Cancer Research UK main site

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 

  • Offline in reply to Hope_lovexo

    Hi there! No, still no further forward unfortunately. I have found out that the consultant I'm under is the colorectal surgeon who did my colonoscopy: he had said it was a different consultant, so that's changed somehow, but his secretary is not back until the 6th Jan. I'll be giving her a call then to see if I can chase up the colonoscopy/biopsy report. 

    Still no report returned to my GP. They're closed today, but I'll be ringing to check if something has came in tomorrow. I'm considering making (well trying to make) an appointment to see my GP because the pain has gotten markedly worse. I've a new pain that's in my lower back, and at times it feels like sciatica (I had that with my chonk of a 10lb 2er) Honest to goodness it takes my breath away at times. Its worse when I'm sitting upright.

    Still have the abdominal strechy pain, still bleeding, still mucus, still very difficult to pass a bowel movement, still hurts when I eat. I've lost a stone and a bit over the past while. Still have random night sweats; I feel like if I hadn't begun to get this investigated I would have taken myself to a&e with the pain I'm in at this stage. The team who were doing the MRI looked rushed off their feet, the poor things, there wasn't any opportunity to ask questions at that appointment. 

    I'm kicking myself for burying my head in the sand and delaying doing the fit test; I could have been three weeks ahead of myself and perhaps known what was going on by this stage. Have to keep reminding myself that people are off for Christmas, and the health service is stretched beyond capacity...and that things will get done when they get done. Had a nice wee Christmas despite all that though!lol

    How have you been? Have you been given the date for your colonoscopy yet?

  • Offline in reply to Nameymcnameson

    Hello again! I'm so sorry for the extremely late reply. I had sent a reply to you about 3 days ago now and just popped on tonight to see if you had responded when I seen that the message I sent was not here and doesn't seem to have been posted?! Or else I can't see it? Either way I'm sorry! I had said in my last message that I had hoped I'd have more information by now or an update to give you on how things are going for me, but it seems to be going very slowly. I did this week get a letter in the post saying next Thursday I have an appointment with the gastroenterology consultant. I had been expecting just to get a letter with an appointment for the colonoscopy itself as that what I was referred for but at least its something Thats awful you have been feeling unwell, the worry and stress of all this has probably not helped things either, I seem to loose weight when I'm overly anxious for a long time too. Don't blame yourself for not doing anything earlier you've done everything you were supposed to and even if you had done it those couple of weeks earlier with the pandemic and christmas I doubt you would of been seen any quicker. If your still feeling ill and in lots of pain it wouldnt be the worst idea to pop over to your local a&e or the a&e in the hospital your being treated in and be assessed there, if anything you can get some reassurance, pain relief and also they can call up to the gastro surgical team and have you assessed by someone there and then , it may help speed things for you too, I hope your feeling better by now xx 

  • Offline in reply to Hope_lovexo

    okay that message seems to have gone through okay .. I waited this time to be sure lol! .. also the deep heat patches are meant to be very good and might help your poor back, my Partner uses them for siatica and they seem to help xx 

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.