Bowel cancer - help

So I haven’t posted on here in years! I am really struggling at the moment and am finding myself becoming extremely anxious and convinced I have bowel or anal cancer!

A quick little story, I have IBD (ulcerative colitis) have had it for about 10yrs. I was never given proper care as my GP was clueless and so it’s been unmanaged and uncontrolled for about 8yrs!! I am now under gastro doc at my local hospital. Having IBD for 10yrs increases your risk of bowel cancer significantly. I am early 30’s and female.

For the past week I’ve had severe lower back ache that radiates down into my back passage. This was on and off prior for a week or so but is now constant. It’s not a pain, but an ache that’s very intense. I also have been having shooting pain in my back passage too. A lot of mucus. Toilets are sporadic so one minute i’m constipated and the next it’s diarrhoea. Blood on and off.

My last colonoscopy was over 3yrs ago. Now you could say I am having a “flare” of my IBD but the lower back ache and back passage ache are not symptoms I have ever had before when in a flare. And also the constant flipping from constipation to diarrhoea isn’t something I’ve had before either, it’s either one or the other. The fatigue is something else… I don’t feel well in myself. Something is not right.

I have to wait until the end of the month for a flexi sigmoidoscopy… and the wait is going to be torture.

I don’t know what I’m looking for on here…. Maybe someone who’s had the same symptoms and was all OK… or someone to tell me it’s going to be OK and I’m over reacting! Please help me, I can’t stop crying

In reality, the end of the month isn't a long time to wait at all. But it is might as well be months when you are worried, right?

If it helps, I have had all of your symptoms and I don't have bowel cancer. I developed shooting pains up my bum when I was in my 30s and it was actually connected to my periods. That symptom went when I went through the menopause.

Lower back ache and aching in the back passage sounds like internal piles and the bleeding would explain that too, especially if the blood is fresh - as in bright red.

You just need to try and keep the HA reigned in until you get your bum cam. Stay away from the news as bowel cancer is prominent news this week. Unless you've already triggered yourself? And try to distract yourself by doing nice things. Think of something nice you can do after bum-cam. I always do this and the brain learns to associate hospital/dental etc appointments with something nice..