Hello there and thanks for posting

I am sorry to hear you suffer from stress and recently have been experiencing diarrhoea.

Unfortunately no one here can say what the matter is but I can say that most symptoms won't be the result of something as serious as cancer. Bowel changes can be linked to stress but other things like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), other inflammatory bowel conditions, food allergies, infection or diet.

It is important that when symptoms are ongoing they are looked into and tests carried out to find out more. It is good that all the tests so far have come back normal but a colonoscopy will allow the doctor to take a good look at the bowel and what may be causing the diarrhoea.

I appreciate it isn't a very nice test to have done and most people are worried about having it done. I would discuss with your doctor and the hospital department any concerns/fears you have so these can be addressed before you have the colonoscopy.

I hope you know more soon. Try not to over think things too much for now though and if you can avoid searching up answers on line that may help you as well.

All the best

Take care

Naomi

Thank you.

Sorry to come back to you.

I had no blood in my stools when the stool sample was sent to the lab.

I also heard that diarrhoea alone is not a symptom of cancer.

Why do they still want to do colonscopy?

I only have diarrhoea.

Hello Hopetobecancerfree,

                                           l can understand your anxiety about having a colonoscopy but struggle to see why this would not be outweighed by the risk of having cancer,after all your choice of pseudonym is revealing.A colonoscopy looks at the lining of the bowel in real time allowing any changes and their cause to be ACCURATELY assessed

As someone who was diagnosed with bowel cancer by a rapid colonoscopy,that subsequently spread to my liver,it saved my life and eight years on l am enjoying every day.

As far as l am concerned everything else is picking at the edges and taking valuable time,the one definitive test is a colonoscopy.l have had four over the course of my treatment,and on each occaision l was so dopey l really did not feel much at the examination,with just a little bloated discomfort afterwards,which going straight back to work and moving about soon dislodged any trapped wind.

l had very little sign of anything wrong in that l felt fine,just loose for a few weeks.The trigger for me was seeing a few black dark spots in my stools which l realised was stale blood.,but most people would not see them there,a career in animal health has its benefits

Whilst both things will be a great worry for you,the priority of potential cancer over the discomfort of a colonoscopy should surely win,l was fortunate in that a fast moving cancer was cured by a rapid response by a really capable health team on top of their game,.l am one really grateful lucky boy.

Of course the clear benefits if cancer is ruled out is the relief to your mental stress,but also a clear answer to any other cause and correct treatment to remedy any ailment.

In not downplaying your anxieties in any way,l would urge you to proceed if your health team reccommend this,because l can see no way that you forget this constant worry in the back of your mind of what if,and the long drawn out stress caused will just bring further issues.

Whatever you choose l can only hope that you can find peace,constant worry just pulls you down so very much,

                   take care,

                                        David

I will add that a colonoscopy is not just a test for cancer. I am not a nurse and have no idea why they want to do a colonoscopy, but it can also diagnose things like Crohn's and colitis. My guess would be that they just figure they should do some tests to find out what is going on as your diarrhea has been going on for so long.

I also agree with gruntifen about the relief of ruling cancer out. I had a colonoscopy last summer and it took a while before I completely relaxed even after getting it. Not knowing what is going on is stressful.

Sorry you went through so much stress but glad you are well now.

Hello and thanks for getting back to us again,

I would do what Nurse Naomi said and discuss with your doctors your fears and concerns about having a colonoscopy. You can talk to them about the medication you are having and your worries about having sedation for the procedure with the present medication you are having.

Doctors have guidelines about when they refer patients for colonoscopies so I would also discuss with your doctor why they feel that it is necessary to do a colonoscopy. They are the best people to discuss this with as they are involved in your care.

A colonoscopy is the gold standard test for looking at the bowel and ruling anything serious out. 

I do hope that it all goes well.

All the Best,

Catherine

Hi, I hope I can put your mind at rest a bit. 4 years ago I had some of the same symptoms and a bit of bleeding, I was dreading the colonoscopy. But it was totally fine.

The day before you will have to drink movieprep to empty your bowels, put it in some orange squash, its dillutes completly and is tasteless. You will then have 20 odd trips to the loo, so you will need to be at home, with some soft loo roll. On the day, I wasn't offered sedation, but told to speak up if there was any pain. Honestly there was none, it felt slightly odd at the start, I didnt feel it inside me and again feels slightly odd as they take it out. If you do feel discomfort, tell them, they will be super nice, one even held my hand and stroked my hair throughout (shes was better than any anesthetic).

Mine came back clear, I still have the symptoms, they have no idea of the cause, but know its nothing scary. Good luck.

Edit: I suffer with anxiety, I'm fairly convinced its the cause of my constant loose tummy

Hi and thanks for the reply.

The moviprep is what's scaring me as well to be totally honest, 20 times, TWENTY, blimey.

It's not the taste, it's the trots afterwards.

I think mine's due to a relationship breakup at beginning of year on top of chronic stress, worse than the breakup, the breakup just added to it - I don't fancy going through all the hassle of a colonoscopy because of the way i handled the breakup.