Cancer Research UK main site
  • Replies 23 replies
  • Views 9183 views
  • Users 0 members are here

Terrified I have Bowel Cancer and feeling hopeless

Hope_lovexo
Offline

Hi to anyone who reads this , I'm 27 and a mum to my 7 year old boy and since summer I've had bleeding with stool. I'm posting now because it's just happened again after 2 weeks of nothing when it had completely stopped and I was finally starting to think nothing bad was going to happen to me... I had 2 times where there was streaks of blood and some mucus covering the top of the stool, (its never been when I wiped) It wasn't mixed in with the stool and I thought as the stool was a bit hard it could of been a tear or something, I called gp who did bloods that were normal and then a physical exam and said it wasn't hemorroids or a tear, She referred me for a colonoscopy and said if it happened again to go to A&E with a sample - it happened again 3 weeks ago and I went to a&e, They said it wasn't an emergency so I was sent home after hours of waiting. This morning I've gone to the bathroom again and the stool looked normal ( I've been having a quick glance now and then before I flush just to make sure) but floating beside the stool was something i thought was just a piece of food but when I used tissue and picked it up it was actually mucus with blood, it looks like a mucusy red stringing vein and this is the first time its been separate from the stool, whats scaring me is if it was hemorroids or a tear it would be on the tissue when I wiped , If it was hemorroids then the gp would be able to feel it, they did blood tests for inflammation so if it was an ibd it would've shown, I'm just distraught. In 2017 I had a colonoscopy after am xray for another reason showed my bowel was thickened and they were going to check for colitis bu that seemed to be all clear so that would rule out something like ibd.. anything I've googled or read says that my symptoms can only mean the big C, and I've mylittle boy to think of , I've been so positive the past few months trying to just make myself beleive its all alright these things happen its something normal, but theres never anythinf when I wipe so it must be higher up..I lost my friend 2 years ago to melanoma and her 4 young babies were left without a mum so I know that the worst case scenario can happen. I did have a bit of diarrhoea yesterday , and then this morning I had slight cramps but felt a bit constipated,  although it happened easily enough the stool was a bit lumpy but I cant explain rationally to myself what other reason apart from Bowel Cancer would cause it to be floating next to it incased in mucus, All I'm thinking is how long its been going on for and if its something bad its been untreated..My nan died during the first lockdown with bowel cancer and it was awful, I just keep thinking the worst , I rang the consultant secretary who is suposoed to be doing my scope and she said that I could be lookig at a 9 month wait and she couldnt even see my referall on the system... I really feel like I cant cope with it anymore to wait to be told theres nothing a doctor can do and its too late ..how does it makes sense that the thing I fear the most - leaving my son without a mother is going to be caused by myself because I really can't do this anymore 

Parents
  • Offline

    Hi, sorry to read you are going through all this worry.

    The waiting is just awful.

    I've had bowel cancer in the past.

    It's good that your bloods came back normal.

    Your age too, not impossible but would be very rare in someone your age.

    Try not to google!!!!

    Is your GP aware that BC is in the family? Maybe this would get you seen quicker.

    There are lots of things could be causing your symptoms, I would get on to your GP again and see if they can hurry it up from their end. Tell them they couldn't even find your referal.

    Keep on at them xx

  • Offline in reply to Ineedabreak

    Hi thank you for replying,  Yes my gp knows that my nan had bowel cancer but because she was 82 and had an ibd for years before and shes my dads mum they dont seem too concerned, I do try not to google but I do it to try find some reassurance that it could be something not so serious but all I've seen is that if it was hemorroids and a tear then bleeding would be on the tissue or the gp would of felt or seen them, I dont know if its possible to have a tear or a hemorroid higher than they can feel and i canr rationally explain to myself with the bleeding this time wasnt on top of the stool and why it was floating separately with a bit of mucus , I'm so sorry to hear of your diagnosis and hope your doing well, was your symtoms bleeding like mine ?

  • Offline in reply to Hope_lovexo

    My GP couldn't feel any hemorrhoids or tears but the colonoscopy found hemorrhoids, One of the nurses/doctors (not sure what their role was) told me that it's not that unusual for GPs to miss hemorrhoids as some can be internal and others can retract and may not be visible at the time of the examination.

    And if you look at the stats, bowel cancer is very rare at your age with your symptoms. I am 41 and was 40 when I had my colonoscopy. My symptoms were rectal bleeding, some weight loss, occasional loose stools (maybe once a week) and a few weeks of trapped wind. Again, if you googled, the symptoms seemd to point in a scary direction, but the specialist said at my age, the odds of cancer were extremely low, that hemorrhoids were the most likely option with ulcerative colitis a possibility but far less likely. Given that you are over 10 years younger than me, it may even be less likely in your case.

    Lastly, my impression is that bowel cancer usually develops slowly. From what I've read, it generally begins with a benign polyp and can take 10 years or more to develop into cancer. If you had a colonoscopy four years ago and they didn't find any polyps, it makes cancer less likely again. 

Reply
  • Offline in reply to Hope_lovexo

    My GP couldn't feel any hemorrhoids or tears but the colonoscopy found hemorrhoids, One of the nurses/doctors (not sure what their role was) told me that it's not that unusual for GPs to miss hemorrhoids as some can be internal and others can retract and may not be visible at the time of the examination.

    And if you look at the stats, bowel cancer is very rare at your age with your symptoms. I am 41 and was 40 when I had my colonoscopy. My symptoms were rectal bleeding, some weight loss, occasional loose stools (maybe once a week) and a few weeks of trapped wind. Again, if you googled, the symptoms seemd to point in a scary direction, but the specialist said at my age, the odds of cancer were extremely low, that hemorrhoids were the most likely option with ulcerative colitis a possibility but far less likely. Given that you are over 10 years younger than me, it may even be less likely in your case.

    Lastly, my impression is that bowel cancer usually develops slowly. From what I've read, it generally begins with a benign polyp and can take 10 years or more to develop into cancer. If you had a colonoscopy four years ago and they didn't find any polyps, it makes cancer less likely again. 

Children

Speak to a nurse

Quick links

Follow us

Registered with Fundraising Regulator (logo)
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.