Hi

Sorry you are going through all this worry.

I've had bowel cancer twice and both times different symptoms.

You did the right thing getting checked at your GP's, the fit test is very good BUT... if you have the slightest bit of blood, for example you mention 'stingy anus' so maybe piles, it will come back positive, so don't be surprised if this happens that you get sent for the urgent 2 week hospital appontment. They will probably do a colonoscopy, this is very good and will find out if there's a problem.

Worry does cause 'tummy problems', also don't google stuff, once you read it, it sticks in your mind festering!

thanks there :-)

If I have to have a colonoscopy I'm dreading that. They tried to put a camera down me (I forget what it was called) before having my gallbladder removed (done via the mouth) but it was painful and I could not keep still and so had an extra stay in hospital (concerns of having blood poisioning) but that was 2 years ago. I don't know if the camera they use for that procedure (colonoscopy) is smaller than the one for gallbladder - but I just wasn't able to keep still for long enough even though I had been given sedatives (2 years ago) - but I remember being told for some people the sedatives would do nothing - !

I've had the pain in my stomach or whatever is in that (roughly) bellybutton for about a week now. Can't quite diagnose it however sometimes it feels as if the indigestion-like pain goes away after eating but yet sometimes the total opposite if I don't eat. It is really hard to nail down precisely. 

Using google I agree it is a nightmare. You can get lead down lots of rabbit holes mosts of which usually seem to end in something serious. I tried to avoid this as much as I can (I did initially stick to just the NHS website) but then I find I can never quite match all my symptoms.

Only other thing I can think of is that I just feel ever so slightly "out of whack" - not despereately ill in the sense I'm collasped on the floor and in agony but rather being "a bit below 100%". You know .... sort of everything is nearly ok but not quite.

Wonder if anyone here can define "a change in how much you should poo/deficate". Would that mean a change as in going from once a day to two times a day or form one to 5 times? Could a small change just be a symptom of being older?

One more thing to add: Today (friday) the "indigestion" felt really bad. Went into work as normal and deficated around 9AM (felt somewhat like I should go and partly through fear/neves). Normally I don't do this -- I usually try to wait until the evening when at home back from work. After I'd done so for a time the "indigestion" pain went down by quite a margin but not totally. Normally though I don't do this I usually wait until the evening.

I guess though this is why I did end up using search engines and not just the NHS website -- my symptoms are just all over the place and don't seem to tie up with anything!

ljones

You could well be right there. It is all too easy to add up X and Y and get something totally different and then think that means something bad. Though I will have to wait and see what comes back with the stool sample results.

Still have that nasty indigestion like "pain" around roughly where the bellybutton is and it dosen't seem to want to go away hopefully this isn't something more serious. I did check my stool again today however this time easier to pass and from what I could see (though I couldn't see the whole thing) no sign of blood again and no stinging.

ljones

Just jumping in to say I wish you the best. It's very hard not to second guess yourself and worry over every niggle. I'm booked in for a colonoscopy on the 5th after having had a few months of symptoms, trying my best not to jump ahead to the worst scenario. Fingers crossed you end up with a positive result also.

Thanks there! I did get to speak to the doctors on monday in the end but I have to wait until tomorrow (wednesday) for the results.

ljones

Fingers crossed for you and best wishes

Thanks again :-) - Ok, I've just spoken to the doctor. My news is mixed; the FIT test came back negative. I did mention what I said above earlier about seeing blood in my poop but they did not seem to be concerned about it. The other poop test came back positive however for some sort of bacteria although I don't recall exactly its name, helio....I'm not sure. 

The doctor said it was very unlikey to be cancer and so I now have to pause the current tablets I'm taking and take different pills 3 of them twice a day for a couple of weeks and then see how things are after that point.

So weather that's good news or mixed or whatever, Not sure!

ljones

Hopefully it will be a wee bacterial infection then that the new tablets will clear up. Gosh it is just horrible waiting to find out what the situation is; I am so glad that I've came across this chatroom. I don't feel like I can mention my worries to anyone in real life. It's great to feel a level of support on here. 

Try not to worry and hope for the best. Let us know how you get on x

Ok, thought I'd give an update here.

In the end my problem seems to have come down to a heliobacter infection ("H pylori") ?. I was given a course of medicine in december (early december I think) to get rid of it.  I've long since completed this course of medicine.

