Originally Posted by
Indeedbeak
In March 2020 I was eating a Kebab one night and about 20 minutes after eating it, I started getting a constant gurgling in my lower abdomen (below my belly button but above my groin) a while later my entire lower abdomen felt swollen and sore and the gurgling continued.
I went to the hospital I think the day after or the day after that because I thought it was food poisoning (This gurgling was different however as I didn't need to do anything for it to gurgle like breathe etc. It just did it randomly like normal abdominal gurgling) It continued and in July 2020 I sat on the toilet to have a poo and when I finished, I got up, turned around to find loads of blood in the toilet bowl (there wasn't any stool just blood)
I was frightened as I didn't have any pain and wouldn't of known if I hadn't turned around to look. When I wiped, all the toilet paper was soaking wet with blood, I hadn't seen that much blood come from me before, there was loads. This is where my Health Anxiety over my abdomen started.
I phoned the doctor shortly afterwards because I was worried about Colon Cancer, he said to see if it happens again. Later that day in the shower I checked to see if I had any Piles/Hemorrhoids up there but I couldn't feel anything, nor did I have any pain.
The abdominal pain continued and in October 2020 I started getting a new pain (Or the pain changed, I don't know) this time in my upper left abdomen (just a bit above my belly button, but below my bottom rib) this pain felt like a dull crampy ache that would come and go.
My bowel habits started to change around this time too, they were soft like mush and occasionally pencil thin, with the occasional watery diarrhea and constipation, it felt like I couldn't empty my bowels properly.
In November 2020 was when the abdominal gurgling started to happen I think where it would happen everytime I breathed in or pushed my stomach out (Well, same motion) eating/drinking would muffle it occasionally.
If I pushed my stomach out too much to make the noise it would trigger the pain. Sometimes it would feel tight and that particular area gets stuck so I can no longer push it all the way out or take a really deep breath in until it fixed itself, when this happens the gurgling stops.
I was worried about my Pancras when I got this new pain as I thought that's where the Pancras was and was worried about Pancreatic Cancer because my grandfather was diagnosed with it in July 2020, he passed away in December 2020.
Since the pain changed that's what I thought it was as I thought that's where the Pancras was and I started worrying about that instead, as I didn't think the Bowels went up that high, above the belly button. When the pain changed in October 2020, I remember going to the hospital because of my fear that I had a Pancreatic problem, so they did a blood test on me and said everything was fine.
The day after my grandad died in late December 2020 I made an appointment at my new GP Surgery as I recently just got accepted since I handed in my application form the week prior. I was no longer being listened too at my old Surgery, which I was at nearly all my life.
So I went in and had a physical examination done, I told him I was worried about Pancreatic Cancer and what happened to my grandfather last night. He decided to arrange for an Abdominal Ultrasound to check as he thought at the time, I could have Gallstones.
He also said I had elevated Amylase from the blood test I had at the hospital in October 2020 and the one I had in December 2020 before I left my old Surgery, which made me think even more my Pancreas was in trouble.
I had the Abdominal Ultrasound in January 2021 and everything looked completely fine but I was still getting issues so fast forward to March 2021, I decided to pay for myself to get a Chest/Abdominal CT Scan with IV Contrast (Not Oral, as I didn't know that was a thing) which also came back completely fine and everything looked good.
I stopped worrying about my Pancras then and started worrying about Stomach Cancer, because again, I didn't know the Bowels went up that high. I knew since the Stomach has loads of gas and I didn't have the Oral Contrast as I didn't know about it, that maybe the CT missed something there.
I'm now back to my original worry about Colon Cancer as I now know where the Bowels are. It just makes sense for it to be a Colon problem with all the symptoms I'm having, plus the fact my Colon haven't been looked at yet. It's also increasing in Young Adults at an alarming rate.
I've had quite a few FIT Stool Tests done since July 2020 when I had loads of blood in the toilet. I also had a Faecal Calprotectin Test in December 2020 which was fine. But those only detect blood/inflammation during the test.
Besides, not everyone has blood in their stool or in the toilet with Colon Cancer, some people just have it happen once or some not at all. Yet I'm being told by them I should always be passing blood, which I know isn't true. There's just no getting through to them, they won't listen.
I've spoken to many different doctors/hospital staff about this at least once every 2-3 weeks since March 2020 and seen them in person quite a few times too for Checks/Blood Tests which I've had so many of, I've lost count.
