Cancer Or Something Else?

Hi, just looking to see if anyone has had the same symptoms as me and had a diagnosis as it is absolutely terrifying me!

so im 26 female.

For about 2 years now i have had blood in stool, honestly didn't think much of it until i had started looking up online after getting more symptoms.

i am now getting mucus in stool and pains in lower tummy. 
i have had problems for around 2 years also with going to the toilet. Sometimes cannot go for between 1-3 weeks then i get the most painful feeling in my tummy and then can go alot for a few days then back to not being able to go again.

have suffered from bad heartburn for roughly the same lenght of time ive had the bleeding.

been checked for hemeroids and its not that.

i have had bloods taken and have to hand in a stool sample and wait for the results but after reading symptoms online it has really worried me!

everything just seems to point to cancer, ive read online that IBS should not really cause blood in stool and i dont think its that anyway and neither does my doctor.

I also get the feeling of when ive been to the toilet its like i cant fully empty my bowels and still need to go. 
have times where i feel so sick that i cant move as it makes me feel 10x worse. I just have to sit or lay completely still untill the feeling passes.

i have periods where sleep etc is fine then ill have a week or two of just feeling soo tired and have to nap through the day.

I have lost weight recently but i have been trying to eat better but seems alot for the times that i lost it in.

also have had some itching through the day the last few weeks.

just looking for someone with the same or similar symptoms and has an idea of what it could be as i always think the worst and just cant get the idea of it being the worst out of my head!

  • All of that could also be explained by Inflammatory Bowel Disease, such as Crohn's or ulcerative colitis. 

    And no, neither of those is fun either, but they're not cancer. Ask your GP for a gastroenterologist referral. 2 years of this and it should have been done already. 

    Hope you get the answers you need. 

  • Hi @AnxietyA - echoing YorkshireBeck here. Starting with the disclaimer that I'm not a medical professional, I do want to say that those symptoms sounds a lot like they could be due to Inflammatory Bowel Disease (e.g. Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis). I have Crohn's and had very very very similar symptoms prior to being diagnosed. Treatment for Crohn's has made a massive difference for me! I'm now off all my medication temporarily while I get breast cancer treatment and haven't had a major flare or anything...fingers crossed that continues!

    You might find the Crohns & Colitis UK website helpful, they're a brilliant charity. The stool sample will help them have a better idea of what's going on - I was referred on to the local gastroenterology department for a colonoscopy and it confirmed Crohn's.

    Hope that helps reassure you a bit!

  • Thankyou, has calmed my nerves a bit as i always think the worst. Had a phone call today and said the blood tests had came back and im a bit inflamed so that probably leans more towards chrons or something like that, handed in a stool sample today, dont know how long the results normally take for those to come back but hoping its soon and they can tell me a bit more. Will keep the post updated tho incase anyone has similar symptoms in the future.

     

    thank you both

  • Hi, 

    I am a 32 yr male and much of the symptoms you describe can be answered by something far less serious, so dont worry.

    My symptoms were/are:

    Positive fit test- 71 ug, micro blood in stool and mucus too

    Thin narrow stools for nearly a year and a bit

    Diarrhea and change in Bowel habits and a left side pain which started a month ago

    And a million other things. I had a Colonoscopy today and not a single polyp or anything was found. So dont worry, you won't have anything. Sometimes its all the stress we go though on a daily basis.

    Hope it helps and relaxes you mind. 

    Best of luck

    Rupz xx