I am wondering how many of you were told you had IBS...and how long after did you find out you actually had cancer?

I am asking as I have been dx'd with IBS-d...about 5-6 years now. Initially I was tested for Celiac...and we did some blood tests...fecal tests and made sure I wasn't lactose intolerant. But I have never had an examination.

My life was very stressful when this all started....but the last few years I have done some major changes in my life to make it better..but my bowel issues haven't improved at all.

I had some blood on my stool about few months ago...and since then off and on. I have a constant pain (some times it is more painful than other times) in my upper left abdominal area that hurts to touch.
The blood on the tissue is getting worse. I don't know if I have internal hemorrhoids...I don't thinks so...but I do think I have fissures from all the diarrhea.
How do I tell if I have hemorrhoids?
I went to my GP ( again ) and he is sending me to get a flexible sigmoidoscopy...have to wait to March to get in.
I am adopted so I don't know my family history on this, but I am young ( 33 years) don't smoke...play sports...so I am thinking it is just hemorrhoids and nothing major.

Hi twiggy

There are many posters here who were around the same age as you are now and who have been diag with cancer. My husband was 44 when diag and initially they treated him for hems and started looking at IBS. His symptoms were at that stage becoming worse so he eventually go to see a consultant colo-rectal surgeon who made the final diag.

A flex-sigmoidectomy will only see part the way into you colon. For us here in the UK it is often done at the first consult and from there a colonoscopy may or may not be done depending on the outcome. For my husband his tumor was low down enough for them to see it but for many others here their cancers would have been missed.

Make sure you ask about a colonoscopy if they do not find anything with the sigmoidectomy. Dont be fobbed off by the doctors.

thank you ktee_uk for your reply....
I really appreciate it.
Hope your husband is doing good...


Twiggy