Two or three weeks ago, I noticed a little bit of blood on the toilet paper after defecating several times in a short span, but I figured it was most likely due to some sort of anal tear or something (since I didn't see any in the stool)...and I was reassured by the fact that I wasn't entirely surprised to see it as my anus did feel kind of raw.

However, the next morning, surprisingly, I again noticed a streak of blood on the toilet paper after going. After that, it seemingly stopped...I didn't notice anything until yesterday.

I was coming back from class and had an EXTREME urge to defecate and had to rush to the bathroom. This is pretty abnormal for me because this was unrelenting pressure and I knew I had to hurry. I was relieved after an explosive release of gas/stool...until I wiped and noticed that the blood was back. Again, I figured this might be something like fissures and I'd just reopened one or something.

However, after taking a nap, a few hours later I woke up and had to defecate. Everything seemed normal...but then I looked down and saw, detached and kind of floating separately, not interspersed with the stool, a mucusy blood clot-type of thing...basically just blood lined in mucus (bright red blood). As you can imagine, this scared the **** out of me.

What's scariest--it's completely painless. I'd imagine that's a sign it's colon cancer rather than fissures/hemorrhoids?

My family history--one grandfather survived colon cancer. That's the only one I'm aware of as far as that's concerned.

I'm noticing a change in bowel habbits right now, but then my bowel habbits have been consistently inconsistent for the past 3 or 4 years, with frequent bouts of diarrhea and constipation. There's really been no consistency in my stools at all.

I'm pretty sure people reading will recommend seeing a doctor...but the problem is...well, first of all, the thought of anything going up my rectum (be it fingers or a tube of some sorts) freaks me out. Then I'm debating whether it's even worth looking into...as I understand it, by the time symptoms show up, it's usually too late?

The last thing I want to do is go in, have a painful procedure, come back, have the doctor tell me I have Stage 4 cancer of some sort...and probably give me a time frame in which I have to live. I don't want to know...and I don't really want to risk finding out. I'd imagine that if I knew I were going to die soon...I'd basically be miserable for whatever little time I had left.

I worry a lot when it comes to health-related issues...so maybe it doesn't mean much when I'm almost positive it is colon cancer. But can someone give me a reason to see a doctor? Or a reason to doubt it's colon cancer besides the age thing?

Hi,

Just because you are experiencing blood doesn't absolutely mean you have colon cancer. There are a number of things that could be causing this, including fissures, polyps or hemmroids. But, the only way you are going to know for certain is to go to the doctor and insist on a colonoscopy no matter how badly it freaks you out. The sooner you go in, the sooner you can get something done. Ignoring something doesn't make it go away.

My husband was diagnoised with stage iv 7/04. It hasn't been a picnic, but he is still here, working everyday and we are living a happy life, not one we would have chosen of course but one that is still very much happy.

So, go to your doctor and find out what is wrong, then come back and let us know how you are doing. We will be there for you. :) dee

Please have yourself checked by a doctor. Remember, the discomfort felt by a rectal examination dissipates very quickly. Colonoscopies are done with sedation so that the only discomfort is the day prior to the exam when you undergo a rigorous cleansing of the bowel.

There are many things other than cancer that could be causing your problem. Alternating constipation and diarrhea can be indicative of IBS, which can cause bleeding too. Hemmorhoids, fissures, benign polyps, all could be the reason for some bleeding.

Symptoms are not necessarily related to stage of a cancer. Symptom development depends on location and a Stage 1 (the earliest and most highly curable stage) could cause symptoms if it develops in a tight location and exerts pressure causing discomfort or pain. I was diagnosed on a routine screening colonoscopy which revealed Stage 3 colon cancer and I had had no symptoms prior to the test.

Unfortunately, colon cancer seems to be affecting more people at a younger age, so it is important to check out any suspicious symptoms with a colonoscopy which examines the entire length of the colon (a sigmoidoscopy only looks at the lower part and would miss problems higher up). The Colon Club publishes a Colandar (calendar) with pictures and history of people who have developed colon cancer at a very young age.

Your chance of having colon cancer is extremely small but not non-existent. So do yourself a favor, grit your teeth and get that examination done. Your sense of relief afterwards will be worth it.

