crohns disease, colon cancer or something else? - Crohn's Disease / Ulcerative Colitis Message Board

toomanyquestons · 05-24-2006, 01:18 AM

hi everyone, this is my first time posting here so be nice please

. be warned tough the following is pretty gross! over the past year i have noticed blood in my stools, its not all the time, usually once a month and the other week there was just a really excessive amount of blood so now im doing some research to try and find out what it is. my uncla had crohns disease and my grandfather has colon cancer and my cousin and mum are aneamic (all on mothers side), so as you might see, it doesnt look to optimistic!
so basically i was hoping if someone could tell me at what stage should i see a dr as i am quite reluctant to and what their symptoms involved if they have/had anything like this.
some other symptoms i have noticed are:
sore eyes
tiredness
strong abdominal cramping
a fluttering in the lower right side of my chest
headaches
i have also had tonsillitis 2 times in the past 3 months
i am not diagnosed with ANY medical conditions except for hsc stress! lol
any help would be greatly appreciated, thanx in advance

nikki2006 · 05-24-2006, 03:41 AM

Woah, first thing i want to comment on is your question "at what stage should u see a doctor".. Now would be a good time. blood in the stool can be from something as minor as hemmoriods to something as serious as cancer. you should ALWAYS get checked if you are experiance this!

because you mention crohns disease and colon cancer as condtions that run in your family, i thought id point out, that in both cases, the eariler its detected, the more chance you have at sorting it out before it gets worse..sounds obvious, but why wait if there is any potential for things to get more complicated!

I had surgery for crohns disease about 6 years ago, and a few of my symptoms are the same as what you are experiancing, the tiredness, the sore eyes and the abdominal pain.. i have had no experiance with colon cancer so i cant comment on that but i really think you need to make an appointment with the doc and find out whats going on, it really is your best move. it could be nothing or it could be something. find out.

toomanyquestons · 05-24-2006, 04:46 AM

thanks for the reply. i know i should see a dr and this will probly sound very immature, but i just feel uncomfortable discussing it. and i have been to the dr's 3 times within the past 3 months which is a record for me atm, and for some reason i just think its seen as a cry for attention. maybe just me watching house to much of "dr. house" though?
just a few more questions: how do they diagnose it? and are there any other symptoms that are common to it?

Gigi D · 05-24-2006, 07:36 AM

Like you, I abhor going to the doctor. Prior to this year, I hadn't been to a doctor (other than eye doctor and dentist) in about 10 years. But since January, I've now been to the doctor at least twice a month. I already have 4 appointments scheduled for June.
It's not fun, but it's bearable. You won't be showing or telling the doctor anything he/she hasn't come across before. Just think of each doctor's visit as one brief moment out of one day of your life-that's what I do, and it helps me.
I have some of the same symptoms you do-abdominal pain, blood in stool, fatigue, headaches. Even after all my doctor's visits, I still don't have a diagnosis. Unfortunately, I think a lot of possible diseases share a lot of the same symptoms, like Chron's and colon cancer.
I have a colonoscopy scheduled in June, as well as other tests, and I think it sounds like you need to get yourself scheduled for one as well. As other posters on this board have told me, rectal bleeding is never normal and should be checked out.
Good luck, and make that appointment!

mjk18 · 05-24-2006, 11:52 AM

I do not have experience with crohns disease though a very good friend of my wife's just diagnosed with it. It can be diagnosed with a colonoscopy if it is in the large intestines I believe (I think it can also be in the small intestines but I do not know how they diagnose it there)
Bottom line is please take control of your health and go to the dr. explain ALL your symptoms and concerns. The dr. has heard it all and they get paid to listen to embarrasing/uncomfortable things (and trust me there is always someone else that has symptoms more embarrasing), if they didn't they'd be out of a job.
Depending on your age I urge you to get a colonoscopy regardless of symptoms considering your grandfather has colon cancer, it is the number one preventable cancer if detected early (they can also take polyps out at the same during the colonoscopy that could turn into cancer years down the road, they took 3 out during mine).
I had mine done about a month ago as my father died from colon cancer in his 50's, chances are that is not your problem but it was very easy and the peace of mind is nice to have.
Blood in the stool is not normal and is likely something minor but take control of your health and get on the road to recovery and feeling better.