Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

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Reala
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:43 pm

Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby Reala » Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:13 pm

Hello everyone,

It's so nice to read the many success stories of people with Colon Caner and the positive outlook you all have, you will all be in my prayers.

Now to my story... I've been suffering from blood in my stool for a long, long time... I'm not sure exactly how long, but probably around 4/5 years. The blood seems to last maybe 3-4 weeks and then stops for at least a couple of months... I think I've only seen blood probably once/twice in the last year. Anyway... I have been told by my parents I made a big mistake by spending about 2 weeks reading online and freaking myself out... they said I am probably being irrational worrying so much, but I thought I would ask you guys.

-------------------------------------------

I suffer mostly from stomach rumbling feelings... It is like my stomach is vibrating as though I am hungry, but I guess it is gas inside my stomach. I rarely suffer from any severe abdominal pain (the odd niggles), although Right now I have a bad pain in my right side. I got kind of scared because I know they liver is on the right side which is where colon cancer can often spread. It's a constant pain and hurts when I bend down or lean to the side. I have not lost any weight or any appetite what so ever.

I am also very tired and when I stand up too quick I get a head rush nearly every time... the doctor took my BP and said this was 'Postural Hypo tension' and very normal... said tiredness is normal for my age... hmm.

Recently my stools have been what I would call thin, not pencil thin and they change a lot... sometimes they will be tiny, sometimes like balls and sometimes they will be approaching normal. Anyway I did actually do have hemroids because I felt them when going to the toilet... I thought maybe the fact I could feel them just inside might mean that they were shaping the stool as it came out. But I wondered if this was a red herring because of the stomach aches / tiredness. What do you guys think?

Anyway, I was always scared of going to the doctor and discussing it until recently I finally went. The doctor pretty much said 'Hemroids' and 'Tiredness' without doing any kinds of checks. I was freaked out because I had been reading about on-line and all my symptoms seem to match... I went back the next day and asked to see another doctor, she pressed about my stomach and said I seemed fine, but would do a blood test for anaemia... I mentioned Colon Cancer and she said pretty much 'At 22 years old it is VERY unlikely, less that 0.1%' and 'If you had symptoms such as rectal bleeding for 5-6 years you would have been dead by now'. That scared me and that's how it was left.

Any advice, I'm really worried :( I just don't know what to do... the doctor said 'I am sure the anaemia test will come back fine and you can get on as normal'. But now I am scared that if it comes back normal I am going to be left feeling as scared and worried as I am now... and now I am thinking if I have had rectal bleeding and stomach aches for like 5 years and I let it get this far I am probably in the latest stages... I feel like an idiot, but was so embarrassed and kind of got the feeling I would be shunned off and I apparently am :( Trust me, from now on any one I read on-line who does what I did and ignored the symptoms I am going to explain just how much of an idiot I feel :(

----------------------------

Extra info:
- I have NO medical conditions
- I kick box semi professionally, training last 3-4 hours a day 5 days a week ( I know this could attribute to tiredness, but it has only started over last 6 months)
- No family history of Cancer at all... In fact I don't think any of my family have died before the age of 80 (parents, Uncles/Aunties, grandparents, Great Grandparents)
- Age: 22, Sex: Male, Country: UK

Magnolia
Posts: 1514
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:38 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby Magnolia » Sun Mar 29, 2009 3:58 pm

There are many reasons for blood in stools. Not all are serious, and even some of the serious ones are not cancer. Cancer is one possibility. Several inflamitory bowel diseases could be involved, which can be controlled, but could put you at risk for cancer later. Something as simple as hemorrhoids can cause bleeding. Get it checked, and don't let up until you have answers.
Dx Stage IIIC CC 3/10/06
Surgery 3/20/06
Folfox 4/06 - 10/06
Avastin 4/06 - 4/07
NED!


http://www.CoverYourButt.org
Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

Magnolia
Posts: 1514
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:38 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby Magnolia » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:02 pm

BTW, colon cancer IS rare in your age group, but not unheard of. It CAN happen. Tiredness is NOT normal. Push back. Get it checked. If you have to, get a copy of the Colondar and show it to your doc. Lots of stories of young people with cancer. But remember, colitis is a possibiliy as well. Nasty, but not cancer.
Dx Stage IIIC CC 3/10/06
Surgery 3/20/06
Folfox 4/06 - 10/06
Avastin 4/06 - 4/07
NED!


http://www.CoverYourButt.org
Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

Cured
Posts: 581
Joined: Thu Nov 27, 2008 10:53 pm
Location: MO

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby Cured » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:04 pm

Dear Scared, We can all scare ourselves to death if we allow it. We can also be unwise in not exploring our medical conditions properly. You need to find both a Gastrointestinal Dr. and a Colo-Rectal Surgeon who are referred and whom you can trust. I do not know what your options are with govt.-socialized medicine.