All they keep telling me is it's just my Health Anxiety, even though this started BEFORE that. They just don't seem to understand that and won't give me the test I need, the test that will end this once and for all.
It's gone on long enough now only because they've dragged it on so long and haven't done anything about it, instead they repeat the same things over and over, it's like I'm stuck going in circles.
I changed GP Surgery again and they also didn't do anything, so I decided to go back to the one I was with previously as it's closer. It doesn't matter anymore anyway as no one listens to me, 3 times I changed GP Surgeries in less than a year, it's ridiculous.
This is why it's gone on so long and no it's not because of COVID because there's people with exactly the same symptoms as I have for not as long as me that get taken seriously because they don't have Health Anxiety and get seen instantly.
But since I have Health Anxiety I'm not being taken seriously even though my abdominal issues predate that. My abdominal issues caused my Health Anxiety not the other way around, I've been free of Health Anxiety since 2017 and it started again when I saw I had loads of blood in the toilet back in July 2020.
About 2 Months ago I started getting some sort of lump/swelling at the top of my abdomen/bottom of my chest in the middle bit between my rib cage, beneath my heart but above the area where your Stomach and other Organs sit etc.
The lump moves when I press it and it doesn't seem to hurt but the surrounding area seems to at times. I still don't know what it is, I'm worried it's spread to my Liver as I'm also getting a sharp pain that comes and goes in my upper right abdomen, that area is also very tender to touch.
I had a Chest X-ray not to long ago to check my Lungs as well, as for the past few months for some reason one of my Pupils is smaller than the other one and the Eyelid of that same Eye is lower when it wasn't before. I did some research and I'm worried I've got Horner's Syndrome from a possible Pancoast Tumour that I think could of spread from my Colon or Liver, the results came back clear.
On the 17th August 2021 I went into Hospital because I thought I had a Bowel Obstruction, so I had another Chest X-ray and an Abdominal X-ray which found nothing. Turns out I had really bad constipation from whatever is causing my abdominal problems.
Never have I had it that bad before, couldn't go for almost 2 weeks. Problem is a normal Abdominal X-ray can't detect Colon Cancer and that particular Abdominal X-ray didn't check my Liver, only my Bowels for a possible Obstruction. A partial Obstruction though, I'm pretty sure won't show up and that's what I know I have.
Within the past 3 weeks I've been seeing tiny specs of blood in my stool only visible when I take a picture of my bowel movements on my phone camera with the flash on and zoom in to have a look around. I've been doing that in case the gastroenterologist wants to see them who I was referred to, that's when I noticed something wasn't quite right.
All I keep getting from people is it's "Anxiety" how can it be Anxiety when I only started becoming anxious when I saw I had loads of blood in the toilet? Which was July 2020. This whole thing started in March 2020 when I wasn't anxious about it and thought it was just food poisoning.
Besides, how can Anxiety cause me to bleed from the Bowel? If I lost an Arm, I suppose they'd just say it's just my Anxiety too. That's the expirance I've been getting, which is why it's dragging on so long and I'm sick of it.
One of my Doctor's said "You're wasting your life away worrying about this" Yeah, well if you'd actually take me seriously and give me the Test that will actually find out for definite, I wouldn't be worrying about it anymore.
This would of been sorted months and months ago but instead they constantly give me pointless Tests that aren't looking for what I'm actually worried about. It's either they're stupid or simply don't care.
They also said "I think it's just your Anxiety because you thought you had Pancreatic Cancer and then Stomach Cancer" Well, the reason why I thought that was because I didn't know where the Bowels where properly, I knew they were below the Belly Button but I didn't know they extended above it.
It doesn't help that a lot of other people think that too, take a look at some Medical Graphs on Google Images and you'll see some where the Bowels don't go above, which are obviously wrong. That's the reason why I jumped from Colon Cancer originally to Pancreatic Cancer then Stomach Cancer when my pain moved to the upper left in October 2020.
So I'm obviously going to think it's something else if the pain changed to above my Belly Button. I'm no expert on human anatomy, how do you expect me to try and distinguish where my problems are coming from? That's your job.
I know now where all the organs in the abdominal are and it's my Colon that has the issue which was my first thought before my pain changed places. Besides, just because I constantly think the worst possible scenario's, doesn't mean the worst possible scenario can't happen or some other serious illness.
When I asked them about wanting a Colonoscopy they said that "If we offered those to everyone with those Symptoms, we'd go bankrupt" So what, you just want me to die then? Gamble with my life? When I'm showing red flag symptoms which would trigger alarm bells in someone else?