Right now I'm taking lanzaprozole to reduce stomach acids (since roughly just before xmas), but I'm finding that I still have stomach pain. It seems to come and go in waves almost a week apart. I'll have a bad stomach, I'll feel midly dizzy but it will go away and I'll feel OK but then it all comes back again, over and over.

So I have no idea what the problem is now. I've been advised to carry on with the lanzaprozole for a few weeks and if that dosen't seem to fix things then they'll "put a camera" down there ( hopefully not a colonoscopy or something, I think I'll need to be "knocked out" to do that - !).

My FIT test came back negative and a blood test came back as normal. I did test positive for heliobacter though.

Any thoughts on what I might still have? I just hope it isn't an ulcet; my symtoms don't seem to match up, I mean I can feel slightly dizzy when my stomach is bad but I'm not getting black and tarry stools or anything like that.

The doctor I spoke to also mentioned something called gastritis but I don't know any more about that.

ljones

Hello!

I hope someone here is reading this. :-(

I managed to get to have a face-to-face talk with a GP today. Although I've taken my tablets and am still on lanzaprozole I am still having stomach issues.

To cut a long story short though:

- The two tests I had (FIT test and blood test) earlier were ok - no problems there.

- I Did run through a list of things that I'd noticed and told the doctor, some of them he said were "reassuring".

Essentially then I'm going to have a camera put down there (presumably throat, not sure) and I am not sure exactly when. It appears to be the only way to tell for sure and to rule things out. I did see the doctor look at a page entitled something like "SUSPECTED CASE OF ??? CANCER" but after I said something the doctor said that I was at low risk and I didn't even meet the criteria for a two-week emergeny referal.

The camera is going in as I was told it is the "gold standard" to know what exactly is going on. 

ljones

Don't worry if you have to have a colonoscopy, it will give you the answers.

You can have sedation, where you are sleepy and don't care less but you're not actually asleep, you can also have gas and air incase you get uncomfortable when they 'pump you up with air' to have a good look.

If you are worrying all the time about this, you can get dizzyness/vertigo with anxiety.

I think you need the camera to reassure you and then the anxiety will go.

Don't read stuff on google!

Good luck

The problem is the not knowing. I mean I still have symptoms after taking all the tablets - what else could it be? If the tablets are used to clear h pylori and then get rid of a stomach ulcer and hasn't surely that means the inevatiable?

And when the doctor asked "have you lost any weight" all I could say is that I didn't think that I did. I don't know -- I do not regulararly weigh myself.

Maybe there's a way to make things move more quickly with getting the camera test?

ljones

The problem is the not knowing. I mean I still have symptoms after taking all the tablets - what else could it be? If the tablets are used to clear h pylori and then get rid of a stomach ulcer and hasn't surely that means the inevatiable?

And when the doctor asked "have you lost any weight" all I could say is that I didn't think that I did. I don't know -- I do not regulararly weigh myself.

Maybe there's a way to make things move more quickly with getting the camera test?

ljones

Will put my test results that I've had so far (external only, I haven't had the "camera test" yet).

- FIT test - came back negative

- Blood test - came back OK

- Heliobacter - positive :-(

- A "finger up the bottom" test (done by a GP) (anus test) - no problem there

At one point in one examination (carried out yesterday btw) where I did point out where I had pain the doctor (GP) did examine me and he noted from the outside that it was "sore" but when I asked he said he was "just commenting".

Another thing I fear is once they get back to me it'll be a case of "we can't give you your camera test for another 6 months". In which case........

Anyone? :-(

ljones

Sounds like your news is mostly good. I had a negative FOBT test and the doctor was like "it's definitely hemorrhoids; I don't think you even need the colonoscopy" and I think the FIT is a lot more accurate than the FOBT.

As regards losing weight, I think you would know if it was significant. I told the doctor I lost about a stone, possibly a bit more or less in the previous year and he put it down as no weight loss. He said if I'd lost enough for it to count, people would notice. I think they are talking losing a significant percentage of your body weight, not just losing two pounds or something but like going down a size or two in clothing. I mean, I don't know exactly, but I would think it would be enough to have people commenting or to have your clothes no longer fitting right.

