ibs ro colon cancer

[peach]

ok, so ive had ibs for about 7 years now.

so today, im watching oprah, and shes with doctor whatshisname, whos talking about colon cancer, i was feeling great cause finally my heart disease fears have just been put to bed from my doctor today, BUT,

so now i just googled, and never realised how the symptoms of both are almost identical!!!!! OMG, have i had colon cancer all these last 7 years?????

the woman on the oprah show was 32 when she found she had stage 3 colon cancer,.....im 34......wish i hadnt googled......

i guess, i can only hope that if it was cancer, i would have been dead long ago.....???? plus help me here.....

am i just hopefull wishing? wouldnt my blood test 8 months ago have told them if i had a cancer of sorts?
now im freaking out......i didnt think we went for colonoscopys till were 50?
looks like the only symptom i dont have from the cancer list is extreme lethargy...tho i do get tired by the end of a work day.....

[AnnieMags]

Dear Peach, I totally understand your fear - been there and done that! Try to relax, though - as you say yourself, untreated colon cancer for 7 years would most likely have killed you by now! At the very least, you would have been very very ill indeed. In any case, colon cancer at your age is extremely rare and unlikely. Apart from anything else, you would have been bleeding and anaemic and your blood tests would have shown that up. I truly don't think you need to worry about colon cancer.

So stop Googling (I will admit that this is very much a case of 'do as I say, don't do as I do'! - you KNOW that ANY symptoms googled will bring up at least the possibility of cancer.

Love from Annie

[peach]

hi anniemags,

thanks, but my blood test did show very low b12 and borderline iron.
plus (tmi, i know) i occasionally do have blood spots from time to time with the D i get from ibs. 3 years ago, once i bled quite a bit and called the docs immediatly, and she just said its probably a tear, and if it happens again soon, then to go in, but it has only spotted on occasion since then.

so still a bit worried, but do feel that i must be ok, this long into it eh?
one doc a few years ago said to me, that if the symptoms last more then 6 months without change then its ibs. i also thought it would be extremely rare for my age too, but that lady on tv today was only 32...so did get me worried.

plus, after taking b12 for 3 months then off it for a month now, i still feel a lot better, so maybe not c c? i hope....wish id brought this up today at the docs office now.just didnt think about this worry since i first got ibs.

thanks for listening...

[LeeBee]

Hi Peach - can I ask about your diet? - current obsession of mine . You're iron and B12 deficient - do you eat meat and/or dairy?

[amu]

hi

If you had colon cancer, and symtops had had started showing up 7 years ago, that would mean that you have had colon cancer for at least 10-12 years now - as far as I know colon cancer can take ages to develop before symptoms show up. So that would mean a pretty long time indeed, and no change in symptoms? Unlikely... and no anaemia just borderline iron?
If you're worried, I'm sure your doctor would happily send you for a colonoscopy, that would put an end to all worries.

Amu

[peach]

hi LeeBee,

my diet isnt too bad, probably a little too much suger. but besides that i try to have fruit and veges every day. im walking every day too, i do eat dairy, but have cut down how much i eat these days.

ibs has given me the runs for years- since i was 26. it was actually worse then it is now. not as much pain, still runs, but sometimes normal as well, which makes me happy..lol - i bet not many ppl get excited by things like that..lolol....

hubbys told me that theres no way i have cc. i think its true that i would have been very very ill by now with it, if that was the case.

also, i dont have the the tiredness thats described. plus i certainly dont have the black tarry stools as described...im really trying to stop going to the docs. ive been to see docs approx 30 times in teh last 2 years alone. i was heckled the last time i went- was told that most ppl only go once a year if that when i had said how good i was not going for 3 months.

so, im now trying to stop going every few weeks. im trying to know that if im seriously ill, i will know and my symptoms will be serious....very....

anyway, this i will try as long as i can...like a week...lol.....
wish me luck!