Leslietoo

I had some similar symptoms to you.. I finally am getting my colonoscopy. My mother was just diagnosed with Colon cancer (and treated). I have been putting off a visit to the Dr for a year now. Once she was diagnosed In dec and treated In jan. I bit the bullet and went to the Dr. I was so embarrassed because I was sure I had hemorrhoids. He said with my symptoms and history we need to make sure. I was shocked! I was like you terrified (and still am) that it could be cancer just like my Mom. However, My test is scheduled 3/13 and I already feel some relief knowing that I will have answers soon.

I would suggest going to the Dr, it might be a little scary but better than living in fear. I am still worried but I am very glad I went to the Dr.
Karen

Thanks for the responses, but personally I just don't see a reason to get it checked out when everything I read seems to suggest that I'm probably screwed if I have it and am having symptoms. Sure, I guess if it's NOT cancer but is something else that could lead to cancer down the road (like a polyp)...and I had it removed, having a colonoscopy would be helpful. But what are the odds that it's not cancer? I have pretty much every symptom in the book.

Occasional blood in stool (about 2 weeks in between bleeding incidents)...since tumors bleed only a little and inconsistently, this is probably the worst symptom to have. Irregular bowel habbits which I've had ever since I went to college (I swear, the KU food services had something to do with this...my bowel habbits never returned to normal after I consumed the laxative-loaded dorm food...I'd go home for breaks, go back to eating normally, and all of a sudden I'd have like 5 or 6 bowel movements and constantly feel like I had to go). Now I'm experiencing constipation--really small stools that appear really dark in color.

My guess is that I have multiple lesions or one really big lesion that affects both the upper and lower part of the colon, causing bleeding from multiple areas (hence red blood on toilet paper/in water floating around, plus dark stools/melena).

Only common symptoms I've seen that I don't have (or don't think I have) are anemia (although I've always been a less-than-energetic guy) and unexplained weight loss. I've never weighed more than 120 pounds or so (probably because of my metabolism...and now it makes sense why I was at such a high risk for colon cancer...because my bowels do so much work...maybe), so I don't even know what weight I have to lose. I'll have to weigh myself sometime tomorrow. Oh, and there's not really any pain or cramping...at least not abnormally for me. It just seems right now like I never fully empty my bowels and could always stand to go...but I never get much out.

This week has been a disaster for me as far as bowel movements are concerned. I guess being nervous/stressed out over the blood could play a role, though?

The ONLY thing that gives me outside hope (and what had me somewhat relieved during my first episode two weeks ago but evaporated immediately on Monday night) is that the first time I noticed any blood was during an incident where I had taken a few bowel movements in a short span and felt some tightness/burning/cracking/whatever in my anus...and was almost in the back of my mind EXPECTING some blood on the toilet paper. I had a small streak (the first time I can ever recall noticing blood after defecating) of what I recognized as blood and looked in the toilet bowl but didn't notice any real abnormalities as far as the stools were concerned. So I figured it was probably an anal problem. It seems awfully coincidental for it to have started during that incident and yet two weeks later I have bleeding that is from colon or rectal cancer...

But I find it hard to believe that a teaspoon or maybe a tablespoon or so of mucous-lined blood in the toilet bowl two weeks later is from an anal problem. I had noticed a small streak of blood on the toilet paper again (for the first time since about two weeks prior) during an earlier bowel movement, and again nothing in the stool or the toilet. I figured at that point that maybe I had just opened up whatever prior wound had been there because I had an explosive (but painless) burst of gas and some stool. Then I took a nap. And then I woke up, watched "Heroes," and had another bowel movement. Then I discovered the "Mucous-Blood Heard Round the World." Although I can't help but wonder--maybe it dripped out when I didn't notice it. Maybe it came out first...like it was inside my anus from some sort of deep hemerrhoid or fissure and the streak of blood I saw during pre-nap, BM #1 was only the "tip of the iceberg," so to speak. Maybe that blood stayed moist in there (is there mucous in the rectal area?), then when I defecated later on, it came out. Or maybe it came out last...maybe my bowel movement later on irritated that spot. Maybe...

