first let me say im a 25 male and i suffer from health anxiety so i am always worried i have the worst.

I started having stomach pains 6 months ago that lasted for around 2 weeks. I was also having thin pencil like stools or sometimes flat sided rectangular.
I schedlued an apt with a gastro, he looked at me and did some tests and then he scheduled a sigmoidoscopy (mainly because i asked him to because i was worried). i had the sigmoid in april (about 5 months ago) and he said it looked perfect, nothing wrong. I saw him again 2 weeks ago for a checkup and i told him that i still have the changing stoll habits sometimes thin pencils sometimes rectangle.
He told me that He pretty sure i have some IBS brought on by stress or foods but i was not prescribed anything, just to expirament with my foods. I've really had no other symptoms than the thin stools since the stomach pains and bloating/gassy.
I told the doc i was still worried and he said that if cancer was causing my thin stools it would be in the sigmoid because if it was in the upper colon than the stool would have time to reform itself in the sigmoid. he said the chances of me having colon cancer are virtually nothing. is that true about the stool reforming?
I am just very worried about my stool habits because they have been the same with thin or rectangular stools for over 6 months now. Once in a while i do have a normal shaped one but rarely.
Should i have a colonoscopy scheduled or do you think that I am really worrying abou this too much and its probably just IBS like he said?

Please i appreciaite any response to help me calm myself down, thank you

please anyone? 72 views and no one can even offer advice?

i get ibs during stressfull times and when i worry too much,, bad diet doesn`t help either, i think you may be worrying a little too much,, and i aint ever had constant stool shape,,always different shapes colours sizes lol ,,,i am the same age as you too, but i think its normal, gut pains sometimes coincide with sitting in one place to long sometimes, like the twinge ive just had now cos ive been sitting here ages,, i would only worry if you where in constant pain, or have blood in your faeces,, remember stress and worry and bad diet cause ibs usually,, so try to forget about it for a bit , eat plenty of fruit and fibre in your diet and see how it goes,,,if you are still worried see your doc again,

Hi Johnny:

My husband has been suffering from IBS since kindergarten. After years and years (40) of seeing numerous doctors he was diagnosed with IBS. He was instructed to take Konsyl every morning. Konsyl is like Metamucil. He takes one teaspoon mixed in juice every morning followed by a large glass of water.

It took a couple of weeks, without skipping any days to show results. It has changed his life for the better. It has been 15 years and he still takes his daily teaspoon of Konsyl. He does this even when on vacation.

I do not know whether you have IBS. With what the doctor said, I doubt you have colon cancer.

So why not try the Konsyl faithfully for one month? Konsyl is only about $14 at Walmart and the jar should last you about 4 months. Konsyl is 100% natural, so it cannot hurt you.

If you do not like that idea and you want to change the shape of your stool, start eating a lot of fiber. You will see a definite change if you eat a bowl of bran flakes every day and some fruit (apples and oranges). Doctors recommend men to eat 35 grams of fiber a day.

All of these ideas are healthy, so give one a try.

Hello, hope you are feeling better today. I had a friend, she is 40 now. When she was 35, she was having blotting and stuff (no blood). The docs sent her to have a hysterectomy, it was ok, then they sent her for a sigmoscopy, it was ok nothing showed up. She asked them if she needed a colonoscopy and the gastro doc said no that the sig was ok and at her age she was too young for colon cancer. Well, she finally talked them into doing a colonoscopy and she had colon cancer, they were very surprised, they sent her the very next day for color surgery. She went through chemo and now is doing great. Not trying to scare you, but sometimes you have to push the docs to go on for further test. Good Luck!!!
Cynthia

i just want to update that I talked with my doc again and he insisted that I do not need a colonoscopy but I made him schedule one anyways. My stool shape has been mostly normal now that Ive stopped drinking my D&D's coffee every morning.
So, I have my colonoscopy on the 28th. Its going to cost me 250$ probably but I guess i can pay that for peace of mind.
Im just really nervous about the prep. I have a very weak stomach and I dont know how i will handle this 2-3 liters of crap i will be drinking with nothing more than some liquid in my stomach. Its making me so nervous that Im debating canceling the procedure

I think that as you are obviously very worried about this, it would put your mind at ease to have a colonoscopy.

Sorry about all your anxiety. I agree, $250.00 is a small price to pay for peace of mind.

Here in Canada we have a prep called Pico- Salax. I had that for my last colonoscopy and it was great. You get 2 small packets of powder, you mix 1 in a glass of warm water at 8:00 am and the other at 5:00 pm on your prep day. Very gentle. Could you ask your Doctor about taking that? There may be the same or equivilent available to you.

