Diarrhea every day

[Anxiouscheekster521]

hello! My name is Renee and I - as my user name suggests- am a huge hypochondriac. I am concerned because my stools every morning have been diarrhea. Also I will get random stomach pain at time and have diarrhea and after using the bathroom I will feel better. My grandfather passed of colon cancer and my dad has polyps. I am going to see a GI dr Oct 17 but I’m scared he won’t take me seriously. I really want to get a colonoscopy. My life is literally on hold all I can think about is possible colon cancer. I don’t have more than 2-3 diarrhea a day but I can say for certain that I don’t really ever have solid poops. I don’t drink alcohol or smoke. Am I being paranoid?😮‍💨

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi Anxiouscheekster521,

Thank you for posting with us. I do like your username. I am proud to see you are not one to ignore symptoms. That's a good thing. You do have a family history and it looks like you just need more knowledge about what’s going on. I think we can build a case for you to get a surveillance colonoscopy. Think that would be justified given the family history.

When you see the GI doctor on October 17, I would write down exactly what you want to cover. The fact that you “ don’t really have solid poops” would be a good explanation that your stools every morning have been diarrhea. If there is something out of the norm that you’re experiencing now, that would be a good thing to note. Also, the fact that your grandfather passed from colon cancer and that your father has had surveillance and polyps were discovered, I would think would lead to the need for genetic testing. You need to know if there is something hereditary going on with this. Your father could get genetic testing or you could get genetic testing. Whichever one of you gets genetic testing, if it comes back positive for a hereditary mutation, that would lead to the other having to get genetically tested as well. Knowledge is power. You need answers to what’s going on.

I don’t think you’re being paranoid. You just need some good answers so you don’t have to keep speculating as to what’s going on. I would go into your GI visit with the family history portion of cancer and that you would like to get genetic testing. If you don’t feel you’re being taken seriously, you can get the genetic testing done yourself. There are lots of outfits that can get this done for you. It’s literally a blood sample and then DNA sequencing that will give you your answers. And the cost to do these things has come down significantly since 2012 when DNA sequencing really took off as being a cost effective benefit for health. I believe there are genetic tests for health with 23and ME and Ancestry.com. You can google genetic testing to find other outfits as well. They use the same technology in sequencing DNA as the research hospitals use.

I do wish you the best in getting the answers you’re looking for. Is there anything else behind your statement that you are “scared he won’t take me seriously”? I would hope you would be taken seriously with whatever symptoms you are experiencing. You’re not making things up. You have the diarrhea and there is colon cancer in your family. I know it is very common now for any cancer patient to have genetic testing to see if there is a hereditary aspect of what’s going on. It's standard practice where I am. That can be huge information to the family. It may mean having some surveillance testing over certain time. It makes sure things are OK and that you catch anything that may be happening early. The whole key of surveillance is prevention and catching it early👍❤️.

Please let us know what you find out from your GI visit. It is that type of information that could be held with others on this site as well. Don’t leave there without getting the answers you’re looking for.💪👍🤔😁

All the best, 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.

[Anxiouscheekster521 in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Thank you for this thorough answer. I appreciate all of this advice! Genetic testing is something I never really considered looking into- I am going to inquire about this. Regarding not being taken seriously- I have seen my primary care doctor about this and he blows it off as if it’s nothing. Luckily I was able to get a referral to GI after multiple stool studies. It took almost 4 months for this appointment coming up so I guess I’m just worried he will blow me off as well. He most likely won’t though as you say because I really do feel like GI wise something isn’t right. I just don’t want to be told “ oh it’s IBS or IBD or just modify your diet”. I want actual answers. I will make sure to jot down notes that I want to talk about with him. I am really hoping I can get a colonoscopy covered by insurance. I will update here on what I find out!