Worried About Colon Cancer

[benjamin23910]

I am 18 years old and recently I have been experiencing a lot of different symptoms of colon cancer. This started about a month ago when I started to get this really weird feeling in my lower left abdomen area, it was a mixture of pain but also feels like it is some sort of mass maybe there. As soon as this started happening I went to the ER and they said that I was most likely just constipated, and to take certain medications and give it time in order to relive myself. Since then I have started to get more and more symptoms, such as becoming very weak/fatigued, constipated, ribbon like stool, and the pain on my left abdomen has just been getting worse and worse. Recently had an appointment with my Primary care doctor and told him about all the symptoms, and he had also said the same thing: keep going with the constipation meds and treat it as constipation. I do really feel like it is more than just constipation and I am quite scared. There has been no visible signs of blood in my stool, but recently when I have been wiping it has looked like this (picture above) and I can see some sort of dots when I wipe and I believe it to be maybe blood. My doctor since has referred me to a gastroenterologist, however he did not give me a timeframe and I really want to get this checked now before anything more serious might start happening. Also, I have been doing regular bloodwork and also had gotten xrays of my stomach area and they have said that all tests have come out normal, nothing abnormal about any of these tests. A couple of days ago the pain in my lower left abdomen got pretty bad, so I had went to the ER again for it. They told me the exact same thing, to give me a different medicine which is metamucil now in order to try and fight against my constipation. They told me not to worry and it probably isn't anything crazy going on, but I still really feel like this is something that is very serious. I haven't had the best diet my life, and especially this past year because of starting out college. I really need some advice as to what to do, since I have no idea when this gastroenterologist appointment could happen.

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi Benjamin23901

Thank you for posting on Colon Cancer Connected. I hate to hear you have all these symptoms going on. When I see a true and sincere effort define an answer for the symptoms someone is experiencing, I am proud to say you are doing the right thing. However, when I see a diagnosis obviously being based on your age and not your symptoms, I get upset. You are doing exactly what you need to be doing. You are not getting any help to find a solution. You need good answers. You are not getting what you need to find them.

Anytime there might be blood in the stool, it needs an answer. You should have been given a FIT test which would have determined if there is blood in the stool. You need a FIT test. You had expressed the presence of abdominal pain twice. Both times you were given a diagnosis of constipation. This should have immediately scheduled you for a colonoscopy ... "feels like it is some sort of mass maybe there." I would ask your doctor what the plan would be if you were 60 years old. You are obviously being diagnosed based on your age. The fact is you are never too young to experience any symptoms. You should never accept the diagnosis based on your age. I do get frustrated when I see things like this.

1: You need a FIT test.

2: You need a colonoscopy. You are never too young for a colonoscopy. You need good answers on what is going on. The colonoscopy is absolutely the gold standard to getting you these answers.

3: You said you had been referred to a gastroenterologist. If you know the office where that will be performed, I would keep calling until you get an appointment. If you are still having problems in this area, I would contact your insurance carrier and ask them if there's any way they can assist.

4: There may be some organizations that help that can help you with screening procedures. A colonoscopy is a screening procedure. If you tell them this exact story that you presented here and that you are having trouble getting an appointment with your gastroenterologist and your goal is to get a colonoscopy, perhaps they can help.

Another thing to think about is if there is a hereditary aspect to any medical issues in your family. This would also be good information for your doctor as that may guide further testing that needs to be done.

I do wish you the best in finding answers to what's going on. I do believe you are being diagnosed based on your age which is absolutely wrong. You need to know you are never too young for these symptoms. Never accept a diagnosis based on your age. Please let us know what you find out and the path that you had to take to do that. It is that type of information that can be beneficial to others on this site as well.

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.

[benjamin23910 in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Hello,

Thank you for taking your time to respond. Today I reached out to my hospital and got a message sent to my doctor that I need a GI appointment asap. They said it would take approximately about a day to get a call back from my doctors office, so now I am awaiting that phone call. Today has also been the first time I have seen blood/mucus visibily in my stool, which is starting to worry me a bit more.

[benjamin23910 in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Hello, just wanted to update you on recent events. On the phone call that was given from my doctors office I was told in order to get a GI appointment it is REQUIRED that I attend a virtual GI class that is given by one of the GI's near me. I was schedule for a class on september 13th, which is a very longs way away. The earliest class that they have even close to now is August 9th, and now I am not sure what to do since I am beginning to have new symptoms and want to get this checked out before I go back to school.

