Fear or fraud

So sorry to hear about this, and yes it is normal! It doesnt feel very normal but  its  so scary. I think we would probably all say that the waiting time is the worst because you have no idea what is going on. Even if you get a diagnosis of cancer, that is not as bad as the waiting as you then know what the situation is and what the plan is. 

I pretty much had the same as you, years of  similar problems (far too many years for that to have been related!)   before a lot of blood and yes, I did end up with a diagnosis of early stage cancer, but everyone on this forum as a rule HAS been diagnosed, there are loads and loads of people  out there who have  had these symptoms and did NOT turn out to have cancer and therefore aren't chatting on here!  The fact that you feel poorly and poisoned might even mean you've  just (!!) got an infection. 

If they get it at an early stage, it's very often very treatable. Cancer does not have to equal a trip to Dignitas! But don't google. Just stay away from everything until you know where you are. It's really hard to go through the worry- to be honest I dont even know what I did with myself during it, I think I watched incredibly rubbish TV or something I wouldn't normally do.  But wishing you lots of luck. Ask your GP also for something to help you sleep or calm you down or both, no shame in that. 

Hi Exeldama and a warm welcome to the board. You’ve had a great reply from Lucy and I know it’s difficult but try to stick to the facts and not over- think things. There are a lot of things that can cause blood in the stool like piles, colitis, ibs, crohns, diverticulitis and only 1 in 10 colonoscopies results in a cancer diagnosis.

If, and it is an if, it does turn out to be bowel cancer then there is a lot of treatment available and a trip to Digitas is definitely not necessary. By worrying you are also putting stress on your body which will result in other symptoms making you even more worried and it becomes a circle of anxiety.

Please talk to your doctor and see if they can help you or ring the support desk on the number below for a chat?

Take care

Karen x

Please use this forum to talk to someone! We've all been through the same fears and doubts.

I've actually been through this 'blood in poo' situation twice: the first time, it turned out to be 'just' bleeding piles and a parasitic infection (giardia).  It sounds like yours - it *did* feel like I had an infection in my guts from that, it got much worse over a year or two. It was treated very easily with banding of the piles and a giant pill to kill the parasite!

25 years later, when I had similar symptoms, I was sure it was either the same again, or IBD or similar. Turned out that was wrong...

The good news is that even if it is bowel cancer, most likely that it is treatable - bowel cancel is one of the most treatable cancers out there - my colonscopy nurse was almost dismissive about the seriousness of it because it's generally an easy cancr. Even if not, have a long path of treatment options which often keep it in bay until you die from some other cause.