Hi all
I came upon this board as I have been desperately seeking info/answers/help online. Thank goodness I see a good gastro PA on Monday.
On the night of 10/31/21 I started to have serious pains/cramps in my upper abdomen. I thought it was bc I had not eaten, was out with family. Since then I have had bloating, cramping, pain intermittently with more gas, burping and some nausea. This is not normal for me. I have a history of IBS many years ago and my digestive system has probably never been what most consider normal. I have many bowel movements per day, but usually one or two very large ones. I have been eating pretty normally and recently and this is what scares me the most, my bowel movements are much smaller and narrower. I seem to go a little bit at a time. Don't always have a feeling of incomplete evacuation, but I know this is not normal for me...the stool doesn't appear dark/bloody that I can see. I am still able to exercise, etc... Today the cramping/pain is much less/gone, but my stool is still narrow and another symptom I forgot to mention is worse and that is it feeling like my food won't go down my esophagus easily...like if it is slow or stuck. I have not had any vomiting or acid indigestion. For a time it hurt to push down to urinate or defecate but that has improved some. I am a 54 yo female. I eat low fat, well balanced
plant based diet and have done so for over a decade and was vegetarian for 2 decades before that. I have not yet had a colonoscopy, but feel sure I will have one very soon.
I feel like all of this lines up perfectly with cancer and I am scared. If anyone has any words of advice, support or information, that would be very helpful at this time.
Thank you in advance