Ibs/colon cancer fear

[E123]

I'm quite new to this whole health anxiety thing but have always been a very anxious person. Last year my uncle died of cancer and it seems to have triggered fear in me everytime something goes wrong. In October I started getting a fast heart rate which I was sent to hospital for and diagnosed with tachycardia, still haven't got a reason for this condition.
A few months ago I started having problems with my bowels, I was very constipated and put on a lot of laxatives and started getting pains on my right hand side, my bowels have been all over the place since but I seem to be able to go every day now without any laxative use. My stools went narrow which panicked me but have now become bigger again. What worries me is that they are always sticky... The dr says its IBS and I have had blood tests and no anemia or anything. I become so stressed worrying that it was ovarian cancer because of the pain and bloating that I was given a scan and it was clear, I then turned to worrying about colon cancer, the Drs look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them I'm scared of colon cancer as I have only just turned 23. My stools aren't black or very dark just a normal brown but I'm still worried about them being so sticky and sometimes mucusy... I'm also very gassy, but the Drs say this is all just Ibs and I just wish I could believe them and stop worrying :(. I have seen SO many Drs and none have shown any concern over my bowels at all, more over my anxiety. Surely if this was something bad ONE of them would have picked it up? I have been put on Antidepressants because I worked myself up so much over this and got myself in such a state.has anyone else been through this and know how I can stop driving myself and my partner so crazy...

[cry]

I've been exactly the same lately. I'm waiting for my blood tests and to have a scan, the doctor is pretty sure it's just IBS. I know it's highly unlikely to be anything sinister at this age (I am 24) but you see the odd horror story of young people being diagnosed too late because doctors just thought it was IBS or something which doesn't make things better. I also feel like I'm driving myself crazy. I seem to focus on one thing, something else will hurt then I'll focus on that.

[Aleman200]

I've been exactly the same lately. I'm waiting for my blood tests and to have a scan, the doctor is pretty sure it's just IBS. I know it's highly unlikely to be anything sinister at this age (I am 24) but you see the odd horror story of young people being diagnosed too late because doctors just thought it was IBS or something which doesn't make things better. I also feel like I'm driving myself crazy. I seem to focus on one thing, something else will hurt then I'll focus on that.

Going through exactly the same thing. And i'm the same age. Waiting on scan times and had blood tests which came back clear. I'm certain they'll tell me it's IBS. And i know i won't believe it. It's been incredibly hard to focus on things and it's always lurking whenever my stomach plays up. I hope both of you come out on top of this. As do i for myself. The waiting between diagnostics is the worst!

Let me know how things go.

best of luck.

[cry]

Going through exactly the same thing. And i'm the same age. Waiting on scan times and had blood tests which came back clear. I'm certain they'll tell me it's IBS. And i know i won't believe it. It's been incredibly hard to focus on things and it's always lurking whenever my stomach plays up. I hope both of you come out on top of this. As do i for myself. The waiting between diagnostics is the worst!

Let me know how things go.

best of luck.

My blood tests are next Wednesday and I'm waiting on a scan date. No I know I won't believe it either. Do you ever feel okay for a while but then as soon as you feel okay you think you can't because then you will turn into one of those people? So it's like because you're seemingly 'unaware' you will become the next person they write an article about. That's how I've been feeling today anyway.

I've had a pain in my coccyx that I noticed about two weeks ago. Today I read an article on someone having that and it being bone cancer. I left work immediately and went to the urgent care centre (luckily it's right by where I work) to ask the doctor about it. All he gave me was some painkillers and said to see my GP if it gets worse. I have no idea what I was expecting from him but it's that feeling that if I don't do something right this very second then it will be too late.

[Aleman200]

Every day i think i'm going to be one of those people who make the headlines. It hits more when i'm feeling good and forget about my pains. Then it all comes back and gets worse. It's why i referred myself for CBT and got Citalopram from my GP. It's helped a little.

I have the exact same problem. I'm constantly going to A&E because i think if they don't check this pain out now it'll be too late. I won't be in the survival rates for cancer or something. Or maybe they missed something on the blood tests and scans. It's horrible it really is.

[cry]

I'm in the process of arranging CBT, someone is calling me tomorrow for the initial consultation so hopefully when that starts it'll be some help.

It's awful isn't it. Also, I read all these posts that explain exactly how I am feeling and this makes me feel better for a while but then I start to think what if I'm different, what if I'm not just anxious what if there is something actually wrong with me and deep down I just knew it all along.

[Aleman200]

I hope you manage to get something sorted out mate. The initial assessment helped me realize alot of where it was coming from. I just need to work on it.

And yeah it's the same for me. Short term reassurance, my therapist mentioned on the phone that I need to stop asking for reassurance from doctors and try to believe in myself a bit more. But it's so difficult when the anxiety manifests as symptoms. Especially when you read that these people died from what you're feeling now.

[cry]

I hope you do too! I think I sort of know where it's coming from but for me I've had not had one thing set it off, like I've not had the death of a close loved one or anything but I've had a few, more distant things happen to me that I think have made me like this.

Yes most definitely. I do find the more I focus on something the more it appears to be there. I think once I've had results from a few things I can start to feel better about everything because then I can think about all the things I've thought I've had that turned out to be nothing. When you're in the early stages and haven't had any results it's hard because you still really believe it all to be true. I just want to feel normal again! Well as normal as I ever did feel anyway.

[E123]

I'm sorry to hear you are both going through the same thing :( Let me know how your scans go. like you have said age in on our side and I am sure you will both be fine it's just hard to believe it for yourself! Ibs is so common so I don't know why it's so hard to accept that it is just that. Anxiety seems to make you feel like you are that 1 in 100000 person and the media does not help at all. I too am waiting for CBT which I'm nervous about and i definitely agree about the whole seeking reassurance from the gp thing, I feel like I have lived at the Drs for 2 months now. I have a test for celiac next week but I'm sure it won't be that, which is crazy because I seem to find the idea of colon cancer as way more likely. Stupid brain.

[Aleman200]

Yeah i shall do E123. Do let me know how yours go aswell. I feel like i'll be tested for everything under the sun at this rate. And i STILL won't believe it until i have a complete colonoscopy and endoscopy and the full works. It's a stupid habit of our brains!