Have I got rectal cancer?

[Pkstracy]

Toby about the pain have you been checked for Gerd, I sometimes get pains after eating doc told me its acid build-up, might want to ask your doc to check you.

[Scass]

Honestly Toby I couldn’t care less if you had a test, but it still won’t treat your anxiety. It’ll just be like putting a plaster over a cut.
When was the last time you went to the doctor to talk about it all? They don’t know that you’re still suffering from symptoms (even if they’re caused by anxiety), and even though we’re all pretty good with understanding anxiety- we aren’t medically trained.

It’s really hard to get out of the spiral and even harder to do it on your own. No harm in asking for professional help.

[Toby2000]

BIB - the reality is you have on & off symptoms of blood, poor diet, other hygiene issues in that area in the past, etc. Two doctors, and one invasive test, declared a roid and no signs of cancer in your symptoms so no further action.

The rest, all these pages and al this time, is you. So, how can you say that if you start have a (i) persistent cough for months, (ii) bruising on & off, (iii) months of palpitations, (iv) months of headaches, (v) months of twitching, etc that you won't suck yourself back into a spiral like this with(i) lung cancer, (ii) leukaemia, (iii) heart trouble, (iv) brain tumour, (v) MND/ALS?

You can't as only time will tell.

This argument that this time is the worst yet is often seen on this forum. Those of us outside of the cycle can see that it's just another time.

Well said, Terry. I spent years telling my husband "Yes, but this time it's different" when it never actually was.

Well... that's true. As Iris said, the 'This time is different' argument can apply to everything I guess

Cancer is just so common that it's become second nature to think twice about persistent symptoms because you never know which one of them may be a symptom of cancer :(

Health anxiety is a b*tch to escape when you think about the odds of getting cancer in your lifetime

[Toby2000]

Toby about the pain have you been checked for Gerd, I sometimes get pains after eating doc told me its acid build-up, might want to ask your doc to check you.

The pain is along the left side of my abdomen, so the descending colon- would that be Gerd?

I don't know a lot about it, thanks for the suggestion though

I think if it's not something in there taking up space then it'll probably just be IBS which doctors have theorized that I may have. But isn't IBS a loose, umbrella term just for non-serious or non-viral/infectious stomach issues?

[Toby2000]

Honestly Toby I couldn’t care less if you had a test, but it still won’t treat your anxiety. It’ll just be like putting a plaster over a cut.
When was the last time you went to the doctor to talk about it all? They don’t know that you’re still suffering from symptoms (even if they’re caused by anxiety), and even though we’re all pretty good with understanding anxiety- we aren’t medically trained.

It’s really hard to get out of the spiral and even harder to do it on your own. No harm in asking for professional help.

I'm actually a bit calmer about it right now, last night I just had a freak out over it

Honestly I just think time will be the ultimate truthteller and trap door escape for this worry, cause if I'm still here after a certain point then it can't be colon cancer

[Scass]

It’s not though. Because then you’ll start worrying about something else. Avoiding the problem doesn’t help, trust me.

[MrsEd]

Hi Toby,

i haven't read all the pages since i last posted so just wondered how you are doing?

[MyNameIsTerry]

It’s not though. Because then you’ll start worrying about something else. Avoiding the problem doesn’t help, trust me.

^ This. And what if your next fear is asbestos? Will you be waiting until you are 90 to be sure you didn't get cancer from it?

As far as the prevalence of cancer goes it's a thought to most people and then they forget about to get on with their days. The rest...well, they are all on places like this with this weeks cacner symptom.

Time isn't the truthteller, that's one of anxiety's weapons against you because it will make you retreat into safety to wait until the magical date passes. How is that recovery?

If I said I was afraid to go out and my solution to this was to stay indoors until x date when I had decided it eas safe again, how would that be tackling an irrational fear that outside was scary? Why wouldn't I work on why I felt that way and prove to myself it was an irrational fear trapping me in the house?

That's what you are doing when you place a time on it to be out of risk. Imagine if you get 10 periods in your life this and you apply that logic to them all? How many years of lost life, and suffering, is that?

[BlueIris]

My answer to the "cancer is everywhere" thing has ended up being "Okay, it'll probably happen sooner or later, let's deal with it when it happens."

You've been told it's not happening for now, so enjoy your health while you have it.

[Toby2000]

Hi Toby,

i haven't read all the pages since i last posted so just wondered how you are doing?

Hi MrsEd

I'm currently in pain with my tooth but aside from that, I'm still in 'waiting for something to happen' mode with my bowels

I don't want to sound too dramatic about it because actually I've sort of forgotten about my bowel issues because of my tooth so that's lucky- though the toothache is worse than anything bowel related that I've experienced

Thanks for asking! How are you?