Does the successful result of hydrocortisone suppositories rule out cancer?

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JustAnotherGuy
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2018 12:39 am

Does the successful result of hydrocortisone suppositories rule out cancer?

Postby JustAnotherGuy » Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:07 am

Hello everyone. First, I'd like to thank you for taking the time to read this. I've read through many threads before joining here and I have so much respect for all of you and for the battles you are fighting. I can only imagine the struggle, and I have imagined it many times unfortunately.

I'm a 33 y/o male. I've seen a family doctor twice and I have a followup appointment in January, so I'm just seeking other's opinions on what I have been experiencing for the past 7 months and how much worry my situation should warrant. I can only assume that posts like mine may be annoying because others are going through so much more, but the anxiety of the unknown is too real for me and I would love to hear other people's opinions, and I am well aware that they're only opinions.

On April 6th of this year, I experienced blood on my stool and some blood dripping into the toilet. Zero pain. Worrisome, sure, but not a huge worry since the most likely cause is obviously internal hemorrhoids. However, almost every single day after that, there has been a little bit of blood on the surface of the stool. The color ranges from bright red to a darker, "nose bleed" red. Lately, it tends to be the "nose bleed" red. The anxiety has grown a lot since this has been happening almost every day for 7 months.

And here is what I feel to be the most important part - The doctor and I decided that we should treat this as internal hemorrhoids and see if treatment works. Therefore, he prescribed hydrocortisone suppositories. I was very happy to get almost instant successful results. The blood stopped. However, it returned immediately after I stopped using the suppositories about 8 days later. So, my main question is - Does this successful result of the suppositories rule out the possibility of cancer? Would suppositories have any chance at all in stopping the bleeding from a rectal tumor, or would a low/rectal tumor bleed with or without hydrocoritsone suppositories? I know that your answers will be opinions and should not be confused with medical advice.

The last bit of info I have to give is that I can keep the blood streaks to a minimum by adhering to a strict diet. I drink 2 smoothies per day with berries, kiwi, prune juice and hemp powder (fiber), and eat quite a bit of fiber with meals. If I keep my stool soft and non-formed (type 5 on the bristol stool scale), the bleeding is minimized but not eliminated.

My followup is in January and I know I'll have the decision to make whether I want to get a scope. I wouldn't mind, but my fear is that if it is just internal hemorrhoids, why risk damaging my gut even more with the scope?

Thanks again!

KimT
Posts: 695
Joined: Sat Feb 20, 2010 8:53 pm

Re: Does the successful result of hydrocortisone suppositories rule out cancer?

Postby KimT » Thu Nov 01, 2018 5:24 am

We aren’t doctors. You really need to address this with your doctor. Good luck.
2/10 dx colon cancer
right hemicolectomy 3/19/10
Stage 2a 0/43 nodes
Lynch syndrome
3/14/10 colon resection/ removal of metal clips
Nov 11 dx ovarian cancer

heiders33
Posts: 363
Joined: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:08 am

Re: Does the successful result of hydrocortisone suppositories rule out cancer?

Postby heiders33 » Thu Nov 01, 2018 7:20 am

I had rectal bleeding and was prescribed hydrocortisone suppositories, but they didn’t stop the bleeding at all. I’m just one case though. Get the colonoscopy if it will give you peace of mind. The risk is very low.
40 year-old female
May 2017: Dx rectal cancer T3N2M0
MSS, KRAS G12D
6/17: 28 days chemorad
9/17: LAR/loop ileostomy, CAPOX six rounds
3/18: reversal
9/18: liver met, resection/HAI pump, 11 rounds 5FU, 1 round FUDR
11/19 - local recurrence, brachytherapy, 3 weeks targeted radiation
12/21 - end colostomy

User avatar
susie0915
Posts: 945
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:17 am
Facebook Username: Susan DeGrazia Hostetter
Location: Michigan

Re: Does the successful result of hydrocortisone suppositories rule out cancer?

