Worried I have bowel cancer

Hi, I’m a 33 year old female that’s had a hell of a year so far with health anxiety. 
all started in the new year when going to the doctors for upper left and right side pains and waiting nearly 3 months for a ultrasound to rule anything out.  in that 3 months my mind has told me I have lymphoma as a couple of my lymph nodes on my neck were swollen and then then next thing was a lumpy area on my breast! all has been checked and doctors tell me I’m healthy ( also had scan on upper abdomen and all clear too ) …. Fast forward to the past week, the pains have now gone from the upper left and right of my abdomen but have now started on the lower left and right of abdomen near where my ovaries would be? Iv also had a couple of times where I have been for a bowel movement and there is fresh blood on the toilet paper… iv never seen any in my stool I don’t think? Iv also had that feeling that I really need to pass stools but nothing comes of it and the past 2 days iv been in pain with gas and knotting in lower stomach, stools are thinner and I need to go a lot more …. Iv been taking paracetamol buscopan and hot water bottle which helps but as soon as I get up in the morning and have my first bowel movement it all kicks off and starts again :(

I have a doctors appointment this Thursday as they want to check for internal haemorrhoids but Iv made my self sick with worry I have bowel cancer  as dr google has said you don’t get lower abdominal pain with internal piles 

i have a lovely life out side of all this health anxiety. Two beautiful daughters and a hard working husband and I’m so afraid I’m not going to be here for them in the future it’s making me feel so poorly 

can any one tell me if they have had the same symptoms before and it’s been something less sinister ? 
thank you x

  • It's unlikely to be bowel cancer. The most likely thing is that the pains and the blood are unrelated. I wouldn't expect the pain from bowel cancer to move around anyway.

    And even if they are related, a polyp or polyps or ulcerative colitis or Crohn's or something else I've never heard of are more likely at your age than bowel cancer.

    When I was 40, I had rectal bleeding, almost daily for weeks on end, trapped wind, unintended weight loss, occasional loose stools (maybe once a week) and possibly some abdominal pain (though I think that was just period pain that I was overthinking because of the other symptoms). The specialist said that if my mother came in with those symptoms, he'd be thinking of the possibility of bowel cancer but that at my age, it was the least likely option and I'd be "the most unlucky person in the world" if it turned out to be that.

    It turned out to be piles, as we all expected, probably combined with the effects of my thyroid medication and possibly the stress of the whole thing.

  • Thanks for your positive reply, the brain really is a little *** at times for convincing yourself you are seriously poorly but really it turns out to be something so simple, fingers crossed on Thursday i can get some positive answers and put my mind at rest. I will be telling my doctor about my health anxiety aswell to see if they think I might need some further help on that area x