I've had IBS since I was 19 years old - I'm 39 now. Currently I'm being treated for an anxiety condition which causes me to have an unusual amount of concern about my health. My IBS was really bad when I was younger, and it's flared up every few years for a short time and then just gone away for a few years and this has been the pattern. So now it's flared up again and this time it's been on and off for about two months. Of course now that I'm close to 40 I'm in a real panic about it thinking that it's cancer or something really bad. I have an appointment on Thursday with my family doctor. The weird thing is that when I take a Xanax, pretty much all my symptoms go away. So now what? Do IBS sufferers as they get older, need more cancer screenings and tests? How will I know if it's just my old IBS or something more serious?

You should discuss your condition with your doctor.
He may recommend that you indeed need a colon scope exam every few years. Periodic exams can catch cancer in the pre-cancerous stage and get it removed.