I'm 35 with a son who just turned one and a 4 year old daughter. I'm terrified. The day after my son's birthday I noticed blood in my stool. The next time I went to the bathroom I saw a little more. I had some abdominal pain. Once it was very painful. And I started having loose stools/diarhea. I went to the ER twice. My blood looked normal. My white blood was slightly high (doctors weren't concerned). I wasn't aemeic, not dehydrated and electrolytes were good. Both times I got diagnosed with IBS. I saw my doctor she thinks it's IBS too. And the blood in my stool was from internal hemorrhoids. It's been weeks and I still wake up to loose stools. So I made another appointment. I told her again my symptoms. I haven't had any more abdominal pain. She did an exam on my stomach. I told her I think I have colonrectal cancer. She didn't seem to think do. It's been 6 weeks without a normal bm. She did a referral to see a gi. I have a colonscopy on the 19th. But it gets worse! I feel like something is in my lower rectum area. And it's blocking my stool. I can't sleep at night. It's all I think about. Hopefully the 19th I will have a good colonscopy. And it's anything but cancer.
Scared mommy: I'm 35 with a son who... - Colon Cancer Conn...
Scared mommy
I'm sorry you are going through this. I'm in a same boat but no bleeding. I've been having diarrhea off an on since August. Stomach pain in my upper stomach right below my sternum. Sometimes it feels like rib pain but it's just a dull ache at like a level 3 in pain. Sending good vibes your way. I have a 8 year old so I know how it feels to want to be here for your baby.
Hi! Did you figure out what you had?
Also internal hemorrhoids will bleed like that and you will feel like there is something in your bum when its swollen. They can get pretty darn enlarged and youll feel sharp pain when you go to the bathroom. Sometimes they can poke out as well.
I don't feel any pain. But I fear it's a tumor moving down during bm.
I had same symptoms at 39 - waited almost a year, had a colonoscopy and it was internal hemorrhoids. Grade 2 per my GI. I would definitely follow through with the procedure, but I wasted nearly a year of my life worrying - all for nothing! I still see the blood from time to time, but I know the cause. My doctor said the hemorrhoids were definitely the cause! Hope that eases your mind a bit!
Did you get any treatment for the hemorrhoids? Just wondering. Thanks.
My GI doctor recommended using benefiber twice a day - which I generally use just once, in my morning coffee. He also said not to sit on the toilet for long periods of time. He said I could do the banding procedure if I kept having issues, which it is very random so I never did the banding. That was 3.5 years ago.
Also, I personally didn’t think the prep was too bad. And the procedure itself was cake!
Thanks for letting me know how you went about treating your hemorrhoids. I really appreciate it.
What was your abdominal pain and loose stools caused from?
Hi Scaredmom33,
Thanks for sharing and I'm sorry about the symptoms you are experiencing.
Having a Gastroenterologist review your symptoms and examine you is a really good idea, as opposed to being diagnosed by a GP and the ER docs. Glad to hear you have the colonoscopy on the 19th. There are a number of reasons why you could be experiencing these symptoms, but a colonoscopy is what is needed to determine what is going on.
In regards to feeling like there is something in your lower rectum area - are you able to have a bowel movement? If not, you may need to contact your GI in advance because if there's a blockage that could end you back up in the Emergency Room.
Here's some tips for a successful colonoscopy:
1. Once you get the prescription for the prep that you'll drink, follow your doctor's instructions exactly. You want to have the cleanest colon for the doctor to be able to see everything with no fecal matter obscuring the way. We like this tool that Kaiser Permanente put together (with drawings!) that shows food to avoid and foods to eat leading up to when you actually start drinking the prep. wa.kaiserpermanente.org/htm...
2. Get prepared to prep! Many people say the prep is the worst part of the colonoscopy procedure as a whole. Depending on what your doctor prescribes, it may be a lot of the same drink with the medication mixed in (such as Gatorade) vs. a smaller volume of prep that you drink, and then separately drink a certain amount of liquid of your choice (excluding something like a red Gatorade which could stain your colon for the test).
a. In addition to picking up your prescription, buy yourself some supplies:
*Toilet paper (necessary!)