I wouldn't worry too much about the "suspected case of". I think they might say that if there are any symptoms that could suggest it. I don't think it means they think it is, just that the test is to rule that out.

Thanks there :-)

I'm really not sure if my news is good or not though -- I still have the pain around whatever lies behind the bellybutton area. I managed to contact my GP again and was told the wait for having a camera test would be about 2 or 3 months....and I'm not going to be able to go on for that long in my current state :-( . Heaven knows what I would do about work as well.

Good point on the weight there my clothes still seem to fit ok I'm not aware of "going down a clothespeg" at all. 

Yep the test is to just rule it out but I'm really trying to find a way to speed up getting it -- I'm quite prepared to travel even if means long distances (I'm in southern england). I said I'd be ok to go to places fairly close to me such as southampton or lymington or sailsbury but if it means a quicker date I'm willing to go to say london or manchester I mean I can always use the national express coaches to get there.

Will try to tell my GP this hopefully they might accept this idea?

ljones

I need to add in two more points. More new asymptoms I hope this dosent mean cancer.

I hope someone is reading this. I'm really scared :-( 

Firstly I keep on waking up at night after having a vivid dream. My heart is racing once I wake but then slowly slows down. I don't know why that is happening. Can lanzaprozole do this. My sleep patterns are shot :-(

Secondly I still have some acid reflux and burning - it isn't massive but there is some.

ljones

Could some of it be anxiety or stress related? I did have a few stomach symptoms come on after the doctor suggested a referral to rule out bowel cancer and they gradually disappeared after the colonoscopy, so stress probably played a part. And dreams, broken sleep, racing heartbeat sound to me like they could possibly be symptoms of stress, though I am obviously no expert. Just wondering if that could be one possibility.

Quick update unfortunatly I think it is bad news :-(

I've spoken to the GP again and they're going to do new tests - an ECG test and then in 3 days time a new set of blood test to check for iorn deficiciency and a blood count and thyroid. I hope that dosen't mean that I have cancer :-(

ljones

Another update have had my camera check moved forward. REALLY hope it isnt cancer though without the new blood tests and having to wait again for results x.x

ljones

I doubt the tests mean you have anything in particular. That probably just means they are checking to see what you might have. 

It really could be lots of things and if you have a negative FIT test, I think bowel cancer would be pretty unlikely. Like I said, even with the less sensitive test, the doctor thought it was practically ruled out for me.

I really do think that stress could possibly be making things worse. Try not to worry, especially about any symptoms that came on after you started thinking about this, because when you start thinking about things, it's easy to start paying attention to minor things and start wondering if they are a symptom of something serious. And stress can cause stomach or bowel issues and a lot of other issues too.

I know even a small chance of cancer is terrifying and it is really hard not to worry, but the odds are in your favour. I'm glad the camera test has been moved forward. Hopefully, you will have answers soon and I hope they will be good ones. Looks like you've already got some good results so that's reassuring.

Thanks there :-)

I just hope it isn't something else like stomach cancer. Although it almost seems to be in the wrong place if you know what I mean, around the bellybutton area. Does anyone know if this is the case?

Update: I just finished getting the ECG & blood pressure (blood test to follow with face-to-face next wednesday).

I did find out one thing though - and I know this is stupid (although I don't know anything about anatomy!) what is exactly "behind the bellybutton" is your bowels, not your stomach that's further up. Since most of my pain is in that bellybutton area can it still be stomach cancer or not - wouldn't the major problem be where the pain is. I do still have some acid reflux, nothing massive but enough to be occasionally tasting old food.

ljones

Hmm....

Ok while I know I have symptoms - maybe I'm being more stupid than a big box of stupid with a big flashy neon light that says "BIG BOX OF TOTAL STUPID HERE!". But maybe all my waking up with a racing heart and panic is just down to a nocturnal panic attack? (I did not know this existed until today). It has the same symptoms - you can be having a normal dream and then *BAM*. 

I'm going to try to tell myself that what it is.

And if that's the case could it be that some of my "normal" symptoms are actually anxiety? Dr. google is not a good idea to use and in the absence of quick doctor access yes I used it to look at websites. But then I guess websites aren't a doctor either so I get to play doctor which won't work either, so I wonder what % is real symptoms and what is just anxiety?

ljones