# So scared - could it be cancer?



## 22715 (Feb 1, 2007)

Hi everyone - hope you are all doing okay.I need advice.I've had pretty much constant diarrhea for nearly 18 months: that is, every day my stools range from very runny/sloppy to formed but very soft. I usually go on average about 3 times a day but it varies. I've had no bleeding. I do have the typical ranges of pain most of you get with IBS - nothing suggestive of anything sinister. I feel perfectly well otherwise.I am scared because I went to see another doctor recently as my other doctor just sent me for blood tests whenever I went back to her about my continued diarrhea. Those bloods always came back as okay. She did comment once that if I had cancer, my bloods would be "all over the place".But this other doctor I have just seen is sending me for additional tests including stool sample, liver and gall bladder scan and bloods. He didn't really give me any opinions on diagnosis.MY WORRY IS BOWEL CANCER. I am worried because (1) in approx 16 months I cannot recollect a single normal stool. At best, I may get one that is formed but softer than normal but that's not common. It's normally very soft and just holding it's shape or majorally sloppy. (2) I have no developed a gripping sensation under my right ribs.IS IT REALLY NORMAL WITH IBS TO HAVE SOFT TO SLOPPY STOOLS EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR SO LONG?Even if it is, is it doing me any long term harm being this way?I am genuinely petrified of what the test results may show. Does anyone have any advice?Thanks.JULIEx


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## Pam B (Dec 10, 2007)

Hey Julie,I completely understand your concern as I'm a newly diagnosed IBS-D sufferer and have had diaherria for the last 5-6 wks going 1-2 times a day with pretty severe cramping. Very few mushy stools, mine is more watery. SCARED to death! But I have had the stool sample tests, all normal, blood work, all normal, even had a vaginal ultrasound b/c I was worried about ovarian cancer, it too was normal. Today I go back to my GI doc and am gonna request another colonoscopy, I had one 2 yrs ago and it was normal but she said the last time I saw her that if I'm still having symptoms, we'll check for microscopic colitis (not sure what the difference is in that and IBS!) Can't believe I'm actually going to request a colonoscopy mainly because I can't imagine theres anymore stool left in me plus I dread that prep the night before but I'm not gonna rest till she gets in there and checks everything out. Haven't even thought about liver and gall bladder but will ask her about that today too, just one more thing to add to my anxiety which I know makes this mess worse. Living on Xanax and Immodium Advanced. Hard to believe a month ago I was having normal stools and eating whatever I wanted. This is crazy!!!!! Keep me posted on what you find out and I'll do the same. Good luck and send up good thoughts for me today----Pam


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## Cherrie (Sep 1, 2006)

Hi JulieMe too completely understand and sympathize with your concerns.From what I've read in your post, I don't feel you have any kind of cancer. It depends on the individual, but is very common for an IBS-Der to have D (soft or loose or watery) everyday. And yes it is normal for someone who has IBS-D to have that for years. And pain on either or both the left and right side under the rib is a very common pain symptom for IBSers, as the colon bents there at both places. Dr.s tend not to call (and will just mail a slip of paper to you) if your test results are normal, because there is nothing urgent and it's not necessary to contact you immediately. So, that's a good sign.And no, IBS is a functional disease, so even the D and the pain won't do any organic damange to the intestines (provided that one has ONLY IBS). If you don't have unexplained weight loss, nausea/vomitting, lethargy, swollen lower stomach, and bright red blood in stool _that cannot be explained by hemorroids_, then you probably don't have cancer.Here on this site we have a lot of different forums on different forms of GI diseases/symptoms, on treatments/meds/coping strategies, social and pyschological issues associated with a chronic illness, and the latest clinical discoveries. Please feel free to scroll down the main page and read into the posts on different forums.Cherrie


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## overitnow (Nov 25, 2001)

10 years, everyday, for me. Mark


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## clareuk (Feb 7, 2006)

Everyday (apart from the occassional day) for 5/6 years. Improved lately by daily imodiums which eventually allow me to go to work. Still not as bad as it was. I do have problems every morning and am on the toilet for about 3 hours before the imodiums work. Now it is often like a porridge consistency rather than the watery mess I used to have everyday and all during the day. If it hadn't been for the imodiums helping a little bit I would have plain given up. I worked in a large building, all young people with only 1 toilet used by males and females at the time. Went through ab hell and often had to sit on the public toilets during my lunch hours crying. Honestly I have a lot to thank those little tablets for. Not 100% but they have helped and allowed me to go outside sometimes and keep my job but I do still have bad mornings every morning which leaves me feeling bad for the rest of the day.Claire


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

It is normal for IBS to last for a long time (like months or years, usually you need 6 months or more of symptoms to get an IBS diagnosis if they are following the rules).IBS can be every single day and every single BM.If your blood work is alright the diarrhea isn't harming you. Especially if you are maintaining a weight consistent with what you eat. (if you don't eat and lose weight that is normal).With IBS-D the stool is moving through the colon faster than you can pull the water out of it. It isn't effecting nutrient absorption, just the water recycling. So there isn't any long term damage from being that way no matter how annoying it is.Sounds like the recent doctor is just making sure nothing else can account for the symptoms.Bowel cancer is really rare in people under 50 unless they come from a family with a genetic difference that causes them to have a large number of polyps much earlier than usual. If you don't have that it usually takes until you are over 50 to start getting polyps and very few polyps ever become cancer. They start checking for them and taking them out starting at 50 and that prevents most people from ever getting bowel cancer.One of the problems with bowel cancer is most people do not have any symptoms until right at the very end of life where you are so sick it would show up in blood work. Hope all goes well with your tests.You might check out ... Heather's diet helps some people normalize the stool consistency and frequency. Other people find LNAPE's Calcium helps a lot, she has some threads on that you might want to check out. Some people need medication to control things, but lets see what the doctor says after the tests.K.


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## wearyone (Jul 8, 2007)

Hi ju - I know you must be scared and it's fear of the unknown and "what if" that gets to us. But you are wise to keep visiting the doctor as I'm sure they will eventually discover if there is anything other than IBS going on. The one thing that you said that struck a chord with me was your pain under right ribs - made me think of my gallbladder which had to come out. I now take Colestipol among other things, which is a version of cholestyramine, and that helps quite a bit with D. So take heart if it is your gallbladder, there is hope! You may also want to investigate probiotics, calcium, fiber, low-dose anti-depressants and anti-anxiety agents to see if any of these can help you manage D. Wearyone


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