Pink Mucus

[Mom2FourKiddos]

*Sigh* I have really done so well the past 6 months or so with my health anxiety. Until the past couple weeks. I have noticed a darker mucus streak on the outside of my stools off and on and when I look closer, it's pink. It looks like blood tinged mucus. Not bright or dark, just a light red/pink color. Parts of it have it mixed in a bit too.

PLEASE tell me that someone else has had this too and it's ok? We are in a lapse with our medical coverage and I won't have it back again until after November sometime. So I don't have anywhere else to really turn at this point.

Also, I have to note that I have noticed the only time I ever have bowel bleeding issues is starting a day or two before my period and lasting a few days into it and then it resolves. It isn't every cycle either. More like every 3 to 6 months before it happens again. And now today, I actually have the pink mucus a week after stopping my cycle. I had it settled in my mind that it was related to my cycles until today. Can anyone put my mind at ease a bit? Waiting for a Dr for a few months is going to be hard.

[Mom2FourKiddos]

I posted a while back about some pains down my right flank area, and I'm still having the same pains, just not as often or strong as they were before. the pain migrates around from right under my right rib cage, down by my ovary area, around into my back area, closer to my belly button and rarely does the same types of pains on my left side as well. These pains have been going on for a year now this month. that mixed in with this new development of blood-tinged mucus, has me quite scared. I haven't experienced any weight loss. The opposite actually, I've put on weight in the last year. I don't get any night sweats, I do have really bad joint pain as of recently. I've just never had this mucus stuff before. I'm super confused and scared.

[Mom2FourKiddos]

It happened again this morning. Why does my mind go to the worst possible outcome?? The pains down my right side (ascending colon area) are there today too.

Why is it so easy to be convinced that this is Cancer but not even consider anything else that it could be???

[Carys]

I don't wish to be gross about this, but are you entirely sure this is 'blood tinged' mucus ? The reason I ask is that if you are prone to stool mucus, (as us IBS suffers are) then it can look 'coloured' in an odd way on the outside of the stool sometimes. It is actually often a very light brown.

[Mom2FourKiddos]

I don't wish to be gross about this, but are you entirely sure this is 'blood tinged' mucus ? The reason I ask is that if you are prone to stool mucus, (as us IBS suffers are) then it can look 'coloured' in an odd way on the outside of the stool sometimes. It is actually often a very light brown.

It looks pink to me. Like red and the clear mucus together.

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[Carys]

Have you wiped some onto some white toilet paper ? (I know this is grim) In the past I thought there was bleeding and on closer inspection it wasn't red/pink, but looked it in the toilet bowl.


I've not heard of bowel bleeding related to period cycles, or otherwise. All I can think of is that you could have internal haemmeroids (sp?) or a small fissure which are flaring up with a bowel movement, which is slightly different at certain times of your menstrual cycle. OR it could be a mucous increase which is tinged reddish orange from the food contents (and no bleeding) ?


Now, lets be honest here, if you say you've had this happen quite a few times before - and it sounds like maybe it has happened for years? - then if this was something really serious it would have progressed hugely by now. I think you should see a doctor with this, as it could be something very simple that needs a pessary or cream, if there is some very light bleeding after bowel movements. I don't know how you US-ers cope or what you do when you have no cover - is there really nothing or nobody who will see you ?

[Mom2FourKiddos]

Have you wiped some onto some white toilet paper ? (I know this is grim) In the past I thought there was bleeding and on closer inspection it wasn't red/pink, but looked it in the toilet bowl.


I've not heard of bowel bleeding related to period cycles, or otherwise. All I can think of is that you could have internal haemmeroids (sp?) or a small fissure which are flaring up with a bowel movement, which is slightly different at certain times of your menstrual cycle. OR it could be a mucous increase which is tinged reddish orange from the food contents (and no bleeding) ?


Now, lets be honest here, if you say you've had this happen quite a few times before - and it sounds like maybe it has happened for years? - then if this was something really serious it would have progressed hugely by now. I think you should see a doctor with this, as it could be something very simple that needs a pessary or cream, if there is some very light bleeding after bowel movements. I don't know how you US-ers cope or what you do when you have no cover - is there really nothing or nobody who will see you ?

I've had bleeding, bright red, off and on for years. Never mucus that looks pink like this. Yes, I did wipe some on toilet paper (Health anxiety can be so gross sometimes!! ) It's got me so worried because this is new. And anything "new" can be translated to something terrible progressing (in my mind).

