Could I have Colon Cancer? I'm 16 and freaking out!!

Cancer
1

I'm 16, male and for the past 18 months I've had pretty much constant sharp rectal pain, assuming it was a hemorrhoid I just lived with it. Back in May (3 months ago) I was getting super fed up of the pain, getting stressed over it and just wanted to go back to enjoying my life! I was also about to start my GCSE exams, and I was quite chill about them but I was probably stressed just not knowing it. I decided to go to my GP to let them have a look. I was really nervous about the appointment and the night before with absolutely no new symptoms to trigger it, I suddenly thought "what if it's cancer!?" I know it sounds stupid, but I was really worried. So the GP wasn't too sure but they think they found a hemmoroid. They gave me suppositories which didn't work but I don't really care because over the next few days I started getting all kinds of mildish abdominal pains all over my abdomen. Then the thought of cancer popped back into my head and I started noticing mucus in my stool. Then I was sure I had colon cancer. These pains haven't really gotten any worse but they've settled around my lower right abdomen and they won't go away! The strangest symptom is when i push my stomach out quite far my lower right abdomen feels sore, almost as if its like in the muscles lining my abdomen. I had similar pains a couple of times before, terrified it was appendicitis, but after a week or so they went away, usually after I convinced myself it wasn't appendicitis.

My Sypmtoms: 

Changing lower right abdominal pain, occasionally moves around.

Occasional mucus in stool

Occasional constipation

Fairly frequent gurgling noises from my right abdomen 

Sharp rectal pain (probably caused by a hemmorid but I heard it could be IBS)

Sore when I push out my stomach as if it is muscular pain

My questions are:

Could I have IBS and be experiencing a very long flare up caused by the stress of the rectal pain/exams/GP visit/worrying about cancer - or maybe just general anxiety causing the pains

Could I have colon cancer?

How can I stop worrying? 

Any chance the suppositories caused an IBS flare up?

Could it all be muscle pains? I sit at a computer basically every day

I drink a lot of fizzy drinks and my diet isn't great... Could that in itself cause all this?

I'm really worried I have colon cancer and it's ruined my Summer sad

I've been told it would be rare at my age and even rarer on my right side!

2

Hello Jack

I am so sorry to earn of your distress, you sound so worried.  I am no doctor but I think colon cancer in someone of your age would be very rare, so unlikely.  You seem to have very many stresses, what with your exams, and its common that ibs is brought on by stress.  Because you are so worried about it is probably making it worse.  You have done the right thing in visiting your GP.  I think if your GP suspected colon cancer, he would have sent you for a colonoscopy right away.

Go back to your GP, ask all the questions, and if you cant get a satisfactory answer, insist on a colonoscopy, that will detect any problem in that area you have, it wont be colon cancer.  I wish you well, and its easy for me to say this to you, but stop worrying, everything will be alright.

Margaret

 

3

Well yes it's been very rare to have colon cancer at this age, but your symptoms indicate that there is a possiblity. Just go for the test and clear it. No need to worry everything will be alright as you can take precautions from now onwards.

4

Hey Jack1404, I know this thread was posted about 4 months ago but I was wondering what you were diagnosed with after your appointment at the doctors? I have been recently having almost identical symptoms and wanted to know what it was.

Thanks!