated and have signs of blood in my stool. I would hope that kind of tumor is slow growing to be honest!

Thank you so much! It is definitely not fun as this is my first major cancer scare. I hope you are able to get the answers you need about your symptoms to give you some peace of mind you deserve



i'm in the same boat CJP..stools have been weird off and on, had a small amount of blood twice and I've had right side pain since August...my doctor requested a colonoscopy in October...I found out last week that it is scheduled for April 18th...I am absolutely terrified I have colon cancer.

I will ad though that a few years ago I was having flat stools as you describe...I had a sigmoidoscope then and all was normal...my gastroenterologist advised me that he flat stools are generally not a concern..hope your scope goes well...the prep is definitely the worst part...i've had scopes before and they are not that bad

I have been reading the same thing about flat stools so I am a little less worried than before .I gotta start the prep tommarow which I am glad the procedure is almost here so I can get some peace of mind. Good luck on yours!

[angrry]

ty CJP...still have a 5 week wait..gonna be tough...

[nirvanainchains]

I do understand you about this fear. I was diagnosed with IBS with just the doctor pressing my abdomen and also stool test. She wanted to schedule me for a full abdominal scan and a full blood test but it is really costly, and I was just a student at that time. Until now I am having abdominal discomfort like being too gassy and bloated and other HA symptoms.