New to the forum and TERRIFIED I have bowel cancer, please help.

[Beebatron]

Hi everyone. I'm new to this forum, was directed here from somewhere else.

Let me start this off by saying I am a 30 year old female with severe health anxiety and general anxiety disorder and am being medicated after I was briefly sectioned a few years ago after my second child was born.

Since the start of the summer holidays I began to experience constipation for the first time in my life. I had never in my life had a bowel issue before that. Figured that it was diet related or something and left it.

Well last week my stools became yellow in color as well as having dark red sticky blood mixed in with the stool (I understand this is a big red flag) as well as mucous. Although not as constipated as before.

I went to A&E as I was so freaked out and my GP closed early that day. Dr did an internal and said that it seems like I have internal piles and gave me some Anusol and my GP has referred me to the gastro people to be on the safe side.

I'm terrified what the doctor could actually feel was a tumor. I have no weight loss but I have no itching or anything which I think you have if it's piles? No nausea either.

I'm also getting yellow stools and blood pretty much every time I go to the bathroom.

I am completely beside myself with fear and don't know how I'll cope until my referral comes through.

I'm looking for reassurance and for somewhere to vent really. I know that there is something wrong and with health anxiety it is my total worst nightmare.

Thanks so much for reading if you made it this far!

[Beebatron]

Don't mean to bump my own thread but I'm really struggling with this right now and desperate for any reassurance or advice :(

[Phuzella]

Sounds like piles

[ServerError]

A 30 year old female who has never experienced bowel issues is very unlikely to have bowel cancer. Nobody can say it's impossible, but it is extremely unlikely.

You obviously gave off no red flags to the doctor who examined you. You should hold onto that, because it is very reassuring. Anything that gave the doctor cause for concern would have been mentioned. GPs are wonderful, but there's very little they can tell, so referral was always going to happen.

Just as an example, I have a very strange, rather ugly lesion on my chest. I went to see my GP, who referred me straight away. The urgency had me worried it was something serious. However, it was entirely benign. Sometimes things that we think are terrifying are nothing to worry about.

[Beebatron]

The GP did say it needed investigating. How likely is it that the GP mistook tumours for piles? The first doctor that examined me didn't feel anything then the second doctor a few days later could. I've never had bowel trouble so this is really frightening to me

---------- Post added at 20:35 ---------- Previous post was at 20:27 ----------

Thank you for the replies btw!

[ServerError]

Your GP only has a handful of tools at his/her disposal when it comes to investigating their patients' various ailments. Their main job (in the UK, anyway) is to act as gatekeepers to NHS services, funneling people to where they need to go. Yes, sometimes a patient may come in to the surgery worried they have cancer only for the GP to be able to say that they don't, but most of the time, the GP doesn't have the tools at their disposal to be certain one way or the other.

Take my example: when my GP saw the lesion on my chest, she jumped straight back into her chair and started typing up an urgent referral. This was extremely anxiety-inducing for me, and she was giving nothing away. She didn't want to say anything one way or the other, because she couldn't. I've since had two dermatologists confirm that it is entirely benign and nothing to worry about. Does that mean my GP is useless? No. It just means she is limited in what she can deduce.

In your case, your GP seems to have felt something and is leaning towards it being piles, but is fully aware that he/she doesn't have the resources to tell exactly what it is. So you're being referred. It's worth remembering that the majority of referrals come back all clear.

As I said, you're young, female and with no history of bowel trouble, so the likelihood of it being anything sinister is low, especially if you maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle.

I think, when we're kids, we get used to going to the GP with infections and sniffles and things like that and being prescribed some medicine and then everything getting better, so when we're older and we become more aware of things being wrong in our body and the various things that can go wrong, we worry when the GP isn't able to say what's wrong with us there and then like they could when we were seven and had tonsilitis. But your GP is just doing his/her job.

[dale12345]

Just went to the Dr had some bright red blood on my stool, stool in every color. But he said I am fine hemorrhoids.

[Beebatron]

Thanks for all of your replies. This morning the color is a lot better and I haven't noticed any blood. Surely if it was something serious there would be blood every single time I go? I'm also loose today instead of constipated but I'm hoping that it's due to my increased water intake and the fybrogel I'm having in the morning.

I'm having a really hard time with this to be honest. I was briefly sectioned a few years ago due to anxiety and I feel this issue is driving me there again. A loved one has recently been diagnosed with cancer also which has made my anxiety a lot worse.

I'm just so scared. Can't seem to do anything but cry.

[ColdFusi0n]

Hwy Beebatron. I have facing the same paranoia as you, check out my thread on the bowel sub forum and read my story, you will see that youre not alone.

If you notice large amount of blood and mucus, you should have a colon scope to determine whats really going on.

Piles / external hommeroid are very common when it comes to fresh blood. Dark blood or tarry like stool often indicate oxidized blood meaning it comes from the starting end of your colon and thats the most common cause of CC.

From what i know, people with CC often experience prolonged constipation with black pebble stool, pencil thin stool or constant diarreah with blood. But like you said if you no longer see any blood then you should be fine.

But if youre still worried, just get a colon scope. Its gonna be hard at first and if the worst is determined then its better early then late. If nothing shows up then your burden of feeling worried will be forever gone. Peace if mind.

[Beebatron]

Yes I'm definitely going to push for a colonoscopy as I'm sure it's not just one of those things, there is definitely something not right but my stupid health anxiety of course thinks it's the big C and that it will be terminal no matter what.

Someone with health anxiety going through a health scare is like forcing someone who is afraid of heights to sit on a cliff edge 24/7. Just awful :(