Bowel Cancer Symptoms and Diagnosis

My symptoms were feeling bloated and somach cramps. This went on for couple of months and then I was referred for an ultra sound scan as GP suspected ovarian cancer. I was told all was well other than lots of wind in colon. The pain I mentioned was poo pooed by the radiologist as refered pain from my husband as he has advance bowel cancer! We had booked holiday of lifetime  for Kens 65th and spent Christmas on trains & 5 star hotels in Switzerland. I had cramps and pain all 10 days and tried to eat but couldn't. I loived on occaisional soup and fruit juice. Had sickness and the runs. Came home and was told it was IBS or winter vomitting. This went on for 3 weeks and than I paid privately to see specialist. Had flexible sigoidoscopy, showed nothing wrong , blood tests showed nothing wrong, Referred for CT scan andas I was still in pain and feeling dreadful I phoned for results and was told to pack an bag and was operated on next day.  I unfirtunately had leaks etc and two lots of emergency surgery later Iand two weeks in ICU I came out witha stoma and no follow uo treatment. I now have advanced bowel cancer and an taking Xeloda, can't spell ceptabmine what ever. 

can i just say, the courage you are displaying is just what i mean about members on this site. You've had a terrible time i can see. Your experiences do make me feel less alone with this whole "trying to get a diagnosis" scenario, thanks so much for taking the trouble to tell me. Can i ask which part of the colon was affected for you? What kind of hope are you being offered at this point? My heart goes out to you, it really does. Sarah xx

Hi Sarah!

I am a 37 years old female and just been diagnosed with bowel cancer. so first thing first - yes, you can get a bowel cancer before you turn 60 or even 40. I have no history of bowel cancer or, in fact any other type of cancer, in my family either.

The inital symptoms started some time ago (maybe around two years), but I stupidly ingnored them. I had blood in my stool. which  It was so rare in the beginning, perhaps a few times a year, so I put it down to reaction to certain food, as nothing else seemed to be bothering me in particular. I didn't notice any changes in bowel movement, as was always a bit constipated, so used to drink hibiscus tea as a mild laxative. Hence occasional running or soft stool didn't surprise me either. No changes in weight either. I was always trying to keep in shape and maintained the same weght since my twenties.

I went to see GP when I started bleeding on a regular basis, but even then I was not too concerned, as was feeling normal. Occasional fatigue, but not excessive. Luckily for me my GP arranged for me to have blood tests which showed that I was very anaemic, so she referred me for urgent colonoscopy. Colonoscopy showed tumor in my sigmoid colon. The doctor beleived it was cancerous, so the sample was taken for biopsy. I had a further CT scan to see if the cancer has spread to any other organs. I got all the results yesterday...

Biopsy analisys came back positive. CT scan reveled that the tumour is quite large and has grown outside of the colon, but lungs and liver are not affected. I am still to speak with the surgeon about my treatment. I just hope that in the hospital they will be as efficient as my GP.

Hi Tmash, thanks very much for discussing this - must be all a bit raw and unreal for you right now. Isn't it amazing that you can have so few "dibilitating" symptoms and yet that little bugger has been having a field day without your knowledge. Look's like you have  a very good fighting chance if it hasn't metastesised..did they say whether lymph nodes were involved? Hope it's ok to ask these blunt sort of questions, but if you are anything like me its a relief to talk in plain language with someone who knows what you're talking about!!! Sarah xx

Of course its ok to ask straightforward questions. We are here for that. I do not know yet if the nodes are affected. To be honest I didn't  even know what sort of questions to ask the doctors. This is another reason why I signed up. To learn more about other people's experiences and to have someone to talk to, as haven't told my family yet and not sure if I will.

What sort of tests are you having? Do keep us posted on the results. Hope they will be good ones. Good luck.

Masha

HI Sarah,

I have a rectal tumour and as a fairly fit 40 year old was not really in the obvious risk group for bowel cancer either. Before diagnosis I had rectal bleeding and was experiencing an urgency to go - especially in the morning - but it would take a few trips and some blood and mucus before the movement was complete.

Initially the symptoms were hidden by piles which I had in pregnancy. At that time I just has a small amount of blood so wasn't worried. When the piles went and bleeding continued, the GP suspected that there was an internal pile which was getting scratched with bowel movement. It took me a while to go back and get it checked out properly again (I still think that any tiredness at that time was because of broken nights with a baby not from being ill).

