In a rough spot at the moment

[Drisque]

Some time ago, probably a year, I noticed my stool is flat/ribbon like all the time followed by symptoms that come and go, such as left ab pain, bloatingan and rectal pressure. I began searching the Internet for answers...big mistake! What that concluded was that I had late stage cancer... Suprised? After working myself into a literal depression over this I decided to go to the doctor. My doctor ran a cbc, fobt and a performed an x ray, all of which were normal except for some mild constipation. My doc put the constipation down as the culprit and told me to take mirilax and call her if I noticed any bleeding or watery stools, I didn't. However, the mirilax failed to fix my ribbon stools, so I panicked and pressured my doctor into scheduling a colonoscopy. This colonoscopy was helping me get through each and every day. Just knowing that one Thursday evening in the not too distant future I would have an answer for my problem. Now it's a mere week before the colonoscopy and I find out that my insurance won't cover it and I am responsible for paying the $6000 up front. I can't afford that, and am now forced to cancel the procedure. I don't know what to do now. How will I go on without the answers I needed? I'm just so terrified I have rectal cancer and now I'll never know. :( I'm sorry I just needed to vent.

[ServerError]

Well firstly, if you do have rectal cancer, you will know about it, one way or the other.

What you're really telling us here is that your doctor ran a whole load of pretty exhaustive tests and found nothing untoward, but you have been unable to accept that answer. If you've been experiencing symptoms for a year, some of which come and go, you can pretty much rule out cancer, because cancer doesn't stop, fluctuate or hide. Once it starts, it keeps on going.

One thing you didn't tell us was why your insurance company refused to cover the cost of the colonoscopy. I don't know how the system works in the US, but surely they have to tell you why they won't cover it? Is it that they consider the tests carried out already to be thorough enough so as to rule out the need for a colonoscopy?

"How will I go on without the answers I needed?". What if you already have those answers? What if constipation was the cause of the initial discomfort, and your relentless focus on the symptoms has kept them going? It can happen. If your doctor didn't feel you needed a colonoscopy and only arranged one because you were so insistent, why are your doctor's answers not enough?

Would you want to shell out $6,000 you don't need to? I can't say for certain what is causing the symptoms you have, but it sounds like you have some anxiety issues that need to be tackled. Let's face it, the only other choice you have is to somehow find $6,000. But when nothing showed up on the colonoscopy, would you be finished or suddenly need more answers?

[Drisque]

They won't cover it unless it's an emergency referral, or I'm over 50. I was initially dissatisfied with the results because the mirilax hasn't worked and my anxiety has been on a while new level this year. I have been seeing someone for that, but sometimes my fears outweigh my cbt efforts. I'm am getting better, though. Honestly I'm not sure if that would be enough, I think it would, but idk.

[ServerError]

Firstly, let me just say that if my previous post came across as overly brusque or unfriendly in any way, it wasn't meant to be. I'm increasingly coming to understand that some people - though not all - suffer from disorders that make it very difficult, if not nigh on impossible, to be rational about their fears and symptoms. It happened to me, or I wouldn't be on this site. Nevertheless, I do believe that, regardless of a person's current ability to be rational, you still need to be exposed to rational thought and other forms of thinking. That's all I was trying to do - help you see the rational explanations for what must seem very scary to you. I hope that came across.

Here's the thing: rectal cancer is very much an emergency. If there was anything to make your doctor suspect it, I doubt the insurance company would refuse to cover it. The fact is that you're not an emergency patient, which should be of some comfort to you (although I understand that it isn't right now).

Also, as you say, you're not over 50. I don't know how old you are, but assuming you're relatively young, your chances of having rectal cancer or cancer of the bowels is low. Yes, these cancers, just like any other, can strike at any time, but they are much more common in older patients who have given their bowels a battering over the years through poor lifestyle choices. It doesn't sound like you fall into this category, so you are very low risk for this form of cancer.

Neither me nor anybody else on here can diagnose you, and I'm not saying rectal cancer is impossible, but I'm saying that you've been tested, nothing is causing the experts concern, you know you have an anxiety disorder, and you're under 50. By all means, if the symptoms persist, chase it up with your doctor. But other than that, talk these things through with your therapist.