Scared I have colon cancer aged 20

[Breezy1234]

Hi there everyone, I am 20 years of age female. Definitely obese, high BMI. I wouldn’t say I do a lot of exercise, I live a very chilled lifestyle. Obviously due to lockdowns i just sat on my sofa for a year. Then I got active again went to uni etc. then my mum passed away of covid and since then it’s been hard to cope so I’ve taken a year out for myself and yet again for another year sat on the sofa. Since December 2021 I have been suffering with bright red blood after I poop on the tissue. I only tend to get this when I strain and when I’ve eaten foods that typically aren’t good for haemorrhoids E.g. dairy, red meat, fatty foods. I have flare ups every few weeks and the blood will come a go. My family have a history of piles and everything I do, I have read are causes of piles. The bleeding is painless but afterwards my anus can be itchy and sore if it’s quite a bit of blood. My poo habits haven’t changed, consistency hasn’t changed it just varies. I don’t eat enough fibre, barely any and don’t drink nearly enough water. I started using internal cream for piles and eating more fibre, drinking more water and they had seemed to stop, but since I’ve stopped doing these things they’ve come back. I am so worried I have colon cancer, I’m making myself think I have stomach pain which I believe is just constipation because once I poop I feel fine. Like I say it’s just bright red blood, hasn’t been much recently but in the past has been a lot on the toilet paper or at the end of my poo. When I’ve used internal cream it has hurt almost like the piles is very close to the opening of my anus. But I just am so worried. It has been going on for months now on and off.

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

hi Breezy1234,

Thank you for posting in Colon Cancer Connected. Very sorry to hear about your mom passing from covid. That is never easy to handle. That's definitely a tough one to handle.

I hate to hear you're experiencing these issues with yourself. What you have to do is get motivated and find out some answers. It looks like you're trying to self diagnose by trying to do different things to make it go away. Blood in the stool is definitely a symptom that should be checked out. Please seek help from your doctor to get some answers and get yourself on a path to getting better. You know your symptoms, but you need to know the answers that are causing it. This way you can pin point the issue and rule some things out and not have to worry about them. But you gotta get your doctor involved.

Getting answers will go a long way to eliminating the worries. You've got to get focused on what needs to get focused on. Not speculating on what could be. We all speculate about things, but then we have to pinpoint the problem.

There are many causes for blood in the stool, some are very treatable with medication, diet change, and minor procedures, and of course, there are more serious reasons for blood in the stool as well. For that reason, we always advise patients to seek medical care when they have blood in the stool.

You should also look at this ... you said "eating more fibre, drinking more water and they had seemed to stop." If you have found this out, why have you stopped doing these things? Those two things are very important anyway even without symptoms. For me, hydration was huge. Hydration is very important for everyone. And you know this!!! You just have to do this!!!😁👍

I do wish you the very best in finding out what's causing your symptoms. Please get it checked out so you can get some peace of mind. And please let is know what you find out. You never know what may be helpful to others.

Good luck and Thank You,

~Tom, GCCA Survivor - 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.

[Mylife21]

How are you now? Are you still bleeding?