Bowel cancer symptoms - getting more!

[JustJules]

Following on from my previous post about anal cancer fears etc, I've read that sometimes bowel cancer doesn't have any symptoms until it's too advanced and also now am worrying myself stupid as I haven't felt at all well in spells last weekend and again this weekend. Felt so ill on Saturday when I had to take my Mum out shopping but struggled on and felt a bit better yesterday but kept getting a weird spell where I would feel really sickly and weak and had to lie down and then picked up again.

Read some previous posts about 'stool colour' and now have frightened myself even more as I normally have loose stools - usually first thing when I get up and then if I'm really anxious, throughout the day - I'm rarely if ever, constipated but this last week or so, have missed a day and then been a bit harder to go initially but then softer at the end...last night though, passed a strange colour one - bit lighter than normal mustardy ones (sorry if TMI...) almost, pale and then really panicked as just read on here that that is a sign of liver problems.....I've just had a liver and abdomen ultrasound but was all clear and my bloods are clear apart from a very slight raised white cell count that the Dr wasn't concerned about but should I be? Maybe it's masking something going on...

I'm now convinced that it's bowel cancer - no blood that I can see but I also read that you can feel ill with bowel cancer and now I think it's advanced and too late to treat as I've been like this with HA again and symptoms since May and all stemmed from a supposed UTI...do people really recover from bowel cancer? All the people I read about or know about didn't and they say if you can catch it early, it's curable but I don't think mine will be now...worried sick. Feel really out of control with this HA this time.

[tiff123]

Have you told your doc your worries?

My mother in law had bowel cancer about 6 years ago, fully recovered no problems since so yes people do recover from it. Only symptom for her was putting on a lot of weight for no known reason at the time.

Her neighbour also had it just before her and is also fine years on.

Still ... VERY unlikely you have it. Far more likely things like IBS.

You don't say your age either?

We know 2 facts here -

1/ your doc isn't concerned
2/ you DO have HA

Point 2 likely explains your fears.

When we jump from one fear to the next to the next .. its good to remind ourselves, its beyond remote that we have cancer A and cancer B and in a few days times no doubt cancer C all at same time.

Everything we feel is the HA talking.

Please don't google.

[JustJules]

Thanks Tiff. I am what I deem 'cancer age' - 56! I am just concerned that I have had 'bowel changes' which flag up as something to be concerned about, together with feeling awful, general malaise at the moment. I am very stressed I know, just about to be made redundant and my OH isn't the most supportive.

[tiff123]

My OH doesn't understand HA either, I think its much better to share on here with people who understand.

If you are concerned then best to discuss with your GP but it seems more likely stress is flaring up something like IBS.

Bowel cancer from what I know tends to be more in the group 10-20 years older than you.

If your gp isn't worried then let that put your mind at rest.

[emlica]

It sounds more like IBS to me as well - the fact that you said you normally have loose stools when you get up and then through the day if you're anxious really makes it sound like you've had mild IBS for a while and that stress makes it worse. And if you have IBS it's anyone's guess how your bowels are going to react to just about anything, extra stress included! Sometimes stress makes everything move along too quickly, but sometimes it can make things sluggish as well. I don't think stool colour is any indicator of anything at all unless it really becomes a pattern - like the odd pale one isn't that abnormal I don't think. My doc said she didn't worry unless they were as pale as the walls in her surgery, which are pretty much creamy coloured! - and even then it would be a sign of liver probs but your liver tests were fine, so it's not that. Haven't heard of pale stools being associated with bowel cancer - if anything you'd expect darker (by which I mean black, tarry looking) stools because of blood in them. If your stools are pale you can at least be more confident that if there was blood you'd see it!!!

That sickly weak feeling can be caused by anxiety, in my experience - particularly if the anxiety is affecting your normal eating habits? Also - sorry if too personal - but might it be hormonal, as in, might you be menopausal?

Intrigued that your HA etc started with a UTI, as I had exactly the same thing. Weird. I'd never been anxious about my health at all (probably too far the other way if anything!), then got weird symptoms in mid June that the doc said was a mild UTI - that seemed to clear up but then very shortly afterwards I got a stomach bug (maybe related I guess) and since then my digestive system has been kind of upset and I've had bouts of being really really anxious about it. I don't worry about cancer, though, somehow (I guess maybe that panic will show up at some point!), more just that I've got some chronic digestive complaint like Crohns, when realistically if it's anything it's that the bug has triggered IBS - or in fact, if I'm realistic, just worsened the IBS that I think I probably already had, but that I'd always just called 'a sensitive stomach'! IBS is really really common - and more so among women - so I think it's much more likely that it's that than anything more sinister!

[Cags48]

I so empathise I'm going through this I even ( look through my poop) disgusting I know , I spend around 4hrs a day reading about symptoms my problem is I'm to scared to go for the tests because the actual outcome scares me more , I feel my life isn't worth living most days but then I'm terrified of dying which I think stems from so many of my loved ones dying young ...... What do I do ..god knows