Being checked for Bowel Cancer

Hi all,

New member here. I'm Lee and I'm 46 years old.

I had a routine bloodiest a few weeks back and was asked to go and see my doctor. Went to see him Monday just gone and he said I am now anemic and they need to figure out why. He asked about symptoms etc to which I told him I had severe fatigue and tiredness, pain in my upper butt cheeks and on and off days where I felt rough. For the most part I haven't had any stomach pains but my stomach area feels very stiff.Handed my stool sample in in Wednesday and the same day I have Diarrhea with some blood in it. He said that I needed to get checked properly including for cancer. He got me referred straight away and I had my phone appt yesterday, and I.am now booked in for the colooscopy and the camera down the throat ( forgot what that was called) so I'm dreading it.

The thing is that I seem to be losing blood but they don't know where from, which is the reason they are suspecting a Bowel problem, specifically cancer. This was so hard to take in. I haven't felt ill to the point I had to go to the doctors, and have been getting fatigue problems for a few years now. I hav only bled twice through my bowels aswell. However the nurse I spoke to yesterday said that you can have bowel cancer without symptoms for a long time without knowing, and I appreciated her honesty. I'm amazed you can have cancer and not realise it for a long time, it's a horrible disease.

I'm really scared as I have a wife and children. I am actually dreading the tests and the 2 week wait for them is going to be the longest 2 weeks of my life. So much goes through your mind.

 

 

Lee

  • Sorry to hear you are going through this. It is really scary.

    I had a colonoscopy last August due to regular rectal bleeding and some other symptoms (some weight loss, occasional loose stools - maybe once a week - and trapped wind). The specialist said that at our age, cancer is relatively uncommon and that I should not be worried but the only way to find out for sure what was going on was the colonoscopy. It just showed hemorrhoids and nothing worrying.

    I realise our symptoms are different, but just to say a lot of these symptoms can be caused by many things.

    I hope you get good news.

  • Just wanted to post that you aren't alone.

    I am currently panicked waiting on my husband's colonoscopy which is booked for Tuesday due to retal bleeding.

    We are 10 years out from leukemia treatment and I don't think I can do this again..

  • Thanks for the comments.

    I'm lucky my wife is the strong one but im really panicking. Only time will tell I suppose. 

    I always thought Haemmorids were on the inside of the rectum tunnel wall and outside, I had no dea you can get them further up. My doctor checked for them when I was at the surgery last week.