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Anxious about bowel cancer symptoms

Kirstynic
Offline

Hi everyone,

Apologies for the essay.

I'm 36 and back in early 2020 I began noticing blood after a bowel movement. I saw a nurse who examined me and saw small piles, he said to go back if the bleeding carried on. Well the bleeding was sporadic, and would happen on and off. Due to Covid I never went back. 
 

Well over 2 years later and the bleeding still happens. It seems to flare up and then not happen for a while. My bowel movements are sporadic, sometimes soft- sometimes harder to pass. 
 

I am under the care of an endocrinologist due to high prolactin and mentioned the symptoms to him, he suspected Colitis and sent me for an MRI of the small bowel in January. He also did a blood test and my iron was Norma. The findings of the MRI were:

Conventional MRI sequences of the small bowel performed.
There is no pathology seen of the small bowel. The small bowel loops are of normal
calibre with normal signal with no evidence of any strictures or inflammation or
Obstruction.
The large bowel shows evidence of faecal loading throughout and up to the rectum
but no mechanical obstruction currently seen on MRI. No perianal disease currently
seen on these large field of view images.
The liver, gallbladder, pancreas, spleen, both adrenals and both kidneys appear
normal. There is no mesenteric abnormality or any free fluid. No abnormal lymph
node enlargement seen within the para-aortic region or the pelvis. The visualised
bones appear within normal limits
CONCLUSION / RECOMMENDATION:
Normal MRI of the small bowel

Satisfied with this I didn't pursue anything. 

Well on Monday I had the worst bowel movement, it was so hard and painful to pass I felt I was going to pass out. After this there was lots of blood, both when wiping and in the toilet. Even when I pushed for a wee after this there would be blood from my bottom. My bowel movements since then have been strange, more frequent and soft - sometimes with blood after wiping and yesterday looked like there were red streaks in my poo. 
 

I'm so angry with myself and feel I could have had cancer for 2 years, I'm so proactive with my health but obviously have not been so with this.

I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist on Monday, so will tell him all this but I'm so anxious. 

Parents
  • Offline

    Hello Kirstync

                            can l ask is the blood fresh and bright red like it has been triggered by the bowel movement,or stale dark red to black as if being leaked constantly between bowel movements.Obviously the latter would be of greater concern since a tumour will eventually bleed incessantly,especially one having been present for any length of  time.Fresh blood triggered at the time of a passage of a stool could indicate colitis,chrohns,polyps,fissure  or restriction

    .l bleed constantly and have done for the past six years,fresh blood that is caused by constant repeated irritation of bowel movements.Having had a bowel resection and a rebuilt pouch there will undoubtably be a residual restriction.l also lost my gallbladder as a result of metastasis to the liver,so l have overloading of bile excretions inflaming my bowel lining at times.l am no expert just one of the guinea pigs,but it seems to me that if you have had a tumour over two years it would have moved progressively worse along with effects that would be difficult to ignore,, and that as good as an MRI scan is,it will not replace a colonoscopy that actually internally inspects the bowel in real time and should be able to pinpoint the inflamed site that is bleeding and work forward from there what is actually causing it.The MRI would show raised lumps such as a tumour,and its reassuring that none were seen,or increased swelling or distortion,but disruption to the bowel lining might be a stretch,hence the advantage of a colonoscopy

    Hopefully you can discuss this option with your expert consultant and progress your treatment, which ihopefully will move forward towards a satisfactory outcome.In the meantime staying calm will help your bowel remain stress free,

                                                     David

  • Offline in reply to gruntifen

    Hi David,

    Many thanks for your reply. 
    The blood is fresh, bright red. I will try and push for a colonoscopy, my husbands has colitis so has these regularly - my endocrinologist was looking for this or chrons on the MRI but I do understand that colonoscopy is the only definitive way to detect these or cancer. 
     

    I really appreciate you taking the time to reply, hopefully you are doing well in your journey and I hope you continue to do so. 

Reply
  • Offline in reply to gruntifen

    Hi David,

    Many thanks for your reply. 
    The blood is fresh, bright red. I will try and push for a colonoscopy, my husbands has colitis so has these regularly - my endocrinologist was looking for this or chrons on the MRI but I do understand that colonoscopy is the only definitive way to detect these or cancer. 
     

    I really appreciate you taking the time to reply, hopefully you are doing well in your journey and I hope you continue to do so. 

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