Hello Everyone,

I'm 26 years old with no family history of colon cancer or any type of stomach ailments or disease other than my grandmother having a couple of small stomach ulcers in her old age. About 6 months ago I had rectal bleeding for the first time in my life. It was enough to notice in the bowl and on the toilet paper, however it was not in my stool. After two days it cleared up without any complications or any associated symptoms of disease. Other than freaking me out and causing me to have a panic attack, I have been having normal bowel movements, a hearty appetite and pretty much a normal routine ever since. Also, I have had rectal irritation and itching for a number of years, which comes and goes, but sometimes can be very annoying. I mean there are times when i'm incredibly itchy down there and others when it feels normal as can be.

well, first of all, a colonoscopy is no big deal. it might seem like it, but trust me, it's nothing.

second, any time there is rectal bleeding, having a colonoscopy is the ONLY way to find out for sure what it is. so, yes, i believe your doctor was definately doing the right thing by recommending one for you. i've read some stories in the colon cancer forum where people's doctors didn't recommend a colonoscopy when they should have and by the time they had one it was too late. so i think it's a great sign that your doctor didn't hesitate to recommend one for you, especially at your age.

i'm 24 and i had rectal bleeding with some cramps and things like that, and it turned out to be ulcerative colitis... but i had to have a colonoscopy for the diagnosis. no doctor can just look at you or give you a rectal exam and tell you for sure what's causing the bleeding... they have to look in there and find out.

cancer is a possibility... but at your age there are a bunch of things it's more likely to be before that. it could very well be something as benign as a fissure or hemorrhoid.

but i would take your doctor's advice and get the colonoscopy. it's the only way to know for sure what's causing the bleeding.

put it this way... why put it off? just for the sake of argument say it's something serious. the sooner it is found the better. rectal bleeding is not a normal thing and it should always be investigated. it could be nothing serious, or it could be. go get checked out.

oh, and the thing about a sigmoidoscopy, is that, while it is essencially the same thing, it can only examine 1/3 of the colon and can be painful... most people will tell you it isn't too bad, but for me it was. a colonoscopy examines the entire colon, so there's no chance of missing anything that a sigmoidoscopy can't see, AND you are sedated for it and won't feel a thing.

the only time i would recommend a sigmoidoscopy over a colonoscopy is if you don't have insurance... because it's significantly cheaper than a colonoscopy. but otherwise you'd be better off just getting a colonoscopy.

bottom line:

you obviously are worried about this problem, and, as with everyone who encounters rectal bleeding, you have worries about it being cancer. the only way you will know for sure what is causing the bleeding is to have a colonoscopy.

Thanks for your reply. I understand how it's important to get a colonoscopy. And I will if I feel I absolutely must. I do have insurance. I just want to hear what another gastro guy thinks. I've never had any pain or even the slightest cramping. I've gained a lot of weight in the past year and never get sick. Since the rectal bleeding was bright red (2 occasions-8 months apart) it most likely will be coming from the lower colon. I just want to talk these issues over with another doc and see if there are alternatives that can identify the problem. I find it extremely difficult to believe I'd have ulcerative colitis, since most of my life I've eaten hot peppers and spicy food with no repurcussions. One other thing, the doc I initially went to, who ordered the colonoscopy...when I went in to get my bloodwork results (which all came back fine), he gave me hemmrhoidal cream because I was having some irritation/itching (as I mentioned has come and gone for years). So I just don't really trust this doc. I think he just wants to collect on the insurance. He seems to schedule quite a lot of colonoscopies.

