Worried I have colon cancer.

[Huskey25]

Hi, iam a 35 yr old female who has always suffered from constipation off and on. Sometimes I could go 2 weeks without going but when I would have a bm it would be normal. About 3 months ago I noticed I wasn't going much and I was bloated. I let it go for awhile to see if my body would get back on track. It didnt so I bought a colon cleanse and it worked abd all was well. That was about a month ago and the last time I had a normal bm. I than got so constipated and had to strain to have a bm. All that came out was small hard balls and it would feel like I didn't empty completely. I finally started to take laxatives and took a week to get everything out. I still had to strain to get it out even though it was soft. I seen blood in stool on 1 occasion so I ordered a fit test. It came back positive and I have pain and pressure in my rectum. I have really bad gerd too so thats been acting up as well. I went to doctor and she has sent an urgent referral to Gi doctor. I'm waiting to hear back to make that appointment and my anxiety it through the roof. Im not eating and sleeping has been hard. I do have pain stomach pain and lots of gas. My tailbone hurts as well when I sit or push on it. Has anyone else experience these symptoms?

[IBSsucksallthetime]

yes I’ve had all of those problems. I’m not sure if you guys have it there, but pelvic floor therapy has helped me tremendously. Basically throughout life you’ve been constipated, you may have even had children and went through childbirth, and all of those things you are pushing pushing pushing. Your muscles are now probably not as able to push as they once were, and your pelvic floor muscles may even be tighter than they should be, so even though you’re straining not much is happening. Straining to go will also cause hemorrhoids internal and external, as well as anal fissures, which are basically just tears in the rectum. By not being able to actually get stuff out it stays in the colon and gets even harder And the result is nothing but more constipation. This is something you could talk to G.I. about to make sure that you know that’s what is going on however they are going to want to fix the constipation first generally. I don’t know about gynecology there, but that would also be my second choice on who to see for this problem. Because if your vaginal muscles are also tight that’s a good indication that your rectum muscles are as well and your pelvic floor muscles control both, as well as your hips and lower back. It also stabilizes your core so that you have more core strength in your body. I hope this helps, wishing you nothing but the best with your appointment and hopefully they can get you in soon. The procedures are different here in the United States but it seems to me that the outcomes are near the same. Good luck!

[Huskey25 in reply to IBSsucksallthetime]

thank you so much for your response! I do have 2 children that I birth vaginally and have suffered from hemorrhoids off on since. Never this bad though. My stool has also got thinner but that could be do to hemorrhoids. My doctor put in an urgent referral yesterday so im hoping to hear from the Gi soon. I have had really bad anxiety my whole life so for me it's so easy to go into worse case scenarios. I will also talk look into pelvic floor therapy. Thanks again for responding, it has definitely help some with my anxiety.

[IBSsucksallthetime in reply to Huskey25]

you are welcome. I have anxiety too and it just makes everything worse. I’m glad you will be getting in soon, keep us posted.

[janetmtt in reply to Huskey25]

Emuaid cream works so much better than any over the counter cream like Germoloids/Anusol etc. It actually shrinks them just putting on outside - last weekend I was demented with itchy/piles/anus and tried this - honestly - a miracle - can be used every day - 3-4 times - I only used it at bed time - next day could not believe how much better I was - using a tiny amount every night ATM and I mean tiny amount

Germoaloid cream I found was making it worse

[Huskey25 in reply to janetmtt]

Do you have any other symptoms with piles? I feel like I got to pass gas but nothing comes out. Also, are piles always visible? My doctor asked me if I had any bulging in anal area. I dont see anything but it definitely feels like they are there. Thank you for the recommendation I will definitely give the cream a try.

[janetmtt in reply to Huskey25]

I have internal and external and yes I can see the external one - they bleed at times - but it is red blood like a cut - they can be sore and itchy - I avoid constipation and straining and even straining to pass either a BM or gas can trigger it - cannot take my eye off the ball -but the Emuaid cream is a life changer

