Convinced it’s colon cancer

[ellfaye]

Hi everyone,

I’m 24 years old and convinced I have colorectal cancer. My symptoms started around 3 months ago with excessive gas, stomach gurgling and some bloating. I’d had diarrhoea on and off for a while beforehand though. Also lots of mucus in throat and need to clear often plus occasional pain and discomfort when eating. Doctors said it was acid reflux / IBS and gave PPIs but they didn’t work and I’m still suffering. They are doing some fecal tests (but not a FIT test because of my age) and I’m just so scared. GP flat out refused to refer me for colonoscopy because I don’t meet the red flag criteria. I don’t think I’ve seen blood in stools but now I’m unsure because I read that it can be tiny specks of black which I have seen but just assumed was food related.

I’ve been reading online so many stories of people my age with colorectal cancer diagnosed way too late. It’s scared me so much and I just feel like my hands are tied. I’ve spoken to 3 GPs who all insist it’s probably not cancer but I don’t see how they can be so sure? These symptoms don’t add up. I’ve also been getting burning when peeing most days and my urine sample was clear so it’s not a UTI. Now in my head I’m convinced I’m stage 4 with bladder involvement. It’s so stressful!

[a4anonymous]

I know it can be super stressfull especially when you read your symptoms match with cancer over google. I've had blood in my stool too (sometimes a lot) with chronic constipation, some rectal pain but no visible hemorrhoids. At times, I thought I had cancer too. My doctor told me it's highly unlikely to be cancer as I am still young age (27 years old) but I insisted for peace of mind. So they did and found a polyp and a small internal hemorrhoids. I am happy that I went for full colonoscopy as my polyp could have gone unnoticed in other procedure such as sigmoidoscopy.

In a way your doctor is right to think you're too young to be at risk of cancer. But you know your body better. So try to find a pcp who can refer you to a good GI for colonoscopy. They are inclined to accept it if you have referral. It can take a while so try not to stress much about your health as it only makes it worse. Eat healthy high fiber food and drink a lot of water, workout/meditate, whatever works best for you. It can make you better over time for sure whatever your condition is right now. Don't CONVINCE yourself of something you don't know and suffer unnecessarily my friend.

[Nicole_GCCA Partner in reply to a4anonymous]

a4anonymous ,Thank you for sharing your story and great advice! I'm glad that you were able to get the colonoscopy and that you were able to get the polyp detected. Thanks again for sharing!

[Nicole_GCCA Partner]

Hi ellfaye ,I'm sorry these symptoms are giving you so much anxiety. We know how frustrating it can be to see several doctors and have your concerns dismissed.

Colorectal cancer is increasing in young adults and I'm sure you've seen some scary stories online and you are not alone in getting concerned if you find that you have symptoms that match.

Are you waiting on the results of fecal tests? If so, when you get the results, and if the doctor is still not willing to do further tests, maybe try going back and speaking with the one who was most receptive/understanding and tell them that this is really impacting your health and giving you severe anxiety.

If you feel that something is off with your body, you should continue to seek out medical attention. It does sound like your health concerns are really impacting you and stress is not good for your GI system (or your body at all) but particularly the GI system reacts poorly to stress. As you continue to seek answers, if you have not yet reached out to a therapist, that may be useful to speak to a trained professional about the anxiety and frustration you are feeling.

Not too long after you posted, Billyii posted and shared their story about being convinced that they had cancer. The good news is that @billyii does not have cancer, and has been diagnosed with IBS. Check out their post - good advice.

We do want you to be able to get the tests necessary for peace of mind - but are concerned about the health anxiety you are experiencing. Our forum has many many many posts of people who were sure that they had cancer, and thankfully, they did not. There are so many possible conditions, many of which are quite treatable with medication and diet changes that cause GI symptoms.

Please keep us posted.

~Nicole, GCCA Staff Member & Colon Cancer Connected Site Administrator.

Just a reminder - this group is here to offer support, share experiences, and offer our thoughts - but this is not medical advice, and you should always consult your medical professional(s). Additionally, for all emergencies, seek urgent medical care, never delay.

[Kjojo999]

Where you able to get tested and if so what were the results? I have similar symptoms to you as well.