I have to say, if I were you I would just get the colonoscopy. Just because you can eat spicy foods doesn't mean you don't have colitis or crohn's disease. One doesn't have anything to do with the other. It also doesn't really matter about your age. My mother-in-law was first diagnosed with crohn's at age 57 while my daughter was diagnosed at age 13. Secondly, cancer, while unlikely, is not impossible to get. My father got it at age 32 with no family history of it. Others have gotten it even earlier, and blood with no pain was my mother's only symptom (She got colon ca. at 54.)
Lastly, I would definately NOT reccommend a sigmoid unless you want to feel what women go through during childbirth! It hurts! (Even though the Dr. will tell you its just pressure). Besides which if you're gonna get a tube up there ya mind as well have a thorough job of it! Hope this helps.
PS I doubt the guy just wants insurance. Anytime there is blood it is important to find out why. Could be a whole myriad of reasons, a lot of them serious.

Ok well I guess I'll just go and get it done. I thought with Chron's Disease there is some right quadrant pain and fever or with Colon Cancer that things go from bad to worse. Once symptoms start, they stick around and tend to develop into worse things. I guess I need to take this more seriously. Damn all along I thought I may have been overreacting and just had an inner hemrrhoid or irritation that caused some blood. I don't have family history of either. Thanks so much for your advice, I guess I gotta get the scope. This sucks.

Don't get too anxious, an internal hemmeroid MAY be all you have, but you can't be too careful. When caught early, colon cancer is CURABLE. Good LUCK!!

i just think it's better to be safe than sorry. it very well could be hemorrhoids, but there is a possibility that it isn't... and just because you aren't having any pain or can eat spicy foods and the like doesn't mean anything. i never had a problem eating spicy foods, in fact i still do and it has no effect on me. everybody is different and everybody has different symptoms and degrees of symptoms.

and don't fret having a colonoscopy done... the prep sucks, but it's not too too horrible, but the procedure itself is a piece of cake... and if you do a search for colonoscopy on this board you'll see that 99% of the people who have had one will say the same thing.

Yeah I totally see your point. I thought I was scared before...hehehe. Close friends and family said that I shouldn't surf the internet because it puts crazy thoughts in your head. I guess that's partially true because I bled twice in 8 months and now I think I have Cancer, Chron's Disease, and Colitis. But I also read and have heard that bleeding is a common problem at one point or another for lots of people. I guess what I'm trying to figure out is what seperates those that get a colonoscopy at my age and those that don't. I mean certainly not all people in their 20's that bleed get colonoscopies. Why not? I'm sure the percentage is even lower in regards to colonoscopic procedures for those in my age bracket that occasionally bleed w/ no family history of any of the diseases mentioned in this post--with the presence of some anal irritation and itching as I have had. I'm just confused on where the line is drawn. I am not one to trust just one doc's opinion and I believe many are misguided into getting things done that are not necessary. If I was over 40--yes a colonoscopy is definitely a neccessity. I just want to be sure but the more I search for answers and the more I think of it, the more crazy I get. I just will be pissed about someone poking around my colon because they want to make a quick buck. If I was older or even had some type of family history or felt remotely ill I'd think differently. But all the advice I've recieved so far leads me to believe this is the wrong attitude to have. Thanks again! Just venting sorry. LOL!

well, i'm certainly not trying to freak you out or anything... and by all means, go get a second opinion. i know what you mean about surfing the internet and freaking yourself out... i went through the same thing when i first noticed blood and i was all but certain i had cancer. so the best thing i can tell you there is to just try not to freak yourself out, and remember, you can't diagnose yourself or have other people diagnose you over the internet. my opinion is just that bleeding should always be checked out, just to make sure it's not something more serious. but even if it's not, you'll want to find out the source and get it taken care of, because, as i said, bleeding is not normal... it is rather common i think, but it is by no means normal and should be taken care of.

it's easy for people our age to just say "oh well i'm young and i feel fine so it must be nothing"... but just because we are young doesn't mean we are immune to these problems. it's less likely to be something serious but it isn't impossible.

i hope you keep us updated on what you decide to do and how everything turns out. i wish you the best. :)

No you haven't. You have been very helpful. I just torture myself and I'm so damn stubborn. Thanks for all your advice and help. It's definitely appreciated because not many people would take time to respond to somebody elses problems. For that alone I'm grateful to you! I'll let you know how the scope goes if/when I get it. later!