Hard to see this is anxiety/stress/ ibs now :( still got this bowel cancer fear I can't push it away

HIya Jack

I am sorry to hear you are having issues. I wouldn't panic just yet though. It sounds like it may be IBS/ Chron's. Since you have been constipated (hence the feeling of not evacuating your bowels fully when you go to the toilet) it would be wise to increase your fibre intake (You can buy sachets of firbre from the chemists that you mix with water and drink, they can be very useful) and ensure you are drinking plenty of water. 

It would also be sensible to reduce your coffee intake. Caffeine is a stimulant and can cause intestinal issues. 

Mucus is actually all over our bodies, and there is a fair bit in the intestines to help lubricate them so food can pass down them easily. It is not uncommon to have some come out of your rectum, particularly if you have a condition that is inflaming the intestines such as IBS or Chron's. 

As for the CBT... it isn't a quick fix. You won't see an immediate improvement after just two sessions, it is something you need to continue with. 

The pressure you are feeling is likely just the constipation, if you have even a little poo left over in your rectum it can feel very uncomfortable. If the problem persiss after you have been on a high fibre diet for a week, then it may be worth trying a stool softener like Lactulose... you can buy it over the counter. 

Tenemus is described as this: painful spasm of the anal sphincter along with an urgent desire to defecate without the significant production of feces; associated with irritable bowel syndrome[color=#656565].

This doesn't quite fit what you have described, but if you do have it, it isn't anything to worry about, it cn be a sign of IBS though. I will post links to the NHS pages on IBS and Chron's soon so you can see if any of the symptoms fit you. 

I have IBS and get very painful cramps, I get constipation and diarrhea regularly and sometimes I can be constipated in the mornings and have diarrhea in the afternoon. I also find I can have painful gas that I need to get rid of.

Since you are clearly worried, it might be wise to keep going to the doctors. If you have the mucus again, try and get a sample to give to the doctors. You can usually ask at the reception desk for containers for it. 

What you have described doesn't sound too serious, and it is very unlikely to be cancer. IBS seems the most likely issue. Most people that get bowel cancer are over 60.

Also, you do not have blood in your stool, which is a good sign. It is when you have blood that is very dark brown/ black that is more concerning. That tiny spec of red blood you found is nothing to worry about. Since it was bright red that means it was very fresh, so it most likely came from a tiny tear in your rectum caused by the hard poo's you are having.

All I can suggest for now is to keep going back to your GP, keep going with the CBT, cut down on the coffee and introduce lots of fibre into your diet. 

Best of luck![/color]

Here is the link to the page on IBS: https://patient.info/health/irritable-bowel-syndrome-leaflet

And Chron's Disease: https://patient.info/health/crohns-disease-leaflet

And I will add the page on bowel cancer too just to reassure you that it would be very unlikely for you to panic: https://patient.info/health/bowel-colorectal-cancer

Emis Moderator comment: I have replaced the given links with links to the equivalent articles on our site.

I feel what you are saying. Years ago, I thought something was wrong with me because all of the sudden I was constipated and had lots of pressure in my rectum area.

?I did enemas. Went to the urgent care - they took x-rays and they said everything was normal. Well, when you haven't had a BM in a month, I was concerned. I did laxitives and such. Drinking more water, etc.

?I realized I had IBS with constipation. Went to the doctors again and they pretty much confirmed it when I told them the what my BMs looked like. The doctor even mentioned mucus along with it.

?I had a examination where they went up inside me - not colonoscopy, I just can't remember the name. Everything was normal.

?I started taking flaxseed, stool softner, fish oil, probiotic, multivitamin, lots of water and Miralax. My Bms are still inconsistent but I also have been drinking chamomile tea which seems to help. I try, which I'm not good at, eating salads, raw veggies and fruit. It's almost like a dance, if I skip a beat then I'm constipated again. I occasionaly take a lax for emergency purposes only. DOn't want my body to get use to it.

?Stress, anxiety and medications can do havic on our bodies. Stress ans anxiety especially.

?Don't force your self to go. Pushing can cause hemrhoids and can cause the bleeding you taking about. Before I use to force the BM out which isn't a pretty picture to describe.

?Keep going to therapy and talking to your doctors. I'm sure you are fine and it's just constipation. At a time, and sometimes still, think there's something wrong with my intestines.

?I defintely understand where you are coming from. The only advice I can give you is remain calm and be proactive. Maybe try some of the I suggested.

?Keep on posting. Get out this negative thinking. I'm sending you positive vibes and wish you well. Take care.

Thanks yes it's hard, I thought tenesmus was a sign of bowel cancer. I don't know it it could be hemmies my anus does feel irritated every now and then sometimes getting a bit of itching aswell. And earlier got like a sharp quick pain up there had that on and off for years though.

 If thats not the route you want to take id say start drinking a lot of water and get some fiber chews and a stool softner. Everyday when you wake the very first thing you do is drink down a big tall glass of water, not coffee. Then before every meal you eat a big tall glass of water. You want to consume half your body weight in ounces. You want to have the proper amount of fiber..follow the directions on the bottle and a stool softner so you do not need to strain. Work can mess up bowels because of time constraints, that happens so maybe wake a bit earlier if the mornings what work for you. Also move around more. Daily thirty minute workout is good, a 45 minute a walk a day is good. Things get sluggish in us when we dont  move about and dont properly hydrate. Stress can make a mess out of everything, it just does. Tea with caffeine is dehydrating so you will end up with little pellets. You need fiber, lots of water and a stool softner.  In terms  of your cancer fears and the mucous thats for a gastroenterologist to handle. The cbt is for the anxiety this is a more physical fix in its nature.

Hi Jack , sorry about what you have been going through. I was wondering if the health concerns you have been experiencing are your only GI symptoms ? Do you also have any upper GI issues like acid reflux or any of the above ? I'm curious because I too have been having these issues lately and have severe anxiety and I always jump to the worst senerio also . It gets very overwhelming having health concerns such as this I know that all too well . I hope you can figure out what is going on and you can be a little less stressed and worried ??.

I don't have reflux or anything no, also might try the water idea i need to get out of bed earlier aswell I think I wake up deoressed at times and dont get up till 12 in the afternoon I get about 10 hours sleep which isn't good. Ideally I feel better getting up about 10 ish which I can't do at the minute as its so hard.

Also I need to get out more I think aswell I don't do much outside.

So I went this morning come out a bit brighter than normal like a light brown or lighter and it come out ok, then after that that incomplete evac again pushed a bit out that was smaller harder with a little bit of mucus on it. do you reckon these have been in there a while.

Also when it says loose does that mean like watery Becuase it has been a little bit softer than usual nearly every bm which I'm freaking out about again. Then before i had my shower I've had like an itching, burning sensation ever since more of an annoyance than anything.

But thinking back I've had similar happen before with this weird feeling but I can't remember it lasting this long.