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Scared I have Bowel Cancer

Soph32123
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Looking for help...

I have been having on/off mucus in my stool for a while now (2yrs). I had some blood a couple years back and mucus which freaked me out, I went to the doctors and was told I had piles which made sense as I was in pain with them. After a little while they went away. 
 

fast forward to now, I haven't experienced blood until today. I had my baby 2 weeks ago and have been badly constipated. I'm passing stools maybe every other day but it's painful to pass them, I have a lot of brown mucus, takes ages to go to the toilet and empty as they're small and hard and just a moment ago I wiped and had a very small amount of bright red blood on my tissue - none in the toilet and some tummy cramps before I go. I think it could be a mixture of constipation and piles, but I'm scared to death it's bowel cancer as all I see is it going back to that online. I suffer badly with health anxiety and have been beside myself with worry for days now. I am booked in to see my Gp this Friday but until then I'm just looking for some reassurance! Thank you, Sophie. 

  • Hello Sophie and thanks for your post

    Bowel symptoms are common and I see that you have been treated for piles (haemorrhoids) in the past .Going through labour can reactivate haemorrhoids and this can cause the bleeding you are experiencing. On going constipation and straining to pass stools can also trigger bleeding. This usually settles within a few days or weeks however frequent constipation and straining can cause symptoms to go on for a lot longer. It’s always a good idea to get things checked out just to be on the safe side, and I see that you have a doctors appointment this Friday.

    Stress and anxiety can also cause changes in bowel habit so do speak to your doctor about getting support to manage your anxiety.

     You may also find it helpful to know that more than 85 out of 100 bowel cancers (85%) are diagnosed in people aged 60 or over.

    I hope things improve for you soon and congratulations on the recent birth of your baby.

    Best wishes,

    Celene

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