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Possible symptoms of bowel/colon cancer

Anxious30
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Hi all

I’m 39 and have had bowel changes since beginning of December. My movements are small pieces that are easy to pass, but gp said that this was constipation. I was sent for bloods (normal) and FIT which came back at 4. GP did rectal exam and noted nothing unusual. Said it could be a little bit of IBS and to monitor food to see if anything changes. 

Fast forward 3 months and I’m still having same issue. I was under the impression that constipation was when you struggle to go but I don’t struggle. I eat a balanced diet and drink plenty of water but it’s hot and miss if I have a normal movement. I’ve maybe had 3 in the last 4 weeks. All the rest have been small pieces. 

I’m seeing a Consultant about this tomorrow as I’m getting rather worried. I’m worried that something more sinister is going on and I’ve left it too long after the first GP visit.  I find that it’s taking over my life and I’m worrying every time I need the toilet. I don’t have any other symptoms but I thought I saw some blood this evening as the water was a pink colour. 

I wondered if anyone had gone private and had tests done quicker than the normal 2WW. 

Parents
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    Cancer is pretty unlikely, though you should get it checked out. A FIT test of 4 means there was no blood in your stool when you tested and a negative FIT means colon cancer is pretty unlikely, so that is a really good sign. But since you did have bleeding later on, it is good that you are getting it checked out.

    When I was 40, I had rectal bleeding most days for about two months, unexplained weight loss, occasional loose stools (maybe once a week) and trapped wind. The consultant said that at my age, the odds of cancer were "less than 1%" and I would be "the most unlucky person in the world" if that turned out to be the explanation. (It turned out to be hemorrhoids, probably combined with the effects of my thyroid medication and probably the stress of the whole thing).

    Something like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's would be more likely, though still probably less likely than IBS or something else minor.

    I've also read that colon cancer tends to be pretty slow acting so even if you DID have a precancerous polyp or something, you probably wouldn't have left it too long.

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    Cancer is pretty unlikely, though you should get it checked out. A FIT test of 4 means there was no blood in your stool when you tested and a negative FIT means colon cancer is pretty unlikely, so that is a really good sign. But since you did have bleeding later on, it is good that you are getting it checked out.

    When I was 40, I had rectal bleeding most days for about two months, unexplained weight loss, occasional loose stools (maybe once a week) and trapped wind. The consultant said that at my age, the odds of cancer were "less than 1%" and I would be "the most unlucky person in the world" if that turned out to be the explanation. (It turned out to be hemorrhoids, probably combined with the effects of my thyroid medication and probably the stress of the whole thing).

    Something like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's would be more likely, though still probably less likely than IBS or something else minor.

    I've also read that colon cancer tends to be pretty slow acting so even if you DID have a precancerous polyp or something, you probably wouldn't have left it too long.

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