Hi all,
I'm 22m. Recently I've been paying more attention to my bowel movements and a couple of my symptoms point to cancer (though I guess all symptoms kind of point to cancer on the internet).
-My stool has always been of variable size but last week it looked like it was just plain thin and needed considerable strain to pass.
Pictures of a couple of them: Poop https://imgur.com/a/Tjp0u.
Additionally, there was an excess of mucus, generally I'd wipe once after finishing and there would be some yellowish brown mucus. Last Thursday, the night after a pretty strained poop earlier that morning, I pooped out a few drops of mucus and blood. Yuck https://imgur.com/a/mx16k.
I promptly went to the doctor the next day, where he did a rectal exam and a test that tests for blood in the upper areas? He found mucus but no blood, and no blood on that other test either. He didn't feel any hemmeroids or fissures and thinks I strained too hard and probably just caused a small cut that healed up before I went to the doctor. He thinks I should just eat healthier and get more exercise (office job).
He almost seemed like he wanted to say it's a waste of time to see a specialist but said, "if you feel the need to see one, I'll set you up an appointment, but I really think you're just constipated from your lifestyle and strained too hard."
Should I trust my doctor and forgo the specialist and just see if it returns to normal after eating healthier? Am I just being a hypochondriac? Or should I insist on seeing a specialist? Thanks and sorry for the essay.