# very worried and scared



## Rlb16 (May 21, 2009)

*In the UK, Male, 19 yrs old, 6'5, and would probably be described as obese.*For as long as I can remember I've always had to force a little when going to the toilet, even though my stool is pretty much always soft which never really worried me because I'd go regularly at all the same times each day without worry (probably about 3 times a day). It is worth mentioning that I had noticed blood on the toilet paper before from time to time, but in the most minimal amounts, barely a pin prick. I'd asked my parents about it and showed them and it was passed off as normal (they said they both get the same thing occasionally).About a month ago now I experienced a bright red bleed on the toilet paper in a large amount (nothing on or in the stool, or toilet), almost like a nosebleed in quantity. This severely stressed me out and panicked me. Over the course of a few days I built up the courage to tell my parents about it because the worry was effecting my sleep (waking up early), I'd become restless, I wasn't eating properly, I was bloated and my trips to the toilet were all over the place with all kinds of shapes, the most dominant being flat broken up stools. I'd even started getting stomach cramps. We booked a doctors appointment the next day and I explained everything to her, she suggested that it was probably a fissure and definitely nothing to worry about.The next day I again had the same bleeding (this was the second time in a week), which of course with anxiety setting in it made me exceptionally worried and I began to shiver with almost flu like symptoms. I went straight to the hospital this time seeing both a nurse and doctor and they both reaffirmed what my GP (general practitioner) had said. The doctor checked for blood by inserting a well lubricated finger just to be safe and nothing was present.By this point the worry had already set in and I had begun looking for answers on the net with everywhere wanting to suggest cancer. This only heightened my fears because at 19 you don't expect something like that... I'd become so worried that I booked an emergency appointment with the areas best GP who is widely regarded as the best around and appointments are hard to come across with him. I explained everything to him, from the initial findings of blood all the way down to finding it difficult to eat my usual amount. This time he did a full exam with both fingers and a little camera to see the first couple of inches inside my rectum. He said there was definite evidence of a fissure which would explain the blood, but he couldn't feel any evidence of piles, etc. Despite the fact that when I go to the toilet and force I can feel little bumps on my anus.He prescribed me something for the anxiety which he suggested had caused the flu like symptoms without a fever, the shaking the restlessness etc. And suggested that my anxiety had probably caused me to get IBS which he said would explain my stools being all over the place (mainly in the mornings), the difference in textures, the cramps and loss of appetite. He said to be safe that he'd send me for some blood tests and that he'd see me again for the results.Well the tablets were for 5 days and seemed to lower my anxiety somewhat. Although I wouldn't say I was worry free but the urges to go to the toilet were still there and I'd now begun to pass mucus instead of stools every now and again. (kind of watery, clear, sometimes brown/yellowy from feces obviously).When I went back to him for the blood results he said that everything was normal. There was nothing wrong with the protein in the blood which he said there is usually signs of something when a tumour is present, he said that my liver and kidneys were working perfectly, no signs of anemia I presume, everything was fine. The only thing slightly up was my sugar levels but he believes that is because of my weight. He said that this makes him feel more confident of my main problem being IBS now and that I should work on my anxiety to try and cure the IBS. He then said that I should go back in a few weeks if things continued but he booked a phone consultation to see how things were going.Well after this my appetite seemed to return somewhat, not perfectly but my intake was increasing again and I was eating pretty much whatever I wanted. The bloating also seemed to reduce after I started taking some probiotics.The last few days though things seem to have worsened again, I can feel the anxiety returning, and my appetite has gone again. My bowel movements are still all over the place, and the urge to go sometimes results in nothing happening. If something does happen it's either a bit of mucus, or wind after the first 1 or 2 bowel movements of the day. I also feel tired probably due to waking up early all the time and fatigued.*Basically my main symptoms now are:Lack of appetite. (comes and goes) been having trouble eating meat for the last two days, it made me sick yesterday. I find that I'm chewing meat for ages.random stools. Sometimes watery, differing in sizes but mainly very flat and broken up. (no blood) Sometimes it's quite a load, others it's a single small stool, then others it's rabbit droppings or mucus.I can feel bumps on the end of my anus when I force.Mucus as mentioned (not bloody at all, occasionally the colour of poo)urge to go to the toilet even if it is just gas.occasional dots of blood on the paper (barely a pin prick here and there as mentioned above), this mainly after going to the toilet a few times during the day, it's clearly fresh and could be coming from the skin tag I can feel from the fissure but it still worries me.Sometimes my anus itches, or stings, particularly after a watery stool but there is no pain when actually defecating. tiredness (waking up early, some nights I'm just restless, tossing and turning, getting little sleep) I feel fatigued, and a little achy.Right side abdominal pain. Hardly a pain but a sensation that comes and goes on the right side away from the belly button. (I don't have it for days then it comes and goes in small bursts.)I get shivers, headaches, very ocassional back pain, just below the right flank.I'm very worried about this, I don't know if it is fissures & piles, or IBS and anxiety, or cancer or even all three but when I just seemed to get a little better now I'm feeling bad again, not quite as bad as before but still bad. I haven't had the very bad bleeding for 3 weeks now but everything else seems to be here there and everywhere.My next GP appointment is 1st of June (when he'll probably send me to a GI specialist I hope) but I feel like I need answers now.







