Hi guys- I got a script for asacol and I am going to try it for a few weeks to see if my symptoms don't go away. If they don't, I'll mention it on the 17th (have a doctor's appointment then, anyway) I have some questions, though. PLEASE ANSWER!!!

1. What does a rectal tumor feel like to the touch?

2. If you are used to bleeding quite a bit but it slows down a little (but still bloody) is that a good sign? If it was cancer wouldn't it get worse?

3. Can ulcerative colitis make you feel like you have a ball shoved up your *** (sorry, but that's what it feels like)?

4. How easy is it for a doctor to miss an abdnormal mass or growth when performing a DRE? If the mass moves, couldn't they momentairly push it higher up and miss it?

5. Is there a blood test to test for cancer of the colon/rectum?

6. Is there something I can do at home to find out if whatever it is, is serious? If it's just colitis it should go away with medication, right? If it remains, does that mean it's a tumor?

7. Is there a way I can make sure, if I get up the nerve for a DRE, that the doctor feels it? It moves a little and you have to press fairly firmly on the bowel to feel the hard bulge under. I am afraid if I do go, my doctor won't feel it and will think I am a hypochondriac?

8. How fast do tumors grow? Whatever it is, I am sick of worrying about it.

9. If someone has rectal cancer, do they have to have a permanent colostomy?

10. Isn't cancer in 22 year olds virtually non existent?

11. Can tumors move in the colon and rectum and sometimes sit farther back and sometimes push forward?

12. How easily do tumors bleed?

13. Is there something I can do to make sure that the doctor feels this weird mass? I am afraid that they'll push it back and not feel it or not realize it feels different to me than the surrounding area.

14. This is an important question- is rectal cancer hotter than normal rectal tissue? Could I maybe get some sort of indication if I took my temp back there? How much hotter than normal tissue is cancer supposed to be, degree wise?

I wish there was an at-home test I could do to see what's wrong. Cancer looks different than healthy tissue, right? Does anyone know if it's possible to examine themselves at home and actually see up there somehow?

I will give my colitis medicine a chance to work first though.

Also, lately i have been having trouble swallowing. I am sick of pesky, weird physical symptoms. I just know they are going to think I am a hypochondriac...

Hi,
my dad was diagnosed with rectal cancer last Oct. before that he was having blood in his stool from time to time for awhile, and he started to loss weight and often feel tired.
The best way to find out if you have rectal cancer is through colonoscopy or a ultrasound or CT scan to be even more clear.
By the way, if you have a tumor in your rectal area, then when dr just stick a finger in your rectal area, u should feel pain, and tumor will grow downward not upward when it is getting worse

Daisy

I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer, when I was 36. The best test to detect if anything is wrong, is a colonscopy. There is no home test and a sigmidoscopy isn't thorough enough. I know you're scared, but the agony of wondering if something is wrong makes it even worse. When I was being treated, I did meet other patients, who were in their 20s. Fortuantely, because we went in early to have the test, our cancers were caught in time. It's a myth that this is just an older person's cancer. It DOES NOT mean that you have it, but, the healthiest thing for your to do, physically and emotionally, is to go and get this test. All the best...

HI

Yes, it's possible to have cancer at 22. I've known of it in 17 year olds. It's not common, but possible.

While your problems could all be from the colitis, why take the chance? Go to the doctor and be checked! Cancers can be rapid or slow growing, depending on the type.

There are no home tests. Taking your temp won't tell you a thing. The only home test is for blood, and you already know that there is blood in your stool, so it would be pointless.

A colonoscopy is the answer here. Get one scheduled. You'll be in a twilight sleep during it, and most likely not remember a thing about it.

Good luck

Does Anyone Know What A Lipoma in Distal Ascending(RIGHT) Colon Is?

Hey, please get checked out, you feel much better. Believe it or not my sister was 19 when she died of colorectal cancer. We were in shock because of her young age. So please..get checked. =) best wishes.