Have I got rectal cancer?

[Toby2000]

Could it be from spraying too much deodorant/antiperspirant under my arm/s the other day?

It's definitely not a pimple or anything, it's hard and fixed underneath my armpit and is slightly raised, but it's also a little red

Yeah I do see the pattern, I haven't freaked out as much as I would've done maybe this time last year though

and I did have a therapy appointment yesterday, she was proud of me for not googling

[Scass]

You should be proud too, it’s brilliant that you haven’t googled.

It is most likely an ingrowing hair or harmless cyst. If it’s still there in 2 weeks & you’re concerned then go to your gp.

[MyNameIsTerry]

Not Googling is one step forward.

Not seeking reassurance is a future goal. And then not being triggered by things you find as you will find many throughout your life as that's what bodies do.

[Toby2000]

Thank you both

I know but shouldn’t I be triggered by this? The lymph node is still a little enlarged, it could be from spraying too much deodorant in that area the other day, I read that can cause them to swell sometimes

It’s not metastatic cancer because colon cancer doesn’t metastasise to the lymph nodes in the armpit, but I’m scared that it’s raised because my body is just fighting the possible cancer in general

[Elen]

I know but shouldn’t I be triggered by this? The lymph node is still a little enlarged, it could be from spraying too much deodorant in that area the other day, I read that can cause them to swell sometimes

You should not be triggered by this.

BTW YOU DO NOT HAVE CANCER

[brucealmighty]

Thank you both

I know but shouldn’t I be triggered by this? The lymph node is still a little enlarged, it could be from spraying too much deodorant in that area the other day, I read that can cause them to swell sometimes

It’s not metastatic cancer because colon cancer doesn’t metastasise to the lymph nodes in the armpit, but I’m scared that it’s raised because my body is just fighting the possible cancer in general

where did you read that too much deodorant can cause lymph nodes to swell if you`re not googling? Just wondering.

[MyNameIsTerry]

You should not be triggered by this.

BTW YOU DO NOT HAVE CANCER

^ This.

Response of average person = found a lump, oh well, off down the pub.
Response of average HAer = found a lump, what is it, I need to know what it is, I wonder if others on the internet say they have it, what happens if I prod it, on it goes.

Lumps & bumps come & go throughout life.

[Toby2000]

Well, thankfully, it's pretty much completely gone down now

I think I can still feel something but it's reduced in size and doesn't hurt as much, so that's a good sign

I did go to the toilet the other day and I pricked my finger with a pin and with another finger (so germs didn't get in my finger), wiped the blood along the stool as if I'd bled internally somewhere, and the blood actually looked a little dark on the stool despite it being fresh

So maybe I don't actually know the first thing about what blood should look like with an innocent bowel condition and it can appear to be all shades of red

I am constantly getting triggered now by every symptom I experience, just a few minutes ago I was panicking about my toothache being mouth cancer, for example- it calms down after I give it 15 minutes or so but it's so annoying.

Also, when I say I haven't Googled, I mean I haven't Googled bowel cancer survivor stories because they trigger me the most, 100%- I occasionally google what a symptom might mean but I can deal with any stress from that as it's not much compared to if I googled horrifying bowel cancer stories

[BlueIris]

You need to stop calling them symptoms and start referring to them as sensations. It's an important semantic difference and it'll really help re-frame what you're feeling.

[brucealmighty]

I may well regret this Toby but clarify something, are you picking faeces out of the pan and wiping blood along them, or crapping on loo roll before carrying out your tests? Please read your post again, speak to your mum or whoever you trust and tell your gp and therapist everything. Does it not strike you as a teeny bit unusual to be pin pricking your finger and wiping blood on a fresh stool?
I'm off out soon so don't feel obliged to answer but you're heading for a real, serious illness if you carry on.