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## Rlb16 (May 21, 2009)

Please help me, I'm so scared!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Sounds like IBS and hemorrhoids. It is extremely unlikely to be cancer and what you describe sounds like IBS with maybe some hemorrhoids.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

It sounds like severe anxiety to me and you seriously, seriously need to calm down. You are 19 years old!It is most likely IBS and if two GPs have told you fissure, then it is probably that. Fissures and piles are most common cause of bright red bleeding! Relax!Wait until your GP appointment. If all your tests were fine, don't worry.I know you've probably heard this before, but losing some weight will help with the sugar levels. I would suggest this is something you address now rather than in 20 years time when you have diabetes!Good luck! x


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## Rlb16 (May 21, 2009)

First of all I want to say thank you to both Kathleen and Nikki for responding to my post. I just wanted to post again though and give you all an update and also ask a few questions. I went to my appointment, June 1st, and my Doctor has sent me to a GI specialist with the hope that they'll do a colonoscopy, he was just going to request a sigmoidoscopy (I think that is the right term) but because my pain is right sided he's asking for the big one to cover all bases. My doctor is of the belief that there is nothing serious going on with me (e.g. Cancer) mainly because of my age, and how I describe my symptoms but because of my anxiety towards the issue he wants me to get fully checked out so that they can be sure it isn't an IBD rather than IBS and to also put my mind at rest. My appointment with the consultant is June 26th and then he'll decide if I actually need the colonoscopy or not but I'm told they usually follow through with your doctors requests, so fingers crossed. I know most people are scared of having the scope done but I actually want it as I can't carry on living in fear of there being something more serious wrong with me because when my anxiety kicks in it makes me feel ten times worse. So with the scope I'll know pretty much 100% one way or the other. Hopefully they'll tell me it's just IBS-D...My general doctor has also put me back on the anxiety meds and has told me to take them when I feel the most agitated by everything, which does help to some extent. So yeah, I'll report back on how my appointment goes when it comes around...---------------------------As for me in general, I'm not to much different. I actually find it very strange because I can go days or even a week or so of feeling completely normal then all of a sudden I'll get up one morning and I'm back to square one with going to the toilet 5-10 times in one day and the stools just being very loose with some mucus and feeling like absolute #### for a few days to week. By that I mean, tired, sluggish, a bit of backache, lower abdominal cramps when needing to go, etc. I still see the tiniest amount of blood on the toilet paper but I can pin this to one or two spots which I assume is where my fissures are, especially the spot where the skin tag is (both spots are top and bottom, the midline, which I've read is where fissures occur). ---------------------------*On to my questions*. I know this may seem tedious and annoying but I'd love to get your responses to a few questions because everything they tell you/what you read is all very general and you really don't get any context so I thought I'd ask the people who are suffering like myself.*Is it normal to feel bad for a prolonged period of time, like a few days to a week or more?* because I read about flare ups and it sounds like it happens one day but not the next but with me I tend to be bad for a while then good for while.*Does anyone feel any pressure/ache in there anus?* I find on my bad days my abdomen is a little crampy but what really takes me to the toilet is the feeling of needing to go, like a pressure as if there is something that really needs to move but when I get there after the first 1-2 times very little happens, just some small loose stools and mucus. The pressure goes away though almost immediately after sitting on the toilet but then it comes back an hour or so later or whenever I need to go again... I don't know if it's pressure or just an ache but I feel it where my skin tag is the most, maybe that's just a coincidence. When I'm having a good spell the pressure/ache isn't even there and doesn't return until I start to flare up again.*Odorless wind?* When I feel good my farts stink as much as anybody elses but when I feel bad I tend to fart more and they just don't have any smell at all, is this normal?*Bad sleep?* I'm never in pain when I go to bed and I don't wake up and have to rush to the bathroom but I just find my sleep is a little restless, like I might wake up in the middle of the night for no reason, then go back to sleep, but I nearly always wake up really early like between 5:00-6:30AM and then that's it I can't get back to sleep until m normal bedtime.*Tiredness?* Probably related to the bad sleep thing, but especially on my bad days I feel tired and sluggish, is this normal with IBS?*Could it still be cancer?* I still worry like crazy about this. It's been about 2.5 months since all this started properly. I mean I've had flatish to flat stools as I mentioned in my first post for as long as I can remember as well as the ocassional toilet rush, but then again I've only just started paying 100% attention to my stools since I got the fissure. So I can't fully say if I've always been like it or if it's knew (flat stool wise). I think I remember noticing before but paid no attention to it. at 19 I know I shouldn't even be thinking of cancer but it's pretty hard not to. The one thing that sort of keeps me in check is that I've read more than once that colon cancer, once symptoms start, will progressively get worse during a 3 month period without treatment. Well I'm definitely no worse, in fact my latest flare up isn't as bad as my last so that's good right? Also wouldn't the symptoms be more continuous rather than on off like mine are?Thanks for any help that is thrown my way and as I said I'll give you guys an update after I've been to the consultant. EDIT: Ooh... I've also noticed that I'll go more in the morning than any other time of day. Like I might go 2-3 times in the morning and then once after lunch and then dinner but by the night I'm fine. Nothing happens, no rush, no major problems. Is this common with IBS?