What about the people that do get them then? What makes them so special? And we're talking about people with exactly the same symptoms as me here. I'm not on about somebody who's bed ridden, or is constantly exploding with blood everytime they have a bowel movement, because yeah I agree they should be priority.
But, I've seen some people with less severe symptoms then what I have or people who haven't been ill as long as me posting on some Sites saying they've had one. So much for equality, huh? Besides, technically I'm paying for it through tax, yet I'm not allowed to have it when I meet the criteria? What I find funny is they claim that, but add up the cost of all the Tests I've had.
Abdominal Ultrasound, Abdominal X-Ray, Chest X-Rays, countless Blood and Stool Tests. That would cover the cost of a Colonoscopy, so there's no excuses. It's they're fault for giving me the wrong Tests.
Another thing I was told was "The risk of perforation is quite high" Well, that's completely wrong as I've done a lot of research and a Colonoscopy is a very safe procedure. How do these people get employed? As they seem uneducated when it comes to health.
Unless they know and are giving me misinformation expecting me to believe them as most people do because they think the doctor knows best, just so they can save money. But what they don't realise is people with Health Anxiety know a LOT about health, but then they go back to the "Bankrupt" argument, so there's no getting through to them.
Even if the risk was high, that's my decision to make as it's my body not theirs. When you get a procedure/operation done, you need to sign paperwork explaining to you the risks and if you still want to go ahead with it, they don't do it for you.
I also keep being told by people that I'm "too young" to get Colon Cancer, no matter what I do or say. I could show them all the facts that it's increasing in young people and they are still stuck in their ways. They're just so ignorant. If they don't care about young people's health, they shouldn't be working in a health care setting.
They need to take a visit to the Bowel Cancer UK Website (Think Australia has an equivalent) to have a look at the Never Too Young Campaign and look at people's stories there, try telling them they're too young.
I bet they were told the exact same things as me, and unfortunately for some of them it was too late when they could of been saved. It's disgusting how us young people get treated, people think we're invincible and nothing bad can happen to us.
Other young people get Colonoscopies done for other reasons that aren't Cancer (How else do you think young people get diagnosed with Bowel Issues like IBS, Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis etc.) yet they won't give me one, even though I have the same problems as them.
It's like I'm cursed or something and everyone has something against me for some reason and secretly wants me to die. Because why else are other people getting them done, when they have the exact same problems as me? Just doesn't make any sense.
They don't even want to see if I have a Family History or a Genetic Condition like Lynch Syndrome since I grew up without my Mother and have no idea if her or her side of the family has something that increases the risk. Since I don't know her or any of them, I don't know. In other people that would trigger alarm bells because how else do people get tested for this stuff?
I'm just not being treated fairly, like I'm less important than everybody else and that my life has no importance. It might not be Cancer and could be IBS, IBD etc. But IBS is a diagnosis of elimination, other Bowel Issues need to be ruled out first before IBS is made, which they simply aren't doing.
It's like they take some sadistic pleasure in seeing me in emotional turmoil. Who's to say they aren't sabotaging my results? And telling me everything's fine when it isn't? I know they have a problem with me, so it wouldn't surprise me.
Sick and tired of the health care system in this country, don't know why the NHS gets rated so highly because to me they're self-centered cheapskates who don't care and want to save money, I don't like them one bit.
And don't give me "It's because of COVID" as like I said earlier in my post, other people with the exact same issues as me (some for not as long) get seen to way sooner, but when it comes to me it's a different story.
That's just my view and personal opinion/expirance and I'm entitled to that. I guess your view largely depends on what experiences you've had with them and I've NEVER (Or my Family) had a good experience with them, so you can see why I view them the way I do.
If they keep saying it's my Anxiety, I'm just going to take all my Anxiety Medication (which doesn't help) in one go that will get rid of my Anxiety. At least then, I won't be anxious anymore and have to put up with their bullsh*t.
People don't want me around so what's the point in being here? If they did, they'd treat me with respect like everybody else, not like dirt. I've been treated like dirt my entire life and it's about time it stops, as I can't take much more of it. I'm no second-class citizen, so treat me like everybody else. I'm not asking to be treated better, I'm asking to be treated equally, as equality is something I strongly believe in.
