Do I have bowel cancer?

[Leectric]

I am 63 years old and two weeks ago, I had a great deal of blood in the bowl after going to the toilet. This happened a couple of times on the same day and lasted into the next day, reducing each time I went to the toilet.

I have not had any blood since then and I also had a negative FIT test 16 months ago.

I have found that my bowel habits have changed slightly since then, with more regular visits in the first week. In the last week, my visits have reduced and are only about two or perhaps three in a day, but the stool is still loose. I find myself going first thing in the morning, then again after a couple of hours, when I get to work.

I do not necessarily need to go again during the day, but I think perhaps my state of anxiety is affecting me.

The day after the blood in the bowl, I called the doctor and managed to get an appointment a few days later, where she checked my back passage for lumps, which she didn't find. She asked me questions about pain in my abdomen, which I don't have and she also checked for any lumps, by feeling across my stomach.

However, due to my age, she suggested I take the opportunity to make an appointment for a colonoscopy, as I should be able to be seen within two weeks.

I did opt for this and the NHS have been very responsive and I have the procedure booked in for August 11th.

I had not lost weight, at least up to two weeks ago, but since then, my appetite has reduced.

It is easy to become overwhelmed with the information available on the internet and I am wondering whether my symptoms are being exacerbated by the terror I have inside me, should this be cancer. I know the word “cancer” strikes fear into most people, myself included.

I am relatively fit and until I was unlucky enough to get CovID-19 (yes, it’s a great year!), I was a regular gym user and runner (albeit on a treadmill).

My partner and myself walk regularly at a good pace and the area of Devon we live in, has many steep hills to challenge. We eat healthily, although I do have a sweet tooth and a liking of a packet of crisps now and again..

Is there anyone who has had similar symptoms out there, where the end result has not been what we all fear the most?

Thank you for reading..

[Nicole_GCCA Partner]

Hello Leectric, thanks for sharing. Sorry to hear about what you are going through. The colonoscopy will give you the answers that you need, and each person is different - some people experienced side effects including pain, blood in stool, other bowel abnomalities, while others had no symptoms at all and were diagnosed with cancer. The best advice I have is to not become preoccupied with this and it is great that you have an appointment on August 11 for the colonscopy.

We do know that eating right and exercising reduces risk for many cancers, colorectal cancer included. Keep doing all the right things that you are doing, especially getting screened with a colonoscopy.

Please keep us posted and we are thinking of you.

[Leectric in reply to Nicole_GCCA]

Well, finally had my colonoscopy..

Turns out I had an internal hemorrhoid..

I have been terrified for the past nearly three weeks!

My advice is not to do too much research..

Don't mess around, just get to your doctor as soon as you can and get it investigated!

Do not leave it.. Or it will get worse, both physically and psychologicallly!

[Nicole_GCCA Partner in reply to Leectric]

Leectric, Glad to hear you've got the answer and agree on your advice to get it checked out if something doesn't seem right!

[Assagai in reply to Leectric]

Hi Leectricc. Thank you for sharing. I am 60 and have had the same symptoms for 2 years now. I have had 2 sigmoid and 1 colonoscopy and my heamoroids banded but my symtoms are still getting more frequent. I now have a growling stomach that wakes me at night and im having another sygmoid next week. I am wondering if they banded your haemoroids and if it worked?

Kind regards

Assagai