So I went for a flexible sigmoidoscopy really to investigate the 'piles' problem. Although I had decided it had to be something other than piles, I still didn't entertain the idea it could be anything like cancer - even when I saw it on screen! But the consultant doing the sigmoidoscopy told me that same day it is what he thought it was and that I should prepare myself for this to be confirmed by the biopsy. The results took just under a week to come back and I was sent off for CT scan and MRI scan not long after that. No other tumour sites, except it was showing up in the lymph nodes.

Having had nearly six weeks of chemoradiotherapy to reduce the size of the tumour, I am now in the rest period before surgery.

Waiting for results is tough but try not to assume the worst. It is good you are being checked out properly now. Good luck and hope it turns out not to be as serious as you fear.

Eleanor 

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Hi Sarah,

You probably don't want to hear it, but I was diagnosed one week after my 26th birthday. There is no family history of any kind of cancer.

I had been going to the GP for about 8 months with various symptoms. I had been told about 3 years ago that I had piles, so when I started getting blood in my poo, that's what I thought it was. The doctor agreed with me and didn't even do a rectal exam (I hate her for that more than you will ever know). I was also losing weight without trying - not a lot, but about a pound a week that added up to a couple of stone overall.

As my symptoms got worse, it was put down to IBS. I had stomach cramps, bloating, and I needed to go to the loo a lot. I had been through a very stressful time and my mum does have IBS, so this is what they thought I had. Initially, changing my diet and trying IBS medications seemed to help, but the pains got worse. I was trying all kinds of alterations to my diet, and eventually I was going to the loo up to 20x a day. The worst thing is, that because it happens gradually you start to think it's normal...I forgot what it was like not to need the toilet all the time.

Eventually, I went to donate blood. They wouldn't let me because I was anaemic, and it was the second attempt in a row that this had happened. They sent me a scary letter saying I needed to talk to a doctor. I went to the Dr and he wasn't terribly bothered, but I asked if the anaemia was related to the constant pooing/bleeding etc. 'Oh yes, it could be'. Referred to the hospital for tests for ulcerative colitis (waited about 6 weeks). Referred for a colonoscopy before they would do anything (waited another 2 weeks). Had the colonoscopy - it's a tumour that's so big it's practically blocking my rectum. I started chemotherapy less than 3 weeks after my diagnosis.

It is scary, and awful. None of the doctors really knew what to do with me because I was so young. Bowel cancer is still seen as an old man's disease, but there are plenty of us on here who are young. I didn't smoke, or drink, or eat a particularly unhealthy diet - it's just one of those things that happens.

The good news is that a) it is still unlikely you have bowel cancer and b) if you do, it is very treatable. It's not pretty, or dignified (I mean, come on, I have bottom cancer?!) but I am one year on from diagnosis - almost to the day - and I have finished my treatment and am *hopefully* cured.

I really hope you don't have to go through this! All the best xx

Kate x

Hi Sarah

It seems to me that so many people with Bowel Cancer are incorrectly diagnoised or ignored by their GP, especially if they are under 60.

This time last year I was diagnoised with bowel cancer. I had the usual symptons of blood in stools and what looked like spit. I went to GP and he pretty much dismissed my concerns and said it was piles. I went to see a private consultant and he sent me for a colonoscopy but this was changed to a sigmoidoscopy and it found the cancer. I had to have a full colonoscopy two weeks later. Thankfully the cancer had not spread and I had the re-section in December. I did not need chemo but I will have CT scans every 6 months for 3 to 5 years. Once the diagnoisis was made the I was on a train that moved very quick but I if I had not insisted on seeing a consultant I would not have been on the train at all. Not sure where I would be now!

Trust your specialist, mine was not keen on me looking on the internet but I felt better informed and able to ask better questions and understand their answers.

I had keyhole surgery which was really good and helped my recovery. There are a lot of people with more advanced Bowel Cancer than me, so I was lucky. Maybe I made my own luck by acting quickly.

Hopefully you will be as luckly as me and get a good prognosis.

Best of luck Sarah

Peter

What is it with GPs and diagnosing everyone with piles?! It makes me SO ANGRY...sorry Peter, totally not directed at you, but your post just made me cross! Why should you have had to pay to see a private consultant? And why oh why didn't I push my GP to even examine me...I spent a lot of time kicking myself. But really, who would insist on a rectal examination? (ah, hindsight is a wonderful thing).

So glad you are ok now Peter.

Kate x

Hi Kate

I was lucky I had private health cover from work so it didn't cost me anything, the GP wasn't going to send me to see a consultany otherwise.

My GP did a rectal examination at the time but just said that it was piles. So don't kick yourself too hard as mine was fairly pointless. You obviously had a rougher time than me.

Are you keeping ok now?

All the best

Peter
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