IBS or colon cancer?!

[skleep]

Because I have anxiety, my stomach often reacts strongly to my emotions.  As far as I can remember, I've tilted towards the more constipated side of things, very rarely have diarrhea.  My biggest problem is just bloating and gas, and that's been a problem ever since I was a kid.  I haven't seen a general physician in 5 years--seen plenty of gynecologists who checked my vitals but no regular doctors in the past 4-5 years.

I just figured out that my "IBS" symptoms (which my family just kind of diagnosed by themselves because they all have IBS) could be colon cancer or ovarian cancer.  I'm only 23 and I haven't noticed any changes for the worse...in fact it seems like when I cut wheat and gluten out of my diet, my symptoms improved slightly (My stools are still kind of hard, but at least I go almost every day).  My symptoms seem more indicative of IBS than colon cancer but a part of me doesn't even want to get it checked out because I don't want to deal with the anxiety of treating it!  There's no cancer in my family other than a few very old people, and no colon cancer. 

I'm just so worried.  I'm afraid my boyfriend will leave if I get sick and I don't know what to do.  I'm afraid that even if I do see a doctor, they won't test me for colon cancer because of my age (screenings start at 50 and I have no genetic predisposition).  I also know that when I was thirteen, I randomly held my #2 in for like 1-2 weeks- could that have started colon cancer?

I'm going to see a doc, but also, is it basically a death sentence that I haven't seen a regular GP in like 4-5 years?

[BellaLuna]

The chances of you having colon cancer at 23 years old would be EXTREMELY RARE!  This sounds like IBS to me (I've had it for four years now)...it's good you are going to see a doc for piece of mind. Just tell them what you are exeperiencing that they may have a med to help you. I have found a daily dose of metamucil to be fantastic for my IBS issues. At first, the increase of fiber can cause some abdominal discomfort, but I stuck with it and it has been a blessesing! You will be fine..It is NOT a death sentence that you haven't gone to the GP in 4-5 years. Let us know how it goes!

[Slangevar]

Trust me - you don't have colon or ovarian cancer.  You're so young and you have no symptoms of either disease. (They worry about NEW symptoms with colon and ovarian cancer... not symptoms you've been having since you were kid.)

That said, you MAY have food allergies. A friend of mine in his 40s suffered with bloating, gas and acid reflux his whole life. Then someone convinced him to try a gluten-free diet. It takes 3-4 days to kick in, but within about a week, ALL of his digestive issues went away. It was like magic.

Try the gluten-free diet for a week and see if it helps. If it doesn't, it might still be worth it to see a GI doc. It's not "normal" to have constant bloating and gas. It may absolutely be IBS, but you could also have some allergy to another type of food that you don't know about.  (That said, you do NOT have cancer.)

[mariea]

I posted on another thread that most iBS is caused by pelvic muscle issues- and it would make sense that people with anxiety would experience muscle problems! I would definitely try a gluten free and even dairy free diet.  Even soy free might be worth trying too as those are common things to irritate many people. I think the odds of a 23 yr old woman having colon cancer with no hx in her family is pretty rare!  I would also think you'd be seeing blood in your stool. 
/'

[skleep]

Oh, I forgot to mention- I DID cut out gluten and the really smelly gas went away.  My tummy is still a little sensitive, but the vast majority of my symptoms improved.  Like the symptoms are still there, but vastly better.  I can eat dinner and not look pregnant afterwards, but there's still a noticeable girth difference in mah belly.

[Slangevar]

Are you sure you cut out all gluten?  I'm not questioning your ability to do it... I just heard from my friend that gluten can come from weird places, like soy sauce!  He said he always has to look for the little G symbol on his food, and eating out is obviously tricky.

Definitely sounds like you have a gluten sensitivity. Have you ever been tested for celiac disease, btw? 

[mariea]

Agree with above post and some people are even sensitive to grain fed meat.  You have to be really really careful when trying to eliminate it!

[Slangevar]

If you haven't already, get tested for celiac disease. It runs in families and, like mariea said, it would make you sensitive to even things like grain-fed meat, soups, sauces, beer, processed meats, etc. 

(If it turned out you do have it, cutting out gluten entirely will "cure" the disease.  A few of my friends have it... they say it's a pain sometimes, but it's nice that they can be in such control of their condition.)