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Colon cancer - what did it feel like?

Lornalu
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Hi 

I'm new here and have been having a pretty rubbish time over the last 8 months. I suddenly became nauseated, rapidly losing weight, constipated, and felt awful. I was referred to gyne and a G.I doctor. Had a CT, MRI, bloods and OGD. All clear so I thought perhaps it's just IBS as they kept suggesting. Last week I came across a mass in my lower left quadrant. It's not painful, it's hard and the shape and length of a sausage. It does not move and it does not change. It's exactly where my colon would be. My GP ran bloods and again all were normal. Tumor markers and iron all good. I've been referred to general surgery urgently. I'm not usually a worrier, but this has got me worried. I have lost 2st in 8 months and I'm becoming very thin. I'm only 33 and have two small children. I can't find anything online that is similar to my mass. Anything that is not sinister seems to be squishy or can be moved or goes after you pass a stool. Can anyone tell me what they felt when they found a mass that lead to colon cancer? I know that having good blood tests and my age that it's unlikely but why can't they pinpoint what is wrong! It's been months of tests and all I get told is that it's IBS. I'm just fed up now and need to know what is going on with my body. Thanks 

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    Hi Lornalu. Welcome to the forum.

    I should start out by saying that we're not doctors and I'm not medically qualified, so take what I say with a pinch of salt if you like.

    You've already had a clear MRI and a clear CT scan. These found nothing 8 months or so ago. I think it would be an unusual cancer that grows from nothing to the size of a sausage in this fairly short timescale. Your bloods are still clear and your age is also on your side. 

    Quite what this mass is, I can't say. It will need to be investigated, but it may well turn out to be nothing serious.  When it comes to using Google, I think we're all in agreement here that it is usually unwise and often frightening, so I suggest you forget all these ideas you might have picked up about what's sinister and what isn't. Real doctoring has a lot more to it than that. 

    As a lifelong sufferer of IBS I do recognise what you're going through. My IBS took a turn for the worse 2-3 years back, together with persistent and repeated attacks of diverticulitis, culminating in a referral for a bowel endoscopy, which showed up diverticular disease but was otherwise clear.  What has significantly improved by IBS was following the FODMAP diet for about 6 months, then identifying the trigger foods. For me, these include baked beans and onions, plus a low tolerance to milk, but everybody is different.  Identifying and avoiding these trigger foods has significantly reduced my IBS symptoms. 

  • Offline in reply to telemando

    Thank you so much for your kind reply. It's helped to ease my mind. 

     

    I am seeing a nutritionist and we have worked through a lot of different diet plans. I don't currently eat gluten, minimal dairy, no processed foods, anything high in sugar, I keep my carbs low and increased my water intake. I've been eating clean for nearly 3 months. Lots of nuts, veg, meat, eggs and small amounts of rice. I tried low fodmap for a few weeks but it was very hard to stick too and I didn't see any improvement in my bloating or constipation so I decided to keep on with clean eating rather than avoiding certain foods. Perhaps I'll look into it again if general surgery don't find any cause for my bloating and constipation. 

  • Offline in reply to Lornalu

    Hi Lornalu

    The FODMAP is very difficult to stick to.  I found it difficult and nearly gave up.  Clean eating is great, but unless you systematically exclude and re-introduce each food group you won't really know if it's a trigger.  For example, my triggers include mushrooms and beans, which most people would class as clean and healthy.  I also found that soy milk is a trigger so I now use almond milk.

    I'll be honest with you. For a long time I was convinced that I was wasting my time with the FODMAP plan.  Even when I'd identified a few triggers, I still thought that it was a lot of effort for little return. But having excluded my triggers, a year later I'm feeling a lot better. I've only had one minor flare up in that time, and I don't need the Alverine and Buscopan tablets before every meal. I just keep them on standby in case of another flare up. 

    Anyway, good with the appointment. I hope the appointment goes well and whatever they find isn't too worrying for you.  Please let us know how you get on.  And we'll be here if you need to talk to someone again. 

     

  • Offline in reply to Lornalu

    Hi Lornalu hope you are ok. Just wondered how you got on? Did you get to the bottom of what was going on?

  • Offline in reply to Lisa-Ann

    I am also intrigued about this sausage shape you've felt as I have the exact same situation. I have a sausage shape, so far bloods are all normal and I've had TBC, LFT, Thyroid, inflammatory, iron and I'm sure there was another. I've got an ultrasound tomorrow and I've managed to get a FIT test for my poo that I need to send in. 

     

     

  • Offline in reply to charlibook182

    Hi, I also have this exact same long sausage like lump in my lower left, that runs from my hip bone towards my pubic bone. Did you manage to find out what was the cause? How did the ultrasound go?

  • Offline in reply to Snowdin

    Everything came back normal and the consultant said that the sausage like lump is actually my colon that I can feel because I don't carry much weight and it's completely normal. I had a colonoscopy and all was fine. Constipation still persists and I have never found a cause. The other symptoms that I experienced all seemed to point to a hormone imbalance and nothing to do with my bowel. 

  • Offline in reply to Lornalu

    Thank you for the update. I haven't pursed my self any more. They lablled me with health anxiety spite physical symptoms which have been on going for over a year. That said your comment has eased me a little thank you. 

  • Offline in reply to Lornalu

    Hi, not sure if you will get this message as I'm a few months late. Did you get any pain with it? I also am of small build and have this sausage shaped lump. I sometimes get a dull ache around that area and in my left groin. 

  • Offline in reply to harriskl

    Hi had the same lump that was a little hard as it got closer to my pubic bone but I have no pain

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