I tried hoping that my light, ocasional blood on tissue was only my hemeroids. A real colonoscopy was the only way to find the truth (which was a stage 3 tumor). But I am 56 yr. old male. You are much younger and the odds are liikely as your MD described. Peace of mind is what you need, so make appointments with the right doctors.

May God be with you.
7-18 Stg 4
5-08:Stg 3 Rectal: 6/14 Nodes
Ace Surgn Remvd 90%Rectm,lots of Colon-Full Incision
Ileo Rev'd 6 Mos.
Radian+5fu Pre-Surg
FOLFOX 8 Cyc,1-09
Clear Scope 8-17; CEA 2-18
Glory to God! Healed by prayers of many: for 10 yrs
7-18: tumor pressing brain Remove
Met to lung. CEA 6.9
Folfiri
CEA 4.5 after 1 chemo
8rds CEA 3 1.8, 2.3,1.7 then up:32
12rd Folfiri
Avastin ev 2 wks
Seizure Anti-seiz meds work-no driving for 6m
4-20PET: Lng spots=Chemo
2-21 tumr gth =Folfiri
Radiation 7-22

shmurciakova
Posts: 782
Joined: Wed Nov 08, 2006 6:25 pm
Location: Sugar Grove, VA

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby shmurciakova » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:17 pm

Hello,
I was diagnosed at 31 and had bleeding from the age of 26 which I blew off as hemmeroids. If your doctor says you could be dead in 5-6 years of bleeding than it only makes sense they would order a colonoscopy! I am not dead, to the contrary, - but I don't think I would have been if I did not have a doctor that took blood in the stools seriously!
I surely wish I had been diagnosed when I was 26 instead of 5 years later when I was Stage IV!
Go back to the doctor and tell them you want a colonoscopy to be sure otherwise you are going to worry yourself to death. :wink:
Likely it isn't cancer, but age really has very little to do with it, which doctors need to learn! Show them the colondar, good idea.
-Susan H.
diagnosed at 31 in 2002, Stage IV
Sigmoid colectomy - 6 mos 5-FU/Leukovorin
liver resection - 6 rounds XELIRI (xeloda/irinotecan)
lung wedge resection Oct. 2004 - no chemo
NED!!

Reala
Posts: 23
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2009 2:43 pm

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby Reala » Sun Mar 29, 2009 4:42 pm

Thanks for all the help so far :) Much appriciated and I feel a little better.

I guess the question is what do I do... If I walk in and say 'I want a colonoscopy' I am pretty sure they will say no... I already hinted at the possibility of one and got shot down. I thought about exhadurating symptoms (like saying the bleeding came back) but i thought maybe that would lead them to the wrong diagnosis...

Any suggestions? Already seen 2 doctors, I think there are only 2-3 at that sugery and a couple of nurses... :(

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby Lee » Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:32 pm

If your Dr says no, find another Dr. The truth is because you have rectal bleeding, that is reason enough to get a referral for a colonoscopy. Your life is too important to accept an assumption, especially one that may be wrong. Get a colonoscopy and find the true CAUSE of your bleeding. If your Dr believes no one can have colon cancer in there 20's, have them check out this site, while it is rare, it is still possible.

If you have to go to someplace like Cancer Treatment Centers of America and pay for your colonoscopy out of your own pocket, do it, but find the cause of your bleeding. While I don't believe you have cancer, rectal bleeding is not normal and neither is being tried at your age.

The best of luck and let us know.

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

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mpeters6
Posts: 323
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Location: Southeast Missouri
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Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby mpeters6 » Sun Mar 29, 2009 5:56 pm

Please get the test! My GI told me how lucky I was that my dr ordered one b/c normally the test would not have been done at my age with my symptoms. I just happened to have a really good dr. Please find a dr who will order the test.
Stage III Colon Cancer; dx 8/8/07, at the age of 36; sigmoid colectomy 8/13/07; Finished 11 Rounds of Folfox 2/08; currently NED

http://michelepeters.blogspot.com

tmn
Posts: 207
Joined: Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:43 am
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby tmn » Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:07 pm

Please find a doctor who takes your symptoms seriously regardless of your age. When I experienced rectal bleeding my GP immediatley sent me for a colonoscopy even though I too am considerably younger than the "typical" bowel cancer patient. It is possible that your symptoms could have another cause but it is important to have this looked at properly. Best wishes to you.
Dx Stage IIIC CRC @33 on 20 May 2008
Colon Rescection, 12 Rounds FOLFOX 4
NED

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MitchellVII
Posts: 643
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:56 pm

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby MitchellVII » Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:42 pm

Hmm, tiredness, thin stools, stomach pains, blood in stool. Don't mean to be alarmist, but all of that is CLASSIC Colon Cancer Symptoms. The tiredness is due to anemia from the blood loss. Has the doctor checked your hemoglobin? If not, he should.

