16 year old scared of colon cancer
Posted , 5 users are following.
Hi, I'm a 16 year old girl with extreme health anxiety that's gotten herself worked up about colon cancer.
I've had chronic constipation for several years now. I'm hardly ever not constipated. I haven't really thought about it much or been that concerned about it (I had assumed it might've been from my eating habits which probably aren't the best and I need to fix), but a couple of years ago my grandmother on my dad's side died of colon cancer, and now I'm kind of concerned about it.
Yesterday I had a stool that was oddly narrow- Not super super thin but not full-sized either, and that's gotten me really freaked out. I also have some uncomfortableness in my abdominal region sometimes that I had chalked up to the constipation.
I've never had any blood in my stools, haven't lost a ton of weight as far as I know and haven't lost my appetite though sometimes I do get full kind of quickly sometimes.
Should I be concerned? Is there any reason to think I might have colon cancer? Or am I just working myself up over nothing? I could really use some advice.
0 likes, 19 replies
adam07579 RainbowRoses
Posted
Have you found a conclusion to your problem? I'm 16 and I've been having almost identical symptoms, looking for a bit of clarity as I'm incredibly worried and anxiety is taking over my life right now! Hope you are doing well, and hope to hear from you soon.
lilo54553 RainbowRoses
Posted
hey how are you now?
zz33 RainbowRoses
Posted
I think 'extreme anxiety' goes hand in hand with constipation and other bowel symptoms.
Especially if you've parental background (as you say, a grandparent) of colon cancer, and/or your diet's bad going and/or you smoke, you might try getting a 'F.I.T.' test (it screens for blood in stool), a red flag of a possible cancer connection and a possible reason to check further (eg. getting a colonoscopy).