On the 20th September 2021 I had a phone call from the Gastroenterologist, which I was waiting months for as they postponed my appointment for some reason. At first he wasn't going to give me a Colonoscopy but because of how anxious I am, he changed his mind and now I'm getting one. Not sure when that's going to be but hopefully that will put an end to all this because I'm tired of it to be honest. I know it's Colon Cancer as everything's been ruled out, it can't be anything else. It's most likely too late now anyway, probably stage 3/4.
I recently asked my doctor to privately refer me for a CT Colonography because I don't know how long my Colonoscopies going to be and I haven't got time to mess around. I'm still going to have that though because a CT Colonography can't detect inflammation, only a biopsy from a Colonoscopy can, I just want to rule it out as soon as possible.
I told my doctor I had the money otherwise he wouldn't of done it. I don't, but if I said that he wouldn't of done it and it needs to be ruled out. I'd rather be in debt than be dead, at least I can sort that out another time.
I've now been referred to the Early Intervention in Psychosis Team. I don't have something seriously wrong with my Mental Health, it's my Physical Health that's the problem and they don't seem to care. I do have a Family History of Bipolar Disorder and Schizophrenia/Schizoaffective, but I don't have any of them, my mental health is perfectly fine, other than my Anxiety. Antidepressants don't work etc. So there's nothing wrong.
I was told by my friend that he thinks I may have Schizophrenia, because of some of the things I've told him, but I don't agree with what he thinks (This was before my referral to the Psychosis Team) because I don't have anything going on upstairs other than my Health Anxiety.
My Risk Factors
● Terrible Diet (High Fat/Red Meat)
● Lack of Exercise
● Smoked for 5 years
● May be a possible family history there, I'm not sure
My Current Symptoms
● Upper Left Abdominal Pain (slightly above belly button but below bottom rib, it seems to be in the Splenic Flexure or Decending Colon) best way to describe it would be the vertical line that separates your abs from your sides.
● Constant Bloating and after eating small meals, like eating a packet of crisps/chips the bloating gets worse.
● Abdominal Pain after eating.
● Constant feeling of nausea.
● Feeling tired all the time.
● Loads of gas (mostly burping) been farting a lot too recently in the past few weeks.
● Really smelly farts.
● Stools smell weird, they don't even smell like stools. They smell acidic or spicy/chilli like all the time (can't really describe it accurately)
● A feeling like I can't fully empty my bowels.
● An urge to have a bowel movement when I don't need to go.
● Having bowel movements during the night (mostly during the day though)
● Loads of Mucus in my stools.
● Tiny specs of bright red blood in my stools without any pain. (No Piles, Fissures etc. Literally nothing)
● Inconsistent bowel movements whether I go 1 time a day to 4+ times a day, to not going for a week or more. My stools are mostly mush, but sometimes they come out in small tiny lumps like nuts. Sometimes it's both in one, most of it's mush but the ends of it are hard etc. I just seem to alternate between diarrhoea and constipation. It changes colour quite often too, all shades of brown, yellow etc.
● Feels like I have a Mass or something where the pain and gurgling is.
● Constant tightness in that area even when the pain isn't there, sometimes it accompanies the pain.
● When I breathe in or push my stomach out (Well, same motion) I get gurgling in my upper left abdomen where my crampy pain is and that happens everytime I do it. It gets very load sometimes, eating sometimes muffles it but not always. I'm worried about a partial obstruction in my large bowel as it's always in the same place instead of different areas. Normally stomach gurgling happens randomly and in random parts of the abdomen, typically when you're hungry etc. Not always in the same place when you push your stomach out, accompanied by crampy pain. Plus it sounds somewhat different to normal stomach gurgling.
Sometimes a lot of pressure builds up there and it feels very tight, sometimes so tight I can't feel that part of my abdomen and it's like it locks in place because I can't fully take a deep breath in or push my stomach out all the way. When that happens it doesn't gurgle until it fixes itself, think this started in November/December 2020. When this happens my crampy pain normally accompanies it as well.
Occasionally I hear a liquid noise accompanied by the gurgling although this regardless if I've ate/drank something, I could not eat/drink something for a day and I'll still hear a liquid noise. The liquid noise though hasn't always been there I believe, only within the last few months and it's not always there with the gurgling. I'm worried that it's a build-up of air/gas that can't or struggles to get past because of a partial blockage causing the gurgling and pain.
P.S nomorepanic please DON'T move my Post as I DO have Health Anxiety and it is related, otherwise I won't get many replies. The more people that comment the better I'm going to feel and I need the help as I'm going through a really rough time with this. Besides, some people post similar posts and don't have them moved.
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