Im new to this... Could my symptoms be an indication of colon cancer?

[Moose2009]

Hi everyone,

I'm a 21 year old female and I am starting to worry that I might have colon cancer. When I was in 10th-11th grade (2016), I often experienced very bad achy pains in my abdomen just a few inches above my navel. This was usually followed by bloody stools. Although alarming, It would come and go, and I eventually forgot about it because I didn't notice it much for the next few years. It's now 2020, and a few days ago I got that same familiar achy stomach pain. I was shocked to see blood in my stool later that day. It's now been about 5 days since the symptoms reappeared, and it's worrying to see that the amount of blood seems to be increasing. TMI, but I literally see the blood dripping after passing any bowels. (I know for a fact it's not my period.) I have never struggled with constipation and I really do not think its a hemorrhage or tear. I don't believe hemorrhages would bleed that much anyways... I have researched the symptoms for just about everything, and I'm almost certain it's not hemorrhages, tears, IBS, or a variety of the other diseases because the symptoms just don't match up as well.

Within the past 3 years I have also experienced awful bouts of pelvic pains. One episode was intense to the point that I could not move my body and nearly passed out. I went to an OBGYN twice thinking I might have endo or something, but after my pelvic ultrasound they said everything looked perfectly normal, and mentioned that I might want to see a GI doctor instead...

Important to note - I recently found out that my great grandmother passed away from colon cancer, and my own mother had a tiny non-cancerous polyp removed about 15 years ago. With an increase of young people getting colon cancer, having a family history doesn't make me feel any better.

Please reply if you've had similar symptoms. I'm going to schedule an appointment soon but meanwhile want to talk to others about it.

[Nicole_GCCA Partner]

Hi Moose2009 ,

I just replied to your other post, didn't read that one first.

Seeing a GI doctor is definitely a good idea, have you been able to make an appointment?

If you ever experience any pain as intense as what you described above, please go to the emergency room - regardless of what part of the body is in pain, anything that extreme

When you do see the doctor, be sure to share with them the symptoms you've experienced over the years. Additionally, family history is important to share with your doctor.

Hereditary colorectal cancer accounts for about 5-10% of colorectal cancers. So while that may not seem like a big number, if there is colorectal cancer in your family, your risk is increased for developing the disease, and your doctor may want to screen you more frequently.

I also would recommend that you ask your (future) GI doc to be in contact with your GYN, as sometimes symptoms can cross over and it could be beneficial for them to consult.

The waiting is the hardest part, please do your best to not let your anxiety get the better of you - stress makes GI symptoms worse (unfortunately!) as our GI system is really sensitive to stress. We try to encourage people to channel that anxiety into getting medical records in order, and even creating a diary of symptoms, so that you can provide your medical team a complete history.

Please keep us posted, we're here for you!

~Nicole @ GCCA

[Amerbarqawi in reply to Nicole_GCCA]

Thank you for answering everything in this website. I really appreciate it! It helps us a lot...

[Nicole_GCCA Partner in reply to Amerbarqawi]

Amerbarqawi - My pleasure! I am glad you find the site helpful. We want to ensure everyone who is of screening age or has symptoms to get screened because, with early detection, colorectal cancer is so treatable. And we're here for patients and caregivers, too. It's so important for people going through all the stages of a diagnosis to have others who can provide their stories and experiences.

[Math_Person]

I'm a colon cancer survivor. Male. Age 71. Two years since my tumor was removed. Blood in the stool can be as simple as hemorrhoids. but can be due to many reasons. I did not have stomach pain. But for mos., I had blood in my stool and bled when I had my bowel movements. No other symptoms. They had done a Kologuard test three years earlier....it was negative for colon cancer. But 7% of the time, this test gives a false negative. So ultimately, I had a colonoscopy ....the only fool-proof way, I believe, to verify or not verify if a tumor is in the colon. If there is a tumor, they may do a follow up to see what type of tumor it is. Indeed, in spite of the Kologuard negative result 3 years earlier, my follow-up showed that had colon cancer, and they identified the particular cells of this cancer. Such cancers grow over years, and may show no symptoms for a long time. Yes, a GI MD is the first and best place to go. I hope this helps.