However you have to do it you will feel at peace and whatever the outcome you will cope with that. As one very anxious person I speak from experience.

Best wishes
Moondoggy

Good for you.

I don't mean to scare you, but I had no symptoms. By a fluke a doctor recommended a colonoscopy. I too paid for it out of pocket because I was under 50. However, when they found a mass, the insurance kicked in.

I advise everyone to get a colonoscopy, just for piece of mind. I wish I would have even had hemmoroids or some sort of sign, so that I could have found out sooner.

Good luck.

I'd rather drink tons of that stuff, then be dead of colon cancer...

Hi Johnny. Please DO NOT cancel that appt. for the colonoscopy!!!!

If caught soon enough colon cancer survival rate is very good.

I went last week for one myself and it could not be completed because I have "narrowing of the colon"....Now they have scheduled me for a barium enema this coming Monday...Yes, I too am very concerned about this. I am a lot older than you. I am almost 62 and have not had a colonoscopy for about 15 years.

When I had to do the prep stuff, I was given a prescription for PILLS....

I had to take 4 (horse) pills every 15 minutes for 1 hour (between 4pm and 5pm.) 32 pills total....I had to drink 8oz. of water every 15 minutes with the pills.

Then the morning of the colonoscopy, I had to take 4 pills followed by 8oz. of water for 1 hour....After that I could not have anything to drink.

I just posted regarding my narrowing of the colon above.

Why don't you ask the Dr. to give you the pills...They are a breeze....
I can't drink that crap they give. It makes me gag...

My dr. said he had to take the liquid a few years ago and he will never have any of his patients doing that...He always gives pills. I was sure relieved to hear him say that...

Good Luck Johnny, and please don't cancel that appt. Make sure you tell the Dr. doing the exam that you want to be knocked out when it is done. I never felt a thing.

See ya, Brenda

Thank you all for your concerns.
I think what I have actually is a prescription for 2 ducolax pills to take at 3pm, then I have a prescrip for a 4 liter bottle of colyte with flavor packets The nurse said I only need to finish about half of it.
I dont think im gonna cancel it, I was just worried because I have a phobia of vomiting. I also have alot going on because I just bought a house with my fiance and the closing is dec 20th so Ive been running around like crazy and spending money out the yingyang on house things lol.

But I think I can handle that for one evening rather than canceling it and not knowing if im OK or not till something goes wrong and its too late.

Thank you all, I will let you know how it goes

Dear Johnny:

I had a colonoscopy in October. You need to drink all of the stuff, not just half. Be careful, at my hospital, if you cancel 5 days or less before the procedure, you still have to pay your co-pay. You really have to go through with this if you are going to have peace of mind.

In order to drink the stuff, I had several big gulps, followed by some tea or flavored lime gatorade (just cannot drink colored red) Then I would take some more gulps followed by the flavored drink until the cup was empty. Then I would take a small piece of mint flavored gum and chew on that to get the taste out of my mouth. This system worked great.

The liquid tastes somewhat like water with baking soda in it. If I can drink the whole thing, then you can too. After every glass tell yourself that you can do this. That you are strong and that countless men and women have succeeded before you and that you will too.

Remember that the mind is powerful and that you need to think continual positive thoughts. You can do this, you are strong!!!

Had my colonoscopy 3 hours ago and the doc said I am perfectly fine, not even any polyps, no krohns disease or diverticulosus. So I guess I can safely say that I have IBS nowfrom strees or certain foods. Thanks again for all your advice and concern.

The prep was not fun at all though. I had 4 liters of colyte I finished that in around 4 hours and was running to the bathroom every 10-15 min until 11:30pm and I had a massive headache from not eating all day and an upset stomach from the colyte fluid but i survived. I did what you said belle with the gatorade and mint gum it helped out alot, thank you.
It was very tough to sleep as my headche would not go away and I actually woke up in cold sweats twice during the night. But I am ok now after my 2 breakfast sandwiches and big coffee lol. Just some mild cramping thats it.

Thank you all again

You mightbe this you might be that.A gastroenterologist would give you the
tests to determine if the problem is in the small intestine or if you have a small blockage or if it could be bad eating habits. Don't ignore your symptons.
Their are many options to your dillema .And none may apply.

good health,bernie

Can anyone else answer a quick question as well because my docs office is not open on weekends. I just had my first BM finally after my colonoscopy 3 days ago and there was some white streaks of mucus in the stool and white fragments, is that normal? One had a very slight pinkish hue probably from some blood but what is the white stuff?