Hi all-
I finally went to the doc. I have had trouble swallowing for a month or so and my appetite is gone. I am tired to the point that I easily sleep over 16 hours a day. I am bleeding rectally (I have UC since 2000) etc. I also noticed my stools have been very narrow and I have been constipated and when I take laxatives, I just **** what looks like bile and blood. When I tried to put a suppository in a little while ago I found a hardish lump, about the size and shape of a fat finger, fairly firm and rigid, and if you pressed on it, it bled.

Today I went to my doc and told her. She did a rectal. Since I was having my period, I had a tampon. She said she could feel a mass but told me it was the tampon. I told her that I can feel a mass in there all the time, even without the tampon in. She assured me it was the tampon, told me I might have hemmhorids (she only did a rectal, didn't look inside with a proctoscope) and is giving me a referral to a gastro. I asked her if the mass she felt could possibly be a hemmorhoid and she said there was no way a hemmhorid could be that big or that shape. The thing is, I have that mass all the time. I just took a shower and checked, without the tampon, and it's still there. If I press on it, it bleeds slightly. She was sure it was the tampon, but it wouldn't still be there if it was, right? So my question is, if it's not a tampon and not a hemmhorid and it's about the size of a finger and spreading up, firmish (about the density of a finger, fairly firm to the touch) and bleeds with contact, what could that be? Also, I am not sure how long it will take for the gastro but now I am kicking myself. I should've asked for an exam with the tampon out. I asked her if that mass wasn't a tampon pushing on the rectal wall what else could it be and her exact words were "I have no idea". Feeling it in the shower just now, I have to admit that it does roughly have the shape of a tampon but I know there is no tampon in, so now I am scared! Please, what could this be and what should I do next?

Your next step is to definitely see a gastroenterologist, to determine what the mass could be. Trust your instincts in this: you do feel something, it's not in your head. Since you've been bleeding from the rectum for awhile, I'm pretty sure the gastro will recommend having a colonoscopy. This test can not only check for polyps, but it can also see what else could be causing the bleeding. The Gastro will be able to address your concerns too about the difficulty you are having with swallowing. Don't put the test off. Schedule it ASAP. All the waiting and wondering will only increase your anxiety level. Check back and let us know how you are doing. Hope this helps.

Don't kick yourself. Chances are, your GP wouldn't know what to do even if you took the tampon out and she felt the mass. She would still refer you to the specialist, which is WHO YOU SHOULD BE SEEING. GOOD MOVE! Try not to freak in the waiting time period until you see the specialist.

Please keep in touch, and let us know how it works out.

Regards,
CancerDad