Possible Colorectal cancer

drew94

HI I am a 21 year old male and I am new here. I have no family history of colon cancer or colon problems but my grandfather had kidney cancer got his kidney removed and caught lymphoma and ended up dying from it at 61. About 2 weeks ago, I was on vacation and I noticed red streaks in my stool and I thought nothing of it and thought it was irritation and after a few days I stopped bleeding and had no problems for 2 weeks. Last wednesday I noticed red streaks in my stool again and I started having abdominal pain that radiates between both sides. I have been passing solid stools and have been somewhat constipated. I bled for a little bit and it was a small amount from what I could see and recently I have not noticed any blood but I continue to be constipated and have mild-moderate abdominal pain. My family is telling me I am too young to contract colon cancer and its even more unlikely because we do not have a family history of it. Throughout my life, I have had a bad diet no vegetables lots of diet soda and lots of bread. Sometimes when you press down on my stomach. It feels like I was punched in the stomach like I had the wind knocked out of me. The thought of fried foods makes me nauseated and I have been eating light. My mom said I do not look anemic and I have not lost weight.

Trubrit

Hello Drew

Sorry you have found yourself in a situatoin where you need to post on our forum.  And sadly, you are not too young to get Colon Cancer; even teenagers can get it, though it is rare, it is no impossible. 

Your symptoms can be attributed to several conditions, and your first step would be to make an appointment with your primary care. While you are waiting for the appointment, it may be a good time to start cleaning up your diet, add a little fibre and lots of water. Baby steps to start with, or your'll end up with the runs. A diet does wonders for your body, regardless of wether its Cancer or Constipation. 

You may just be constipated, and the blood could just be hard stools causing tears in the colon or rectum. Easy as that. But you do need to go and get yourself sorted. 

Trubrit

drew94

Trubrit said:

Hello Drew

Sorry you have found yourself in a situatoin where you need to post on our forum.  And sadly, you are not too young to get Colon Cancer; even teenagers can get it, though it is rare, it is no impossible. 

Your symptoms can be attributed to several conditions, and your first step would be to make an appointment with your primary care. While you are waiting for the appointment, it may be a good time to start cleaning up your diet, add a little fibre and lots of water. Baby steps to start with, or your'll end up with the runs. A diet does wonders for your body, regardless of wether its Cancer or Constipation. 

You may just be constipated, and the blood could just be hard stools causing tears in the colon or rectum. Easy as that. But you do need to go and get yourself sorted. 

Trubrit

The fact that its only been a

The fact that its only been a few weeks and not months and my age. Does this make it more likely it is constipation? Because the stories I heard were of months and months of problems before they were diagnosed. Average time from onset to diagnosis is 14 weeks.

Lovekitties

drew94 said:

The fact that its only been a

The fact that its only been a few weeks and not months and my age. Does this make it more likely it is constipation? Because the stories I heard were of months and months of problems before they were diagnosed. Average time from onset to diagnosis is 14 weeks.

Hi Drew

Blood in the stool is not normal.  There can be several causes.

The bottom line is that you need to have it checked so that it can be treated and resolved.

Most people are reluctant to go for exams having to do with the butt or gut, yet early detection of even a benign issue can save you further problems.

So, make the appointment, get checked....then you can put your behind issues and worries...behind you.

Marie who loves kitties

lizard44

drew94 said:

The fact that its only been a

The fact that its only been a few weeks and not months and my age. Does this make it more likely it is constipation? Because the stories I heard were of months and months of problems before they were diagnosed. Average time from onset to diagnosis is 14 weeks.

The best way to find out

what might be causing your symptoms, as  Sue said,  is to  see your primary care physician. It could be your diet that is causing the constipation and that in turn could be causing an anal fissure or hemorrhoids that cause the bleeding. But the best way to put your mind at ease, rather than speculating on what might be causing the problem, is to  get it checked out. I do hope it turns out to be something  simple and easily taken care of  with a diet change or some stool softeners or fiber supplements, but please do  get it checked out.

beaumontdave

Get it checked, the odds

Get it checked, the odds favor a simple issue, hard stools, tissue tears, but time is crucial if it's a serious issue. Your here so it's weighing on your mind. Get it cleared up.....................Dave

Sharronoffaith

Colonoscopy!

Hi Drew,

Early detection is key.  I would insist with your doctor that you have a colonoscopy.  If there are any issues, you are best to deal with them sooner than later.

i hope that you are seeing your physician for your stomach/digestive issues.  Even if you have IBS or something, knowing is better thsn just letting it go and progress.

 

best,

Sharron

JanJan63

Sharronoffaith said:

Colonoscopy!

Hi Drew,

Early detection is key.  I would insist with your doctor that you have a colonoscopy.  If there are any issues, you are best to deal with them sooner than later.

i hope that you are seeing your physician for your stomach/digestive issues.  Even if you have IBS or something, knowing is better thsn just letting it go and progress.

 

best,

Sharron

Sharron said what I always

Sharron said what I always say- early detection is key. Blood in the stool can be caused by a few other things besides colon cancer but if it is you want to get on it as soon as possible. A colonoscopy is worth having for either the peace of mind that you don;t have it or to find out what it is. Plus they can remove any polyps during the colonoscopy and they can turn cancerous later on.

I had no symptoms besides one week of constipation which was strange because I always had IBS and was never constipated. I wasn't tired, I had no pain, I had no other symptoms. And if I hadn't gone to see my doctor with the constipation I don't know what would have happened down the road. I was a stage three with a large egg sized tumour, I'd have probably been a stage four by the time they'd have found it. I did have blood in my stool but had had that for years thanks to the IBS so it wasn't a red flag for me. 

Please take this further and have a colonoscopy. You need to know for sure.

Jan