Hello, I am new to this group. I have been reading through some of your stories out there and it’s absolutely terrifying me that I have bowel cancer. Before I start my story I just want to say how sorry I am for those out there that are going through this and wish you all well.
I am a 30 year old woman with three young kids, my whole life I have suffered with health anxiety and 8 years ago when I had my first child this got worse. I constantly think I have something serious “C”. The last 4 years I have pushed to be checked for breast cancer and lung cancer and all have come back clear. About 6 weeks ago I found a pea size soft moveable lump near my anus, doesn’t hurt, skin colour almost like just a little skin tag. A week later after a bowel movement I noticed that when I wiped it was maroon colour, instantly I needed to examine inside the toilet to find a streak of bright red blood through my stool(which was normal colour). In these last 5 weeks, I have had various symptoms that come and go, pain in the bum(literally), itching, my stools have become softer(not diarrhoea). I have had back pain that’s come and gone, dull belly ache that’s also come and gone. I have in 5 weeks lost 9lb in weight unintentionally. I go to the toilet every morning between 6am and 7am without fail, sometimes having just a small strain to start with. I get the odd day where I may need to go again within half an hour but that’s only once weekly/fortnightly. Sometimes on these extra bowel movements the stool can change in shape and size. Sometimes, not all the time I feel like I haven’t emptied my bowel completely. Also a couple of times when wiping I have noticed the most tiniest amount of red almost like I have just marked it with a red marker pen. Every morning I wake up I have butterflies in my stomach, I don’t know if this is classed as a symptom or if it’s just nerves about what I might find after having a bowel movement.
3 weeks ago I made an appointment to see the doctor, this was after speaking to 2 previous doctors who prescribed hemorroid creams. The doctor I spokE to decided to call me in for an examination. After the examination she went to speak to her senior GP in charge, I asked her if I should be worried and if she had found something. She told me that she can’t feel lumps as such but maybe just bumps, and that between her and her senior they are sending me for a sigmoidoscopy. I asked her if she thought it was cancer and would she tell me if that’s what she thinks it is and why I am having this test. She told me that she doesn’t think it’s cancer and that she thinks its due to just hemorroids, and that she would tell me otherwise as they are very open with their patients. She also said that they are not worried at this point.
Sorry for the extremely long post, but basically i have read about sigmoidoscopys and that they are used to detect cancer not hemorroids. My anxiety is through the roof and I cannot think about anything other than this and thinking about if it has spread and if I will be here to see my babies grow up. I can feel my partner and family getting so frustrated with me because it’s all I talk about. I have good days where I don’t think about it and days where I can’t stop. Google is my worst enemy, and no matter how many times people tell me not to I still go ahead and read about it all.
again I am really Sorry for the long boring post, and I appreciate if anyone, even if just one person can read this and she’d some light or reassurance for me! I’m absolutely terrified
thankyou xx
Morning Mum of 3, I'm Mike dad of 3, unlike you I was not worried prior to the scope as nothing pointed to cancer to such an extent that my wife, a doctor, didn't bother to come with me. Diagnosis was quick & abrupt, treatment began a month later. Firstly, I am a confirmed whimp, if I'd been having the children we'd have an only child. There are literally a multitude of things it ould be, cancer is simply the one we immediately think of and fear. If it is, I won't say don't worry, that would be insulting, but what I can say is treatment was nothing like I imagined. I walked into the Liverpool Royal early one Wednesday morning, was operated on shortly after and walked out on the Saturday afternoon, albeit alot slower. I was back at Anfield a month to the day later watching Liverpool destroy West Ham. DO NOT GOOGLE ANYTHING. Stick to Macmillan for your information. I hope the diagnosis is a kind one. If it is cancer you'll have fantastic care. Since treatment I have seen children graduating, buying houses and moving away, I've stood in Madrid watching Hendo lift the European cup and this year my family and me were at every home match until lockdown watching Jurgen lead us back into the promised land; in short it's been good.
Hope all goes as well as it can.
YNWA -
Mike
Morning Mum of 3, I'm Mike dad of 3, unlike you I was not worried prior to the scope as nothing pointed to cancer to such an extent that my wife, a doctor, didn't bother to come with me. Diagnosis was quick & abrupt, treatment began a month later. Firstly, I am a confirmed whimp, if I'd been having the children we'd have an only child. There are literally a multitude of things it ould be, cancer is simply the one we immediately think of and fear. If it is, I won't say don't worry, that would be insulting, but what I can say is treatment was nothing like I imagined. I walked into the Liverpool Royal early one Wednesday morning, was operated on shortly after and walked out on the Saturday afternoon, albeit alot slower. I was back at Anfield a month to the day later watching Liverpool destroy West Ham. DO NOT GOOGLE ANYTHING. Stick to Macmillan for your information. I hope the diagnosis is a kind one. If it is cancer you'll have fantastic care. Since treatment I have seen children graduating, buying houses and moving away, I've stood in Madrid watching Hendo lift the European cup and this year my family and me were at every home match until lockdown watching Jurgen lead us back into the promised land; in short it's been good.
Hope all goes as well as it can.
YNWA -
Mike
Don’t be scared, it’s a little uncomfortable and you may get the urge to pass wind whilst having it but it doesn’t hurt. I had mine in November, although it didn’t hurt I wouldn’t like to have it again. Honestly, mine was over and done with within minutes!! Didn’t understand why I was so worried.
Hi Gerbera22,
I was told straight away what the problem was, I have 2 skin tags, one inside one outside, leftover from hemorroids. So thankfully it was nothing to worry about. How are you? X
I was rediagnosed with bowel cancer again 2 weeks ago, only been 6 months of remission. Facing it all again is devastating.
Oh I am so sorry to here of your diagnosis and that you was in remission from already having it once. Just remember you have beat it once and you will do it again. You have got this!! Stay strong I will be thinking about you :( xx
Thanks but I can't stand the whole 'you've got this/beat this/kick this/fuck cancer mantras that go around. The reality is with each further rediagnosis chances of extended periods of remission greatly reduce. Some people rather than needing to battle,battle,battle cancer just acknowledge, name and sit alongside it ... it's a mutation my body made, who knows why, yes it's devastating to learn how I am highly likely to die but I want to live the best I can while I can.
Hi
I think that’s what most people are trying to achieve . Trying to do their best with a difficult diagnosis either for themselves or a relative . We all express that differently and approach it differently.
It certainly took time to form a better picture of how my mum’s cancer progressed but actually she had roughly six years between one recurrence and currently achieved another five !
Again with it being so individual I guess how you prepare for that or not again comes down to each persons approach to life .
Hope you are able to find the right approach that helps you . For us it was more a case of finding the best clinical approach, consulting with surgeons at centres of excellence and reading many , many research articles on who was achieving what ! On the other hand my mum dealt with it by doing none of that and looking more at her personal well being in the full knowledge that we were . She has had her tough times for sure but still I think I can say she has lived a good life over the last ten plus years in spite of a very difficult diagnosis. Hope you find a way forward that suits you .
Court
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