Is Acid Reflux a symptom of Bowel cancer?

[pulisa]

Of course you did. Any uncertainty is dynamite for someone with an anxiety disorder.

A colonoscopy is not without its risks and shouldn't be performed for reassurance purposes.

[Fishmanpa]

I know it’s mad, but really latched onto the no one can be 100% thing.

Classic HA!

Positive thoughts

[WorriedOlive]

Of course you did. Any uncertainty is dynamite for someone with an anxiety disorder.

A colonoscopy is not without its risks and shouldn't be performed for reassurance purposes.

Completely agree which is why I’m worried.. my symptoms obviously warrant investigation in some way as I don’t believe he would just do one for no reason

[NoraB]

Thankfully he’s also referred me to a dietitian and for CBT to try and combat what he suspects the issue is - IBS.

Hurrah!

The dietician was a monumental waste of time with me because I have so many over-lapping issues where I can't eat certain things (I did her head in I think lol) but you might fare better.

I asked about CC and he said ‘no one can be 100% sure without a colonoscopy.. but it’s exceedingly unlikely like 0. Something %’ I know it’s mad, but really latched onto the no one can be 100% thing.

Realistically, what do you expect him to say? I would be very dubious of any doctor who was 100% without sticking a camera up there!

Your HA has latched onto this and is having a good feed. This 'what if' scenario is the full 12 course meal! (nomnomnomnom)

Meanwhile, on Planet Rational, the rest of us who are not currently being held hostage by HA can see what you are failing to see - which is that it's exceedingly unlikely that you have BC - but you do have severe health anxiety which I very much hope will be successfully addressed with therapy.

[pulisa]

Adding to this thread rather than creating a new one for context.

Just had a phone consultation with a gastroenterologist. He said he thinks it’s IBS and if there is blood it’s most likely caused by little blood vessels in the colon but he wants to do a colonoscopy. He said it isn’t something he feels he has to do but that I won’t stop worrying unless he does... and now I’m worried!!! My brain is now thinking he clearly thinks there’s a chance I have Bowel cancer and he needs to check! I asked him directly how likely it is to be BC and he said minuscule like 0.something %.

He left the choice of the colonoscopy up to me, and said we could just try and tackle the IBS and see if that helps and that it’s up to me. Is this because it’s private? Do they just hand out colonoscopies? I’m freaking out!!!

It’s non urgent so have to wait 4-6 weeks.

That "I won't stop worrying until he does a colonoscopy" is not a clinical reason to do a procedure which has risks. He has said it's not something which he feels he has to do so how does this equal bowel cancer in your mind? HA is making you think like this.

[WorriedOlive]

That "I won't stop worrying until he does a colonoscopy" is not a clinical reason to do a procedure which has risks. He has said it's not something which he feels he has to do so how does this equal bowel cancer in your mind? HA is making you think like this.

Which is why I think there must be a reason, a responsible doctor wouldn’t perform a procedure with risks just for someone’s sanity surely. I have had a couple of red BM which i am not sure if they were blood or from eating pasta sauce/roasted red peppers. So he said it would check for any sign of bleeding which he believed would be most likely from something harmless like small blood vessels if it was blood. I’ve never heard of this and it doesn’t come up in google search for blood in poo. Has anyone else heard of this?

I’m very worried and have a million horrible scenarios running through my mind about the procedure, everything going quiet and them telling me they found something.

[WorriedOlive]

Hurrah!

The dietician was a monumental waste of time with me because I have so many over-lapping issues where I can't eat certain things (I did her head in I think lol) but you might fare better.



Realistically, what do you expect him to say? I would be very dubious of any doctor who was 100% without sticking a camera up there!

Your HA has latched onto this and is having a good feed. This 'what if' scenario is the full 12 course meal! (nomnomnomnom)

Meanwhile, on Planet Rational, the rest of us who are not currently being held hostage by HA can see what you are failing to see - which is that it's exceedingly unlikely that you have BC - but you do have severe health anxiety which I very much hope will be successfully addressed with therapy.

Thanks NoraB

I know he can’t say 100%, not even to someone without symptoms, but often doctors are very dismissive and will outright say no it’s not cancer don’t worry. I guess it’s just a different approach.

Excited to start the therapy, really want to get rid of this

[NoraB]

Excited to start the therapy, really want to get rid of this

And with positivity like this, I'm sure you will succeed.

[WorriedOlive]

Hi, me again lol

Just spoke to my mum on the phone and mentioned that I had been referred for colonoscopy. She mentioned that my Nan (on mums side) had had one for bleeding and they found quite a few polyps in her colon. As far as I’m aware they were not even pre-cancerous, she definitely didn’t have Bowel cancer, but they did remove them. The bleeding was found to be caused by diverticulitis. I should probably mention she was in her mid 70s at this point.

Last year my mum had a polyp on her womb removed, it was completely benign. She was 58 at the time.

I know Bowel and womb cancer are both common in Lynch Syndrome - could this be a connection or are these things common! I feel like what are the chances they’ve both had polyps!? Although both at over 50.. is lynch syndrome when it actually causes cancer?

Advice would be welcome.

[NoraB]

Hi, me again lol

Just spoke to my mum on the phone and mentioned that I had been referred for colonoscopy. She mentioned that my Nan (on mums side) had had one for bleeding and they found quite a few polyps in her colon. As far as I’m aware they were not even pre-cancerous, she definitely didn’t have Bowel cancer, but they did remove them. The bleeding was found to be caused by diverticulitis. I should probably mention she was in her mid 70s at this point.

Last year my mum had a polyp on her womb removed, it was completely benign. She was 58 at the time.

I know Bowel and womb cancer are both common in Lynch Syndrome - could this be a connection or are these things common! I feel like what are the chances they’ve both had polyps!? Although both at over 50.. is lynch syndrome when it actually causes cancer?

Advice would be welcome.

Polyps are very common. I had one in my uterus. Hubs had one in his stomach (no longer there) neither of us have cancer.

Diverticulitis is common in elderly people.

Lynch Syndrome? You've obviously been Googling.

Thing is, your nan didn't have bowel cancer and your mother didn't have womb cancer, so why are you even going down this cancer route?

You are ABSOLUTELY feeding your HA.