Hi all,
I'm sorry this is lengthy - this is my first post here, but I have been lurking for some time. To get to the point, I am a 27 year old married mother of 2, and there's a (higher than I'd prefer) chance I might have CRC and/or somethign wrong with my liver. I have an endoscopy and colonoscopy scheduled for Friday afternoon to get down to the bottom of it all. I'm just here mostly for advice and positivity, because I am worried to death about a CRC diagnosis, as 4 members of my family (2 grandfathers, great-aunt and her daughter) have all had colon cancer, with my cousin diagnosed at 30. Here have been my symptoms, as well as test results thus far (sorry if TMI):
· SYMPTOMS: Intermittent blood w/ and w/o stool, sometimes with clots over the last 3 weeks; Extreme fatigue getting progressively worse over the last 2-3 months; Feel like I need to have a bowel movement most of the time but I either can’t (constipated) or only a small amount comes out; No abdominal pain unless I’m lying on my sides – otherwise, just pressure/discomfort mostly on left side under ribs; Alternating bouts of constipation or diarrhea with smaller stools than usual; Headaches and nausea; No appetite and have lost over 40 pounds in the last 3 months; Increasingly forceful and smelly gas; Feel like I am going to pass out.
TEST RESULTS:
I went to the ER 2 weeks ago for the persistent rectal blood and just feeling overall like crap. They performed a CBC and a ct scan. The CBC showed the following concerning results: Positive Occult Blood Stool; Low AGAP (9.9 mEq/L); Low BUN (6 mg/dL); High bilirubin (1.6 mg/dL); Low MCV (77.4 fL); Low MCH (25.5 pg); High RDW (17.1%); High MPV (10.7 fL); High monocytes # (0.9 K/CMM).
Additionally, my CT scan showed the following: "Mild circumferential thickening of small bowel loop in the descending colon suggestive of colitis. No significant fat stranding is identified which would suggest that this may represent a more insidious lesions such as a primary carcinoma. Correlation with history is suggested."
Of course, I saw my GI doctor immediately, who ran a series of 5 blood panels while I await my Endo/Colo on Friday. Those results are:
-H. pylori - NEGATIVE
-Celiac Disease Ab Screen w/Rfx - NEGATIVE
-Hepatitis Panel (4) - NEGATIVE for all types
-Thyroid Panel - NORMAL
+Liver Serologies (FLP) (ANA+Iron+TIBC+Ferritin, Mitochondrial Ab+, Smooth Muscle Ab+ AFP Tumor Marker+Ceruloplasmin+A1Antitrypsin Qn) - Iron Saturation was LOW at 9% and Ferritin Serum was LOW at 12 ng/mL (I am anemic). All other liver levels looked OK.
I am probably reading too much into these results, but I just need another (less freaked out) brain to process this in context, and tell me I need to chill out. I can't imagine what life will look like with two small kids if the diagnosis is not good. I am both anxiously anticipating and dreading Friday, as I expect I will know right away if my GI doctor has found anything suspicious. Please let me know if you've had symptoms such as mine and they turned out to be something less-horrendous than CRC. Thanks in advance for your advice, and please know that I am rooting for you all, whatever your siutation might be.