Hi, i'm worrying terribly again, this time about rectal cancer. I've had ibs for 20 years now and every now and then i get flare ups, my last one was a couple of weeks ago when i was extremely stressed. My stomach was quite unsettled for a few days after but then started to settle down. I have had ongoing lower abdominal/pelvic discomfort and some rectal pain aswell over the past few days. I mainly get this pain when i have a bowel movement and the pain seems to radiate from the pelvis to the back passage or maybe its the other way round, not too sure its just there. I also get some discomfort if i cough and when i sit down initially but then it goes away. Anyway i went to my gp yesterday and explained this to him, i told him that i was worried about rectal cancer and he said that it was most likely to be piles or a fissure and that if i wanted he would do a rectal examination. I asked him if it was very important to do one and he said not really, but to try some treatment first and if i was still having problems after that then to go back and he would do the examination.

So i left with a prescription for suppositries but still feel very worried, the pain i feel seems to be too far in too be a fissure or piles and surely that would'nt cause the pelvic pain. He also examined my stomach and said that it felt fine "no bumps or lumps". He told me that if someone in there 50's or 60's came in with the same complaint he would have insisted on the rectal exam. I did ask him if he thought that i really should have one done and that if he thought i should then i would. Maybe he just did'nt feel like doing one! I also wondered about the possibility of endometriosis but not sure about the symptoms. My periods have been a bit haywire the last couple of months also but the gp did'nt seem to think the 2 were connected.

I'm 43 with 5 children.