[MOLLYMILO007 in reply to Huskey25]

hi there ..yes i agree i have had constipation for years...always straining to go so blood in stools 2 yesrs ago had horrific pain low left side..went on for weeks i too have health anxiety so that makes it worse..i paid for a ultrasound nothng was found but pain still ongoing did a fit test came back positive so i was out of my mind with worry ...had a ct scan with contrast nothing wromg with my colon..strangly the pain just went but i was told to change my diet so i did also i take 2 lacido a day ...ive been fine until lately ive either got a infecton as diarrhoea for 3 days rumbling stomach bad pain constant so i dont know what to make of it..the moral of the story is ..try to change your diet try lacido so you are going to the loo..like me it may resolve also your pelvic floor plays a part .with constant pushing you are putting pressure on your pelvic floor ..i had to have a repair as had a bladdder prolapse i paid private to go into spire ..im 63 so prob alot older than you..but its all connected..if you feel a bulge in your vagina and you have a prolapse this also affects bowel movements....i hope you get amswers try not to worry i know its hard but like i said earlier my fit test was positive but found nothimg wrong with my colon..good luck ...jeanette x

[Lou9]

I just want to reply to say to you, you are not alone. I read your post and nodded along to most of your points… tailbone pain ✅ constipation ✅ blood after straining ✅ bloating ✅

I also have been through childbirth with my daughter who is 4. I gave birth to her back to back and I think that hasn’t helped my tailbone pain and other pelvic floor issues. Obviously you are doing the sensible thing being checked out, especially as it will give you peace of mind which then reduces anxiety and hopefully helps improve digestive symptoms even slightly.

Thinking of you and hope you don’t need to wait too long for your referral. 💞

[Huskey25]

Thank you for your reply and well wishes. I will update as things move forward in the hope i can help other people who are in a similar situation.

[Hidden]

While you wait for the hospital tests here are some thoughts...

Constipation can be caused by low bile output too.This could be gallstones...a simple way to see if this is the probable cause is to use a digestive enzyme with food.Optima (aloe pura) amazon with digestive enzymes and aloe vera improves digestion, reduces bloating, does the job of breaking down fats and foods instead of relying on the gallbladder....this in turn softens stools..which then improves BM in most people.

Bright red blood in stools is often from hemorrhoids, so often caused by straining, proctitis can cause the anus to spasm and produce mucus which is treatable with suppositories....all these conditions can cause people to get very anxious and think the worse.

I hope you do find relief and restore your peace of mind real soon.

[Huskey25 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for your response and recommendation. I never hard of optima but will give it a try and see. If it helps while im waiting to get my tests done it will definitely calm my anxiety some.

[dogandbone]

Hello Husky

Try flax seed with your cereal it works for me as I too have a lazy bowel. I also take Nature’s Own Aloe Vera daily which helps it is a liquid and you take it twice a day according to your weight. I have suffered since I was a child but this has sorted me out. I also make a batch of Ratatoulle to eat with dinner at night this works too. Good Luck. Please tell me if this helps

E

[Huskey25 in reply to dogandbone]

thank you for the recommendation. I will definitely let you know if it helps.

[Superzob]

The medical advice which I have received in the past is that constipation is very rarely associated with bowel cancer, so I suspect any tests will simply be to eliminate it and then deal with the underlying IBS-C. My IBS has been mainly loose stools until I changed my probiotic to Alflorex, and now it’s firmer, but I still get urgency and some mucous; all my cancer tests came back negative. However, although my symptoms are different from yours, I’ve always tried to avoid dramatic treatments which can cause problems later on. For instance, I took 4 Imodium tablets before a journey, only to stop having bowel movements for a week, followed by a week of IBS-D because the trapped stool had caused inflammation; your experience of attempting to clear the bowel seems to have resulted in a similar reversal (and probably bleeding haemorrhoids from the straining).

I think you should take the advice in the other replies on this post and try something with mild laxative effects, gradually building up until you achieve the desired result; then possibly reducing the dose to maintain a balance. Having a bowel movement only once every 3 days is actually within the normal range, so there’s no need to try to achieve the urban myth of a daily motion. And, in the meantime, you can forget about a potential cancer diagnosis - I think that is a red herring, and IBS-C is the real culprit.

[Huskey25]

Hi, thanks for taking the time to respond. It makes me feel better knowing that constipation is rarely a sign of colon cancer. I have thought over the years that I was a suffer of ibs c. Sometimes i would go 4 times a week and it would be a normal bm and other times it was 1 every 2 weeks. I always would get lots of abdominal cramping after eating or just at random and gassy.

[Luisa22]

A FIT test that is positive, and blood in stools are often something to do with hemorrhoids and likely if you have constipation. They may be internal and not obvious.

[Defong]

try lepicol. It’s a husk powder and helps constipation and helps also with diarrhoea and a good probiotic. I use udo’s super 8’s and optibac with sacchari boulardi. Blood could be from a fissure from straining or piles and possibly why ur test was positive Hopefully you’ll get seen quickly