But I think that's wishful thinking. Sorry for the rant...and I hope this doesn't rub anyone the wrong way as I know there's a lot of people here who KNOW that they have or have had colon cancer (or have relatives with it) and are battling it every day. But my life has mostly sucked up until now and this just seems like the fitting, miserable end...so without actual proof, I'm convinced I'm going to die. And every prospect of a colonoscopy terrifies me--from the prep with the horrible tasting liquid, to the procedure, to hearing the results...and then every prospect of the potential treatments as well (assuming there would even be a treatment)...or the prospect of not being able to stop crying and vomitting once learning I was going to die soon and possibly being given a time frame to live. And I've never had anesthesia. Closest thing I've had to surgery was having four teeth pulled.

I wish I had the courage, but I have absolutely no guts. I have the worst case of anxiety ever...well, that might be a hyperbolic statement, but it's pretty bad. I can't even swallow pills. And I HATE throwing up...I've managed to not throw up since January of 1998...if I had chemo, my 9 year no-vomit streak goes down the drain. I'm more than halfway there to Seinfeld's record...although I guess if I die, I don't get there anyway.

Funny, though...it always seemed like the miserable, spineless, pathetic life forms such as myself lived on forever.

Next stop for me: Hell.

You need to get yourself together, you are freaking out. Your anxiety is a problem you need to talk to your doctor about so that you can be in a position to deal with your physical problem. You are focusing on everything but survival. It is scary, being sick is scary, being tested is scary, treatment is scary. Don't you have SOMEBODY you are close to that can be there for you and help you through this? I'm sorry I couldn't read every word of your last post--but you obviously sound defeated. You don't even know for sure what is going on. I know someone who had some of what you describe, there is no cancer though there is a life long condition and it has to be treated. Your stress is making things worse. Please, for heavens sake, seek out someone who loves and understands you to help you get to the doctor and find out what the heck is going on. I'm sure I'm not the only one on this board with their fingers crossed that you get diagnosed immediately!

You need to get yourself together, you are freaking out. Your anxiety is a problem you need to talk to your doctor about so that you can be in a position to deal with your physical problem. You are focusing on everything but survival. It is scary, being sick is scary, being tested is scary, treatment is scary. Don't you have SOMEBODY you are close to that can be there for you and help you through this? I'm sorry I couldn't read every word of your last post--but you obviously sound defeated. You don't even know for sure what is going on. I know someone who had some of what you describe, there is no cancer though there is a life long condition and it has to be treated. Your stress is making things worse. Please, for heavens sake, seek out someone who loves and understands you to help you get to the doctor and find out what the heck is going on. I'm sure I'm not the only one on this board with their fingers crossed that you get diagnosed immediately!

Yeah, but who wants to put up with someone who whines and goes off the deep end like me? My mom had breast cancer and would get into these freak out modes...though not as severe as mine...and I didn't really know what to say or do...largely because there's not much you CAN say. I mean, you can try to reassure in times when it has yet to be discovered, but that's pretty hard when the symptoms are stacked against you. Luckily for my mom (and the rest of our family) her's was discovered at stage 1 where it had not spread to any lymph nodes and she's now past the 5 year mark. Colon cancer's a completely different beast. I'd like to be able to stand up and say "I'M GOING TO BEAT THIS THING NO MATTER WHAT"...and be the ultimate fighter...but you know what? Everyone I've ever seen or heard of who has taken that hard-line a stance has eventually died from it...aside from Lance Armstrong.

JT, that's not the answer and you know it. You need to do the right thing and you need someone with you. You are scared and that is human--but you need to pull it together and get in and find out what the heck is going on and stop speculating. It's hard for me to imagine there isn't someone to help you get in to find out what's up. Copping out sounds like the easy way out, but you would still be going through treatment of some kind (if it's this horrible scenario you are imaging)...people aren't going to let you just die! I know you are scared. Take the step, make the appointment and suck it up and go in!!!!! Your life isn't over, stop talking like it is!

Evie offered excellent advice. Right now, your first step should be to get to the doctor... not trying to prescribe yourself a death sentence. You need to find somebody that you can talk to. If you don't have anybody immediately available to talk to - find somebody... if you're still in school, you can find counselors that will support you, your employer potentially has a program set up, or your doctor could probably provide a recommendation.