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## Rlb16 (May 21, 2009)

Can somebody still please give me extra advice and answer my questions? i know you guys probably think I'm a pain but I'm scared and feel alone.


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

These are all questions for your doctor. Have a rational think and ask yourself those questions again and i think you'll probably find a lot of them yourself.


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## Rlb16 (May 21, 2009)

I went to my hospital appointment on the 26th and had a lengthy discussion with the doctor about my symptoms. He took almost a complete medical history and we went though everything that has been happening since around mid-april. In fact after talking about it I think I can trace my symptoms back further... Not so much the pain/aches but the form of my stools, I think I've often had bouts of loose stools but never thought much of it because I never had any other symptoms often enough to bother me. Then when I became anxious and stressed by things thats is when all the pain started.Any way he evaluated me, and then did an examination, listening to my chest, quickly checking my joints, feeling my abdomen and finally he did a rectal exam with a proctoscope. He said that there was no imflamation of the lining of the rectum/tiny part of the colon he could see, no evidence of blood and no abnormal growths were present. He did find hemorrhoids, which he said will bleed from time to time, mostly unnoticeable bleeding but occasionally he said it would be more obvious. He also found the fissure again. I was pretty sure he'd see that again considering it's given me a bit of pain for a few days, so I'd suspected that it had returned. My only worry with that is that I don't want it to become chronic...Any way after about 30-40mins with the doc he sat me back down and said that in his opinion I have two problems. One being the hemmies & fissure that has cause the slight bit of blood I've seen on the T-paper from time to time and the other being probably IBS. He said that there could be a slight chance of it being a mild form of an IBD and so he agreed to do a scope to check out the rest of the colon that the proctoscope couldn't see just to make 100% sure but he said he was sure they wouldn't find anything.This has eased my worries some having 3 docs now, 2 general docs and one doc who deals with this everyday, tell me practically the same thing but I think once the scope is done my worries will be over, or at least I hope...


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