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Hi Guys - Just joined today but I've been a reader of the site for some time now...I finally decided to post something to maybe get some opinion or comfort from folks that know exactly what this is like. Some background info, Male, just turned 36 last week and am hopelessly anxious all the time...mostly about my health. I have GAD and see a therapist for it. Over the years I've diagnosed myself with just about every chronic and fatal disease in the book and usually led doctors and specialists on a wild goose chase of testing to rule something out. Then when nothing ever came back, the symptoms simply went away. It's a vicious cycle and it has become a horrible existence at times...I simply can't find a way to be normal. I used to take SSRIs and they sometimes helped because they'd make me not obsess over things, but the side effects were too much and I went off them and have been clear of them for about 8 months now....here we go... So about a month and a half ago I started feeling some discomfort in my right hip and went the the chiropractor a bunch of times over the next few weeks to try and alleviate it and nothing seemed to work. At times the pain would descend down into the groin and right testicle. It's not a brutal pain or anything, just a dull ever-present discomfort that's always there. Sometimes it's tender in the area just to the left of the "ball" of my hip and pretty much down a line...I think that's the inguinal ligament. Anyway, around Thanksgiving I contacted my doctor because I was sure I had Epididymitis. I would squeeze the epididymis and it would hurt like hell and since I had had it before 2 times I thought I had it again. I got in touch with my Dr. and amazingly he gave be an antibiotic to treat it...against his better judgement, I pretty much trapped him but contacting him right before the Thanksgiving holiday. Something I still regret doing. In any case, my pain pretty much went away towards the end of the 10 day course of antibiotics and the lower right abdominal/hip/groin pain didn't. I've been waiting and waiting to call the Dr. back again and go see him but today I finally did and made an appointment to go in tomorrow. I can't really say it could be a hernia because I don't really have any bulges in the abdominal wall. Here's the whole reason for the post though. So lately, say over the past week and a half my bowel movements have changed. They're not regular, sometimes hard, sometimes soft and overall they seem "thinner" and kind of flat. That freaks me out because even though I've fought it forever at the advice of my therapist, I broke down and started to seek advice from the evil Dr. Google. The BMs don't contain any blood which I feel is some sort of positive, but is that always the case with colon cancer? I've feared this particular type of cancer for some time now, my parents, grandparents and even my older brother (who is 41) have all had colon polyps. I'm just afraid again and seeing some sort of comfort/advice...maybe even stuff to mention at the Dr. tomorrow. I should also mention that last year I had similar discomfort in the lower right abdomen and the Dr. sent me for an abdominal CT and nothing was found. Would they have seen a problem with my colon in that or is that only seen through a colonoscopy? Over the years I've had 2 abdominal CTs, a few head CTs and XRays and I'm starting to also wonder if I may have caused something to myself with all that radiation. Sheesh I just don't know anymore, but I'm starting to get to my wits end with this and it's just messing with my quality of life in every way. I wish I knew what it was like to be "normal" and not have to experience these "episodes" every year or so. Thanks for taking the time to read this mess and for any advice/suggestions you may have. I know that if you're here on this site you probably have a lot of the same afflictions as I do and might be able to lend a hand. I'll be sure to update this with whatever comes of this situation and hopefully help someone else out in the future.

Hey all, Around 4 years ago I had a colon cancer scare in which I had terrible abdominal cramps alongside constant bright red blood on tissues after wiping. I went to my GP a very highly respected professor of Medicine at my countries most prestigious university and he didn't seem to worried. After doing some blood tests which came back fine he sent me off to get an ultrasound, after an anxious week or so the ultrasound returned fine and I moved on despite the fact the blood on the tissue never went away. Here I am four years later, always periodically having blood on my tissue after a bowel movement and I am currently insanely constipated. I put this down to starting Lexapro which can occasionally cause constipation. However this has resurfaced old anxieties regarding bowel or rectal cancer. I took a laxative last night to get some motion in the ocean and it worked. I saw no blood in the bowl or stool however there was some minor upon wiping. What would the chances of me going four years with no increase of blood expelled or increase of frequency (occurs every second or third movement) with a serious disease?

Hello everyone, I've just refound this site and glad I did. I'm worried again. Trying to cope but just getting stuck on the last hurdle. Last year, about 14months ago I had really bad trapped wind, bloated ness after xmas. I thought then it was stress or tight trousers! Anyway I think there is a connection to wheat and think that when I wear my tight trousers, (which i love) and eat certain wheats, I get badly bloated. If i take a windeaze tablet i'm fine, even if i loosen my belt i'm fine. But for some reason this time i'm focussing a bit too much and convincing myself i have something serious. So, basically I went to the docs last week to ask about wheat allergy and to tell him about my symptoms to see if he could give me some nutritional help. I only had 8 mins and told him i had IBS symptoms. He immediately said that I was at the age when I was still low risk but only just for things like Bowel Cancer..i'm 39! I didn't freak out immediately but he examined me and said there was nothing wrong and he gave me a FOD diet plan and told me to watch the symptoms. He didn't answer many of my questions just kind of agreed etc. So since my visit I've been googling my old friend bowel cancer again! I have none of the symptoms, only trapped wind and uncomfortableness that really does seem to disperse if i loosen my pants of take a windeaze pill. I have also calculated that I have had the same problem for at least 16 months. I'm now trying to wear looser pants again and to eat slower but i'm getting all sorts of other anxiety related feelings that i didn't have before. My rational mind is telling me not to be so daft, but my hypo mind is telling me...'It could be BC....it might just be really subtle..' So...2 questions.... 1) If i'd had this for so long and it was anything serious, wouldn't i probably know about it by now? 2) and 2....Surely taking a wind gaze tablet or loosening my trousers wouldn't stop the symptoms of bowel cancer?!?! would it??? Any help appreciated!!