Postby susie0915 » Thu Nov 01, 2018 7:41 am

I had symptoms of red streaks of blood on stool periodically. I was sure it was hemorrhoids as I had a colonoscopy 5 years prior and it was clear, just internal hemorrhoids. However, during a regular visit with GP he gave me a stool test sample to take home. I used a sample when I did not see blood and it came back positive for blood. Was sent to a GI and colonoscopy showed rectal cancer. The surgeon said it had probably been there 5 years and the prior colonoscopy either just missed it or was too small to detect. I would suggest getting a colonoscopy. Anytime there is blood only colonoscopy can rule out cancer.
58 yrs old Dx @ 55
5/15 DX T3N0MO
6/15 5 wks chemo/rad
7/15 sigmoidoscopy/only scar tissue left
8/15 PET scan NED
9/15 LAR
0/24 nodes
10/15 blockage. surgery,early ileo rev, c-diff inf :(
12/15 6 rds of xelox
5/16 CT lung scarring/inflammation
9/16 clear colonoscopy
4/17 C 4mm lung nod
10/17 pel/abd CT NED
11/17 CEA<.5
1/18 CT/Lung no change in 4mm nodule
5/18 CEA<.5, CT pel/abd/lung NED
11/18 CEA .6
5/19 CT NED, CEA <.5
10/19 Clear colonscopy
11/19 CEA <.5

radnyc
Posts: 446
Joined: Tue Apr 06, 2010 6:32 pm

Re: Does the successful result of hydrocortisone suppositories rule out cancer?

Postby radnyc » Thu Nov 01, 2018 7:57 am

Get a colonoscopy
DX Jan 2010, at age 47
Feb - colon resection - 2/17 nodes positive
April - liver mets - Stage 4
3 months Folfox chemotherapy
August '10 liver resection and HAI pump
7 months chemo FUDR HAI and Folfiri systemic
NED since August 2010
Last treatment April 2011
HAI Pump removed Dec 2015

JustAnotherGuy
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Nov 01, 2018 12:39 am

Re: Does the successful result of hydrocortisone suppositories rule out cancer?

Postby JustAnotherGuy » Thu Nov 01, 2018 1:13 pm

susie0915 wrote:I had symptoms of red streaks of blood on stool periodically. I was sure it was hemorrhoids as I had a colonoscopy 5 years prior and it was clear, just internal hemorrhoids. However, during a regular visit with GP he gave me a stool test sample to take home. I used a sample when I did not see blood and it came back positive for blood. Was sent to a GI and colonoscopy showed rectal cancer. The surgeon said it had probably been there 5 years and the prior colonoscopy either just missed it or was too small to detect. I would suggest getting a colonoscopy. Anytime there is blood only colonoscopy can rule out cancer.


The doc also gave me 3 occult blood tests to take for 3 days in a row at the same time I started the suppositories. They came back negative. Thank you for your story and for the advice.

erins
Posts: 44
Joined: Sun May 27, 2018 12:41 pm

Re: Does the successful result of hydrocortisone suppositories rule out cancer?

Postby erins » Fri Nov 02, 2018 2:47 am

My GI doctor was convinced—I mean, convinced that I didn’t have cancer, but was suffering from CDiff or some other issue caused by having taken antibiotics. she asked if I wanted to do a colonoscopy. I’d managed to stop the bleeding with probiotics and a careful diet, but because none of the labs were definitive, and there was always a chance it was ulcerative colitis, I said yes.

It was cancer. They caught it early, I had a great surgeon, and am now being monitored.

Point is that you were bleeding. If you stop treatment, you start bleeding again. So whatever was going on is still going on.

A Colonoscopy is relatively low risk. The prep sucks, but wasn’t nearly as bad as I’d thought it would be. The scope itself is low risk as far as causing more damage— I had known hemorrhoids, and they weren’t a reason to not get a colonoscopy. I mean, things happen, but it’s extremely rare for a colonoscopy to cause damage, even in the case of existing hemorrhoids AFAIK. One friend of mine does colonoscopies without sedation, so even that risk can be minimized. No medical procedure is without risk, but you should talk to your doctor about it if you’re concerned.

A colonoscopy would give you piece of mind and may help you treat whatever’s going on more effectively. Right now it’s guesswork—a colonoscopy can diagnose a lot more than cancer (like Ulcerative Colitis). And if it shows nothing it’s not wasted effort as it’ll give a baseline for when you have your first ‘regularly scheduled’ colonoscopy.

Good luck, and let us know how things turn out
38 yr old female
Rectal bleeding for 1 month—>
5/4/18 colonoscopy found mass in sigmoid colon
5/21/18 LAR
stage 2a, 0/17 lymph, clean margins
T3N0M0 G1
LVI neg, PNI neg, MSS
9/21/18 CEA 0.8
11/16/18 CEA 0.8 & CT clear
12/7/18 iron infusion
2/1/18 iron improved, CEA stable.


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