As far as your question regarding mucus... almost all stool generally has a small amount of mucus that your intestines make to keep your colon moist and lubricated. So the quick answer is yes, that there is mucus in the area.

Regarding your dark stools - have you been taking any medicines with bismuth, like Pepto Bismol? This will turn your stool very dark, as will excessive iron... which could be a result of eating a lot of spinach, or vitamins, etc.

You say, "so without actual proof, I'm convinced I'm going to die." I have to ask - what proof do you expect to have of anything if you don't go to the doctor?

Statistically, the odds of you having cancer and especially as advanced as you are thinking that it is, are quite low. That's not to say that it the odds are zero - just that the odds are low. The symptoms that you describe could be many things...

JT,

I hope that I don't get into trouble for telling you this, but some other poster told you it could be Polyps. I was doing the same thing. I looked down and the water was full of blood and it looked like a bllod clot in it. I freaked out to. I went and had the Colonoscopy done and I was sceared to death to have it done. There was nothing to it! The Prep part is the hard part. I didn't feel a thing and I did have Polyps and NO I do not have cancer and I was tested for it. So see, you have already got your self diagnosed before you have seen the doctor and you really need to go to satisfy your mind like I did. The test ain't nothing! Believe me, I was out and woke up in recovery and didn't remember a thing. I have to repeat the scope in 3 years and I will go and have it done too. The test can save your life so please go and see a doctor.

Rather than having an episode about it, why not go down to the local health food store and buy a Colon Cleanse. It takes a couple of weeks and is ALL NATURAL. It's like two pills a day of natural herbs and extracts and will completely clean out your colon of all toxins. If you have problems after completing the cleanse, then move on to the next step. I'd be willing to bet that it clears it up.

JT... Unfortunately like another poster said...sounds like you're emotionally losing it. The anxiety issue definitely needs to be addressed. At 23 I totally freaked out because I saw some blood too. The blood in my case was caused by a small ulceration in the rectum.. meaning I had very mild colitis causing lots of blood.

The most important fact for you is... Blood found in people in their 20s is so statistically overwhelmingly not colon cancer that you can take relief in knowing that aspect of it. Yes young people do get colon cancer(there is a website devoted to young people) and blood should never ever be ignored but once again to assume colon cancer is just not reasonable at this point.

Your blood is so much more likely due to a fissure or hemorrhoids or possibly Ulcerative colitis (which is a disease of importance that needs to be monitored and treated) and which does strike young people between the ages of 15-30. Colitis along with any other type of inflammatory bowel disease is only diagnosed with a scope. To be honest ..whichever gastro doctor you go too will be thinking along those lines and not of colon cancer.

All that being said.. You need to go to the doc and have him guide you to the next step. You will have a weight off your shoulder and then you can then deal with the anxiety too.

Good luck to you

Mike

I really appreciate the responses. I made an appointment to see a gastroenterologist to discuss my symptoms. Only thing I know is that if he suggests anything going up my anus to explore, I'm going to just ask for a colonoscopy (since being awake and able to feel anything of that nature is one of my worst nightmares).

The problem with me is that I know all too well that the only thing that really matters is the end result. All the "plus/minus" talk and percentages used to reassure people...they're all meaningless if it turns out you have stage IV cancer (or any later stage cancer) and the end is likely near.

And with the percentages, they're so misleading it's not even funny. Yes, fewer than 1 percent of all those with colorectal cancer are under 35. But let's not forget that colon cancer is the 3rd most common cancer in the United States...so that still leaves quite a few people in that age group who have it.

Then there's the supposedly miniscule percentage of people in the 20-34 demographic who have it...but exactly how many people IN that demographic are there in the United States? I don't know the answer to this (I haven't been able to figure it out on google) but it chances the picture substantially. And of those, how many of them have experienced painless rectal bleeding in their 20's?

Now the chances are less miniscule.

And then I start looking at other explanations and what really scares me is that I can find more reasons to doubt that it's any of the alternate reasons than to doubt it's cancer. For example, fissures and hemorrhoids usually hurt. What's less likely, that it's painless bleeding from cancer, or painless bleeding from those two? I really don't know, but I suspect the probability is not nearly as slanted towards the former two as it is the latter once you reveal this crucial detail.

