Anxiety and fear

i’ll be the first to say that I suffer from severe anxiety. However my anxiety has gotten the best of me and I convince myself that I have colon cancer. I’ve already had two colonoscopies the last one being in 2015

. My family keeps telling me it’s IBS but I’ve convinced myself it’s colon cancer. I don’t know if it’s possible for cancer develop within five years after having a colonoscopy since my last one I am due for one later in the this . The last one everything was normal and ended up removing some hemorrhoids and skin tags.

Over the last several months I’ve had a mixture of diarrhea and somewhat normal stool. the hemorrhoids get bad where I feel like I constantly have to keep going to the bathroom.

I took some Metamucil and it caused severe cramping and bloating so I stopped that. However I’m still having the cramping and bloating and when you Google the symptoms of colon cancer it says cramping and bloating is a symptom.

I’m really scared and emotional right now. It’s very hard because you can’t just go to see a doctor now with all the covid stuff going on. Or is it easier just to go to the ER because you have to worry about getting exposed to it. I feel really lost right now and scared and not sure what to do. I want to believe that I don’t have colon cancer but my mind is telling me that I do.

hi Joe,

do you have any blood in your stool? coating the stool or when you wipe?

colon cancer is slow to grow and is easiest to treat once the polyps are removed. i honestly do not think it sounds like cancer, especially if you had a colonoscopy 5 years ago and it was clear.

stress can do numbers to our bodies, one of them can be IBS flare ups. it might not be a bad idea to ask for a FIT test (tests for blood in your stool)

good luck!

Go private, just to help with your anxiety if anything. There are test kits for as low as £20.