I saw a Dr last year several times for a perianal abscess (I found a very large hard lump right next to my anus and this is what has spiraled the health anxiety in regards to any type of bowel cancer. I was scared to almost literal death.) They tried to treat it with just meds, and it got worse. So they ended up doing two CT scans with contrast in the span of a months time. They found nothing abnormal from all the "visualized portions of the bowel" except they noted Diverticulitis of the colon. The were able to see the abscess and did surgically drain it. After a month of being "completely healed" it reoccurred. It will swell up now, pop and drain on it's own. I never had it surgically drained again. It's weird too, the times it does swell, I can help it to pop and drain. When I do push on the side of it, I can feel air being pushed into my rectum. (Sorry, this is so graphic!) So I'm positive there is a fistula.

Now logically, one would blame the diverticula flaring up, or the abscess for the colored mucus. But unfortunately my brain is in the spiral. The "The CT scan said the VISUALIZED portions of the bowel looked normal, but what if the part they couldn't see had the tumor?!?" "This wasn't a colonoscopy and Dr google said you can't see bowel cancer on a CT scan (The Dr's have told me otherwise, whyyyyyyyyy can't I just believe them!?)

Does bowel cancer present this way? With just a small streak of mucus on and possibly in the stool and some mild twinge like pains for the past year? Surely it would have been worse in a year time right? Even though bowel cancer is slow growing?

I hate Dr. Google. And myself for not having enough self control to stay off there when something like this happens. I've learned before and stayed off all this time.

Oh and here in the US, someone will see you as long as you pay cash at the visit. I unfortunately can't afford that right now.

[Carys]

Ah, ok, a lot of 'bowel background', ok....didn't realise all of that. This is 'new' but not 'worse'. To my mind, bright red blood on and off is worse than pink mucus - pink mucus is a teeny bit of blood just mixed with the protective stuff in your bowels.

Now logically, one would blame the diverticula flaring up, or the abscess for the colored mucus.

I think this is the critical part - that really IS the logical explanation, especially as you've been seen and given a diagnosis that was problematic to treat and deal with, and seems to have recurrences and ongoing issues associated. it does sound to me, as problems have continued for you after the treatment (you mention pain as well), that they should have given further appointments surely?


I do feel very sorry for you, I'm not sure I'm helping a lot, but I can understand why you are so freaked by this. However, there are certain things worth reminding yourself about here - I don't know anything much about bowel cancer - but I would have thought like other cancers, symptoms don't come and go, wax and wane as yours have.

[Mom2FourKiddos]

Ah, ok, a lot of 'bowel background', ok....didn't realise all of that. This is 'new' but not 'worse'. To my mind, bright red blood on and off is worse than pink mucus - pink mucus is a teeny bit of blood just mixed with the protective stuff in your bowels.






I think this is the critical part - that really IS the logical explanation, especially as you've been seen and given a diagnosis that was problematic to treat and deal with, and seems to have recurrences and ongoing issues associated. it does sound to me, as problems have continued for you after the treatment (you mention pain as well), that they should have given further appointments surely?


I do feel very sorry for you, I'm not sure I'm helping a lot, but I can understand why you are so freaked by this. However, there are certain things worth reminding yourself about here - I don't know anything much about bowel cancer - but I would have thought like other cancers, symptoms don't come and go, wax and wane as yours have.

Thank you so much for your response. It's scary to post something and it stays unresponded to for a while. With such an overactive mind, the silence can get extremely loud.

Your reply did help. I do hope you're right and that it's just more of what I've been dealing with already. It's so hard to calm the mind when there are physical symptoms that can be felt and seen. The only thing that seems to ever help is hearing others who've been through this and come out the other side ok.

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[Mom2FourKiddos]

I'm having such a hard time not panicking today. It happened again this morning and I'm so scared this won't ever stop and just keep getting worse. I wish I could go to the Dr's. I'm fighting tears when I look at my kids today and wonder if they're going to lose their mom.

How common is it for bowel cancer to present with pink mucus for two weeks and mild twinge like pains for a years duration and nothing else?

No weight loss
I'm not anemic
Two CT scans showed nothing abnormal in June and July of 2017.
Drs have run CBC's and Liver Panels towards the end of 2017 and all were normal

Why in the world is this happening??? What is wrong with me? I'm sorry, I need some encouraging words today. I feel like I'm going to get terrible news and this really be something this time.

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