Then there's Crohn's disease and IBS. But just reading through the symptoms of those...I think I'd KNOW if those were possibilities considering how painful and debilitating they are. I do occasionally get diarrhea (and have since I was a kid...usually only lasts 1 day), but I'd suspect that's true of almost everyone. I think I'd feel significant irritation in some way if the bleeding were related to either of those two.

In general, I just think the total surprise at finding the blood is what scares me the most. The first time I'd ever noticed blood of any sort after a bowel movement (roughly two weeks prior to the blood-in-toilet-bowl incident), it wasn't THAT much of a shock because there was some tightness/mild burning/pain after having too many bowel movements in a short span of time. I figured I'd keep an eye on it but also figured it was probably nothing serious. It wasn't until this past Monday when it returned when I just didn't expect it that I freaked out...especially during BM #2 when I saw it IN the bowl for the first time...lined in mucous.

Wow, I write too much. :dizzy:

JT... I thought that I would reply back to you after having my colonoscopy done today.

First, some background on my situation:

I'm 25 years old. Approximately 6 months ago, I woke up early in the morning with absolutely horrible cramping. It was debilitating enough that the only way that I could get to the bathroom was hunched entirely over... practically crawling. I had a BM (fairly easy one at that) and immediately felt relief - so I went back to bed. I didn't notice if there was any blood at the time... I woke up a bit later in the morning and had to use the restroom again.

The second BM was diarrhea. I didn't really think about it until I went to clean myself. Their was enough blood that I managed to entirely saturate the bath tissue 4 times.

More blood persisted throughout the day, though not as heavily as that first event. The bleeding was painless, but it was there.

I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with my PCP which didn't lead to much. I then self-referred myself to the gastro doc. In the meantime, I was constantly switching between constipation and diarrhea... being constipated, only to go to the bathroom and have diarrhea, constant cramping, bloody mucus in the bowl, etc.

My gastro doc scheduled a colonoscopy, which I had difficulty with... Apparently, I was waking up in the middle of the procedure so only approximately 1/3rd of the procedure was completed. She did find and remove 1 polyp.

I just underwent my second colonoscopy today, under general anesthesia so that it could be completed in its entirety. Apparently, my bowel was still contracting so badly that they could still barely finish the procedure, but they did. 1 more polyp was removed that wasn't seen in the barium enema that I took after the first colonoscopy. BUT, aside from the 2 polyps, their is no indication of cancer.

The first polyp was determined to be pre-cancerous, and obviously still waiting results from the second... although I suspect the same.

The important thing here, is that you are already self-diagnosing yourself with the worst possible scenario... You ask, "how could it be anything else?" Well - I've experienced what you are experiencing... I've been scared like you are about what they would find. The fact of the matter is that I am at high-risk and will to have colonoscopies fairly often... but I don't have CRC.

You're not doing yourself any favors by assuming the absolute worst and trying to put yourself in the grave already.

Do you have any painful stomach spasms before the need to go to the toilet?

The thing is, though, those really don't sound like my symptoms. I'm not really suffering from chronic diarrhea. The blood I noticed was a clot-like thing...lined in mucous. It didn't turn the toilet water red, it just floated around the surface. I do occasionally feel some aches (sometimes in my back, sometimes elseware...they don't tend to last very long in one place)...but I don't know whether I'd really even notice them if I weren't so concerned.

However, I just recently had a bowel movement and noticed some really thin stools mixed in with more normal ones. It wasn't really a good, complete bowel movement or anything...but going along with everything else that's happened the past month, it kinda scared me again. Hopefully my next BM produces just normal-sized ones.

mate, it sounds like you may have an IBD and I can almost be certain its no cancer. although by the way ur acting it sounds like u actually want it to be cancer, maybe u have a prevailing anxiety or depression issue in ur life that u probably should see a psycologist about. I've been there done that and trust me only after going through all the crap, you realise it was worth goin through it and coming out on the other side stronger & happier than ever even if you do end up with a long term condition.
Pain is part of life, most ppl experience it, some more than others (including me) so stop ur bloody complaining (no pun intended) and do something about it.

Once u see ur doc and do the test no matter wat the diagnosis is, he/she will probably give u some meds and the whole thing will clear up in no time & u can get back to ur life. bobs ur uncle.