*Wet wipes (never flush wipes even if they say flushable, the last thing you want is a clogged toilet when you are in the midst of prepping for a colonoscopy),
*Magazines
b. While you are going through prep, many treat themselves to buying a movie or series they've been wanting to see.
3. If during your prep you have any concerns or don't feel well (nauseous, etc.) call your doctor to let them know what is going on.
4. Most places will require you to have a family member or friend drive you home (you can not drive for the rest of the day), most places don't want you taking a taxi or Uber home alone. Bringing a family member or friend who can take notes on what the doctor tells you when you are in the recovery area will be key - you most likely won't remember what they say.
Good luck and please keep us posted.
~Nicole @ GCCA
What else could be causing all these symptoms?
I haven't had a normal bm in 8 weeks now. Just diarrhea or loose fluffy stools.
The two things can be unrelated, pain and diarrhea can be just IBS-D and blood in stool can be just piles or anal fissures caused by the diarrhea.
What might be blocking your stool is high likely to be a huge hemorroid or more than one, I had them and trust me, they can be very painful and swollen, you feel like there's a mass there and if it's near enough the anal sphincter or outside, they can easily cause you tenesmus (constant urge to poop).
At worst you might have IBD (that is me being very pessimistic), but colon cancer at only 35 and with no family history? High unlikely.
Do you smoke? Are you overweight? Do you have family history of the disease?
If the answers are all no then the chances are even lower, you are still young at 35 and age is on your side.
Lifetime risk of cancer is still only 4%, so don't freak out yet.
It's not painful. And I think it's to high to be hemmorhoids. I felt up there and can feel something large. I was told you can't feel internal hemorrhoids. No family history. No to all the rest except a little overweight.
Who said you can't feel internal hemorroids? I had them and you can totally feel them, maybe you meant "sometimes you can't feel internal hemorroids but thats not always the case".
Hemorroids can also become huge if severly swollen.
I forgot to ask. Do you sleep well at night? If you don't wake up at night with diarrhea it's very likely you just have IBS-D.
The colon sleeps at night and for many IBS sufferers night time is a huge relief.
I sleep great at night. Except the past few weeks. But of course I think that's because of anixey. But the first thing I have to do in the morning is have a bm.
If you had IBD or worse you would wake up to go to the toilet anyway and no matter what, these diseases don't sleep at night at all, that's for sure.
Don't be paranoid, your blood test didn't show anything suspicious and I'm sure the colonscopy result will be the same.
Cancer risk is still 4%, its high unlikely you have that at your age and the fact you have no family history keeps the risk at an insignificant level.
Let us know the results of the colonscopy.
Hi Scaredmom33,
There are so many different reasons your stools are loose - and unfortunately stress can cause GI pain and diarrhea.
I have heard from many people who have internal hemmoroids that they felt what you described, feeling a mass.
A lot of people post on our community in a state of panic and we have many people who are happy to finally have answers to why they are experiencing symptoms. Many causes for what you are experiencing can be treated with medication and changes in diet.
Right now the best advice I can offer you to is to just focus on the countdown to your colonoscopy. I know it isn't comforting to hear that anxiety and stress can make physical GI symptoms worse.
I'm thankful that you have the colonoscopy scheduled. Several members of our community are experiencing symptoms and pain and due to COVID and waiting lists, they are just waiting to hear from their doctor for a date for a colonoscopy.
Hang in there, we're here for you.
~Nicole @ GCCA
Scaredmom33 - Good luck with your colonoscopy! Hope the prep experience went okay and hoping for a good report. Please let us know how the colonoscopy went when you have a chance to update us.
We're thinking of you
~Nicole @ GCCA
The prep was easy. Even with a one year old and four old. No polyps or tumors were found.
Mucosal ulceratio n was biopsied.
Not sure what results with come back with that.
The examined portion of the ileum was normal.
The examination was otherwise normal.
Does it mean I have UC?
Just got my results back. It's moderately active chrohns diesese.
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