Everyone else's experience may vary, but in my experience, I would have been dead 3 times over by now if I had listened to my GP on what I should do about symptoms. They know a little about a lot and a lot about almost nothing.
Stage IIA CRC Dx 03/08
Full right colectomy with 32 Lymph Nodes removed
Tumor 6 cm long by 2 cm thick in right ascending colon, 1/2 villous adenoma
MSI-High (MLH-1 indicated)
Factor V Leiden (Blood Clotting)
NED (as far as I know)

Magnolia
Posts: 1514
Joined: Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:38 pm
Location: Virginia

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby Magnolia » Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:47 pm

I don't think in the UK, with National Health, patients can always get what they want when they want it. We don't always get it here, and it's even harder there because it's all government funded. But persistance may be useful. Keep asking, demanding, and being a pain in the rectum until you get what you need. Especially if the 'rrhoids are treated and the bleeding persists, there's a valid reason to look deeper, so to speak. And you have other symptoms that COULD point to an inflamatory bowel disorder. Play up any pain you may have . Tell them a good story. Make it look like colitis. It could be. Just because you have 'rrhoids doesn't mean you can't have developed colitis too.
Dx Stage IIIC CC 3/10/06
Surgery 3/20/06
Folfox 4/06 - 10/06
Avastin 4/06 - 4/07
NED!


http://www.CoverYourButt.org
Healthcare is a right, not a privilege.

NWgirl
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Facebook Username: Belle Piazza
Location: Battle Ground, Washington

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby NWgirl » Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:51 pm

Under your insurance plan do you need a referral to see a specialist? If not, then set up an appointment with a gastroenterologist (a GI doc). Hopefully he/she will listen to you and take your concerns seriously - which they should, despite your age. Statistically is it unlikely that you have cancer, but not impossible. You are very smart to take notice and be concerned about your symptoms. Do you have any family history of colo-rectal cancer? If you do, that will help you in your attempt to get a colonoscopy - be sure to tell the doctor. As a last resort, pay out of pocket for a colonoscopy. It's your health - your life - and you are worth it. It could be any number of things causing your symptoms. Hopefully whatever it is will show up on a colonoscopy so you can get treatment for it.
Belle - "Don't Retreat - Reload"DX 10/07 Stage III Rectal
Surgery 11/07; 27 of 38 nodes
Perm Colostomy 8/11
12/10 recurrence lungs & LN's
VATS Jan 2011
Radiation Oct 2013
Chemo for Life
2012 Colondar Model

karenM
Posts: 480
Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2009 1:45 pm
Location: Western NC

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby karenM » Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:02 pm

Please go to have a colonoscopy. It will put u at rest if it is clear or find the bad stuff so you can start to heal.
BTW tiredness is a symptom, When they tested my blood,because I had almost blacked out twice in a day, I was so anemic they sent me to the hospital for two pints of blood. You can be so low that you feel tired all the time.
Colon cancer found Nov 08- stage 3
Surgery Dec 16th 08
in hosp 16th to 23,
28th to 1st of Jan for blockage
port put in Jan 12th
Chemo started Jan 09-
ended July 09
Hospital for a wk in April for bleeding.
As of Aug 09 am NED! Thank GOD!

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby Lee » Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:10 pm

Magnolia wrote:I don't think in the UK, with National Health, patients can always get what they want when they want it. We don't always get it here, and it's even harder there because it's all government funded. But persistance may be useful. Keep asking, demanding, and being a pain in the rectum until you get what you need. Especially if the 'rrhoids are treated and the bleeding persists, there's a valid reason to look deeper, so to speak. And you have other symptoms that COULD point to an inflamatory bowel disorder. Play up any pain you may have . Tell them a good story. Make it look like colitis. It could be. Just because you have 'rrhoids doesn't mean you can't have developed colitis too.


Yep,

My sister in law lied thru her teeth to get her 1st colonoscopy (she had NO symptoms). Because of my diagnoses, she wanted to get checked out and not wait until 50, at 44 they found a few polyps and told her to come back in 10-15 yrs. Three yrs later, she lied again and got another colonoscopy, found a few more polyps (precancerous type). NOW they are telling her to come back in 3 yrs and NOT wait longer. In her case, it was beneficial to lie.

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

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MitchellVII
Posts: 643
Joined: Fri Apr 18, 2008 10:56 pm

Re: Please help - Scared 22 year old :(

Postby MitchellVII » Sun Mar 29, 2009 7:25 pm

My second cousin just died of Colon Cancer. 26 years old. Ignored the symptoms for years. His doctor assured him it must just be hemms'. Finally got a colonoscopy and he had tumors the size of grapefruits in his colon. He lived two months. Get it checked.
Stage IIA CRC Dx 03/08
Full right colectomy with 32 Lymph Nodes removed
Tumor 6 cm long by 2 cm thick in right ascending colon, 1/2 villous adenoma
MSI-High (MLH-1 indicated)
Factor V Leiden (Blood Clotting)
NED (as far as I know)


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