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to benjamin23910]

You are getting some good advice of things to try. I have never heard of having to go through a GI virtual class in order to get an appointment for a colonoscopy. And the first class is over a month out and they scheduled you for over 2 months out. That is concerning. If you want to let us know what country or city you're dealing with, perhaps others can give some advice as well. Or if you want to keep that private, you can send me a private "chat" message and I can see what I can find out to help you. It is fine to work on the dietary issues. That will be very beneficial. It may very well be the source of your pain🤔. But you did mention it's " first time I have seen blood/mucus visibly in my stool," and that needs a definitive answer.👍Did they know about the blood symptom when they said you'd need to take a GI virtual class two months out?

[ICE187]

Try to relax. Worrying will make matters worse, but you are on the right track by seeing doctors. A number of things can cause this. Gallstones, Pancreatitis, IBS and so on. I had the hallmarks of cancer. Your symptoms along with blood in my poop, rapid weight loss and it turned out to be Autoimmune Pancreatitis Type 1. Keep pushing for answers. Maybe the Gastro will do a colonoscopy. Do you or any close relative have any autoimmune diseases?

[benjamin23910 in reply to ICE187]

Hello,

Thank you for responding. I am trying to relax as much as possible, especially since this is my first time ever having any of these symptoms. Today I experienced blood in my stool along with mucus, which I am hoping to get answers for as soon as I can. The only person I know in my family that has a autoimmune disease is my uncle who has Type 1 diabetes. Other than that, my family has no other history.

[ICE187 in reply to benjamin23910]

Certain foods trigger my issues. Any gluten, dairy, added sugars and especially high FODMAP foods will instantly trigger inflammation in my body which causes pains on my left side "pancreas", often blood in my poop and urine, mucus, oily poop, floating poop, night sweats and other pains. With a colonoscopy, they can rule in or out several potential health issues. When my issues first began, my doctor ran several blood labs and my white blood count was elevated. He point blank yelled cancer. I refused to hear it. It scared me. I cancelled my first 2 appointments out of fear, but I wasn't getting any better. I began researching what the 1 particular wbc meant. Cancer and inflammation. I did have a grand parent that had colon cancer. The cancers it listed were not colon related. I was misdiagnosed for 7 years with hypothyroidism. It went unchecked and spawned 3 other autoimmune diseases. I chose to go the Ayurvedic route vs pharma steroids due to another potential autoimmune disease "type 1 diabetes" along with levothyroxine for my thyroid. I kept having gut issues and began weeding out foods. It took me a year to figure it out. The odd part is I can drop rapid weight anytime I want by cheating on my diet and eating gluten or high FODMAP foods to trigger my immune system to go on an attack. I pay for it by being disabled for a few days. What is your diet like? Did this begin after a major stressful event or a covid infection?

[benjamin23910 in reply to ICE187]

For about a couple of months my diet has been pretty poor since being at college, a lot of junk food, processed foods, fast food etc. Not the cleanest diet at all and it was very low fiber. While being at college I did not really care about my diet, and now being home I think I am paying the price for it. Being at home now however, I have been eating a lot better, with the occasional eating out here and there. I do consume fried foods and stuff a lot, and also dairy but I have recently found out in the past couple of years that I am indeed lactose intolerant. Even though I know I am lactose, I have kept eating it over the past couple years and was wondering if maybe that has had an effect on my body now. I dont consume many greens at all, and fruits are every here and there to be honest. Nothing major had happened before this, I still have yet to get covid, and there has not been any events that have happened with me recently before this. It is all really weird to me, and am trying to get answers as soon as I can. Every past doctors visit I never had any health problems at all, never struggled with anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, I will not be able to get a GI appointment very soon since the GI closest to me is currently on vacation, and the earliest I can get anything GI related is August 9th. I am not sure whether to just wait it out, or try to find some other way to get an appointment. In order to get an appointment I have to go through a class, then after an appointment is available, which I have never heard of. Hoping to get a colonoscopy before I start school, since that is very close to when I start school up again and won't be home for that. I appreciate your response.

[ICE187 in reply to benjamin23910]

It sounds more and more like food intolerances. While you wait for an appointment, try to go 100% lactose and high FODMAP free for a couple of weeks. I too was a serious junk food lover. Fast foods daily. Even though now my diet sounds like torture, it's not as bad as it sounds. Lean hamburger meat. Nothing under 80/20. No onions or garlic which is the hardest part for me. Low fat mayo. Fish and chicken without any batter. Gluten free pizza. Steaks without seasoning other than salt and pepper. No processed foods. Water only. Bananas. I avoid most other fruits. Canned tuna. Or just google low FODMAP foods. Celiac disease goes hand in hand with lactose intolerance as well as gluten intolerances.

[benjamin23910 in reply to ICE187]

Now that I think about it, my time in high school I had felt weaker than usual, thinking it was probably just my atrocious sleeping schedule due to covid and online school. I am guessing over time and me eating the same way since then, it finally started to affect my body differently. Just hoping that this isn't anything serious, and if anything new pops up I will be sure to update you all here. Thank you for your advice!