Hi. This is the most terrified I have ever felt. I have suffered with IBS symptoms for 14 years. 3.5 years ago, I noticed blood in my stool. My GP (eventually) referred me to hospital where they checked for inflammation (calprotectin test). Normal level is <50, a positive result is >200 (in between is borderline) - mine was 2000! So they arranged a colonoscopy. However, they could only do a sigmoid in the end, so only looked at the very bottom part. That was clear. Then they did a PillCam which looked at my small bowel, which was clear. But they did not look at the rest of my bowel (where cancer would be most likely to grow). They repeated the calprotectin test and it had gone down to 60, so they decided it was unnecessary to so any more tests as my symptoms appeared to be a little better. In 2019, I was experiencing tenderness (still am), so they repeated the test. It had gone up to 110 (borderline), they repeated again and it was 112 (still borderline). I saw a gastroenterologist who felt my stomach and told me he was certain that I did not have bowel cancer (even though he didn't do any more tests).

My IBS symptoms continued but were not too bad - the only thing that was worse was bloating. Fast forward to a few months ago and I have noticed that I can't lie on my left, or else I get this feeling of pressure in the middle of my stomach, and I still have that. 2 weeks ago then I noticed a little bit of blood in my stool. I went back to my GP and the result is back over 2000. I have been referred for a colonoscopy again.

I am utterly devastated. The doctor told me that they aren't worried about cancer, but that they're referring me urgently because of how high the inflammation is (which they did last time it was this high). But I am CONVINCED that it is bowel cancer, and that, because I have had it all this time, it is advanced. I can't eat, sleep or make it through a day without breaking down. I'm 33 years old, so the chances (according to the Cancer Research website) are 6.6 per 100,000 each year, which percentage-wise means 0.0066% of people in my age bracket will be diagnosed each year. (151 women each year out of roughly 2,100,000). But I have drank alcohol every day for 10 years (for the anxiety) and had a low-fibre, high-processed meat diet, and had loads of back x-rays - so that's 4 risk factors. And I have (stupidly) read multiple stories on the 'Never Too Young' page and others, and I share many of the same symptoms, and they too were told my doctors that they were too young to have bowel cancer (for years sometimes), but then they did have it.

I'm really losing it. I'm not sure why I'm actually posting here because as I typed that all out I just convinced myself even more. I have a child and they are going to have to grow up without a mum. The though of dying terrifies me. I'm so scared. Can anyone say something supportive, please? Thank you.