Hello David700,

                         having read your post several things struck me as someone who has gone through and survived bowel cancer with subsequent spread to the liver..Firstly if your symptoms started in december of the degree you describe and they were attributable  to cancer,it would have now likely progressed to the point where it was so obvious there would be no doubt,Cancer of the bowel is always moving forward,whereas crohns or ulcerative colitis are chronic and debilitating,Stress very much acts as a trigger to such a degree,that most people struggle to comprehend.

Black tarry stools 9 -10 months ago from a bleeding tumour would suggest that progression would have likely resulted in growth leading to a bowel blockage by now.My stage 4 cancer diagnosis came about from absolutely no symptoms that you describe,just a few dark spots in my stool which l knew immediately suggested the possibility of a tumour, to get to the position of black tarry stools would have likely seen me beyond redemption.

l have had extensive experience of ulcerative colitis in pig herds of thousands,and my goodness in chronic form it is destructive to the bowel,and without treatment the animals could never thrive.Muscle wastage,loss of condition,pale pallor,lack of appetite,and open to all manner of other illnesses.The relevance of pigs is that there digestive system is very near a mirror image to that of humans,and stress triggers have the same effect,

What l am trying to convey is that you seem to be dismissing chronic conditions in favour of your perception that cancer is the nastiest kid on the block,and because you have a long list of symptoms it has to fit with that.

My perception is that cancer is quick moving,silent in that it does not give you a lot of warning that its "doing" within your body,preferring to let you know when its "done" .Crohns and UC are far more destructive to a greater deal of the bowel,not just the area around a tumour site,and as such is far more debilitating in stopping the bowel doing what it is designed for,processing food to sustain your body. Being chronic conditions they take years to move a finish point unlike cancer, but with proper treatment and avoidance of trigger points can be bought under control.

Without going through your tests can you get a correct diagnosis,and a colonoscopy is the gold standard for diagnosis.If that proves negative for a tumour,then l think you can put your concerns about further investigations firmly to one side ,since once you reach the point of an  internal look see,you are on the journey to an alternative diagnosis, merely finding out what it is not just points the way to find out what it is.

Try to look on the positive that october 5th is a positive step forward which will lead to diagnosis and treatment,in the meantime all you can change in your situation is the degree of stress you place upon yourself,so do your best to accept where you are and get on with other things,

                                                                                                                            take care, David
                                                                                     

                                                                      ( who lives and had successful treatment in Scotland)