There are probably a whole load of things it could be. Ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease and polyp for a start, all have similar symptoms to colon and rectal cancer. And from what I've read, there is a lot of debate about the thin ribbon like stools and whether they are even a symptom at all. One thing I read said the most common cause of them was diarrhea, which you mentioned having and said it was very common to get them after diarrhea.

Given that you said you have young children, I am also guessing you are relatively young. The majority of cases of colon cancer are in over 60s. I am 41 and over the summer, when I was 40, I had a number of symptoms - rectal bleeding, ongoing for weeks, some loose stools (maybe once or twice a week), trapped wind and weight loss. The consultant said that at my age, I had very little to worry about, that if my mother came in with those symptoms, he would be considering bowel cancer as a possible diagnosis but that at my age, it was the least likely of all the possible options.

And you have far more options than I had, because it really was the rectal bleeding that knocked out a lot of the alternatives for me. Things like IBS would explain all the symptoms you are having, but don't have rectal bleeding as a symptom. That is probably the most likely explanation for your symptoms as that is very common. 

Google tends to give the most dramatic results because people are more likely to post about those. If you have cancer, you are likely to discuss your experience online, whereas you are less likely to do so if you have an infection or IBS. Also, the medical sites often play up the possibility of cancer because they want to ensure people get checked out. If they said, "this is highly unlikely to be cancer," then people would think "oh, no point in calling a doctor, so" and there might be one case in 100 where it is and that person would have a delayed diagnosis. So it's better if they say, "get this checked out in case it's cancer," even if for the other 99, it won't be. They are often just covering themselves by including the most serious options. They don't have to take so much care about including things like polyps and IBS because it doesn't matter so much if people don't investigate fo things like that. But in reality, both of those options are probably far more likely.

I went to my colonoscopy this morning. I was very lucky to get an early morning appointment at the last minute and I hadn't been eating anyway because of my crazy anxiety.

And amazingly the only thing they found was what I posted above, Diverticulosis. I really hope that anyone reading this who has extreme worries like me can at least get a little comfort. I had symptoms for years that Dr Google made me 100% convinced it was going to be serious. Having said that you should always get checked if something isn't right but just know it could be a whole host of things. And stay the *** away from Google!

I may be in the clear but this is not the end. After reading some of the stories of people diagnosed with this horrible disease I want to get involved in raising awareness, especially with the alarming rise in under 50s getting it. One of the things I want is for the the bowel cancer screening programme (FIT test) to be lowered to at least 40 in the whole of the UK.

Take care and I will continue being part of this amazing community

I went to my colonoscopy this morning. I was very lucky to get an early morning appointment at the last minute and I hadn't been eating anyway because of my crazy anxiety.

And amazingly the only thing they found was what I posted above, Diverticulosis. I really hope that anyone reading this who has extreme worries like me can at least get a little comfort. I had symptoms for years that Dr Google made me 100% convinced it was going to be serious. Having said that you should always get checked if something isn't right but just know it could be a whole host of things. And stay the *** away from Google!

I may be in the clear but this is not the end. After reading some of the stories of people diagnosed with this horrible disease I want to get involved in raising awareness, especially with the alarming rise in under 50s getting it. One of the things I want is for the the bowel cancer screening programme (FIT test) to be lowered to at least 40 in the whole of the UK.

Take care and I will continue being part of this amazing community