# IBS Sufferer Fear of Pancreatic Cancer



## sufferofIBS79 (Jul 5, 2009)

Greetings,This is my first post here so a little background. I was diagnosed with IBS about 10 years ago (19 at the time) and its the constipation type. For 5 years after the diagnosis I suffered and usually would go a week without an BM. Then after I got married it went away to come back with a vengeance about 5 months ago. I had tests done (blood work/ colonoscopy) etc... Like many of us who suffer with IBS I also have anxiety. For some reason I freak out that I have pancreatic cancer. So I suppose I am trying to see if I am alone with this fear and for those of you who had/have this fear what did you do? I haven't lost weight, no jaundice, I eat well, don't smoke, am 29 years old. The pain is horrible when I cannot go which is now about once every 3-4 days if I am lucky. So let me know.Thanks


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

While cancer is painful right at the end it usually starts out mostly painless until the tumor is so large it starts pushing on stuff or really messing with the organ.Tumors don't have pain nerves in them. I don't know if early cancer has pretty much no symptoms helps the fear all that much, but if you have had the same pain for a few years and no evidence of organ malfunction it likely isn't cancer as usually by the really painful stage you don't have years left to live.


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## sufferofIBS79 (Jul 5, 2009)

Kathleen M. said:


> While cancer is painful right at the end it usually starts out mostly painless until the tumor is so large it starts pushing on stuff or really messing with the organ.Tumors don't have pain nerves in them. I don't know if early cancer has pretty much no symptoms helps the fear all that much, but if you have had the same pain for a few years and no evidence of organ malfunction it likely isn't cancer as usually by the really painful stage you don't have years left to live.


Hey Kathleen,Thanks for the reply. Well my concern is that my IBS was dormant for 4 years and in the last 6 months it has come back. Like I said I had many tests done (although no CAT scan or anything of that nature). My doc has felt around my belly, got the colonascopy, blood work. But still anxiety for pancreatic cancer.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

IBS can have periods of remission, so it doesn't have to be something different when the pain returns.As long as you are getting regular check ups I would try to let the anxiety go. If you can't control the anxiety it may be worth seeking some help for that. Heightened anxiety pretty much makes all symptoms of all things worse than they would be so controlling the anxiety sometimes goes a long way to making things calm down.


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