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Fear of Colon Cancer

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 7/27/2011 4:39 AM (GMT 0)
I've had a mild case of Crohn's for 24 years. I've managed to stay in remission for many many years through a dairy-free diet. When I do get an occasional flare or cheat with cow's milk, Rowasa enemas are my friend and it usually clears up in no time.

A month ago, I got a stomach bug. I had chronic diarrhea for almost two weeks. When it finally subsided, I continued to have blood. Even after taking the Rowasa and seeing the doctor for almost three weeks, I'm still have bloody stools and mucous. Is this a normal side effect from Crohn's? I had a colonoscopy two years ago and it was all clear. But I think this virus may have triggered a flare and it's just being stubborn and not going away.

Since I haven't had a severe flare in years, I'm getting a bit anxious, thinking crazy thoughts like "What if I have colon cancer?"

I've been careful with my diet but still have my morning coffee and wine on the weekends. Guess you call it denial but it doesn't seem to matter what I eat or drink now, the blood is still there!

So is an extreme diet my next step? White rice and bland bland bland? Any suggestions are welcome! I did have a celiac blood test and they ruled that out so that's a plus!

Although everybody's body reacts differently with this crazy disease and what may works for you may not work for me, it's still nice to get advice. Thanks in advance!

Posted 7/27/2011 8:55 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kew,
Unfortunately what you have described are symptoms of a crohns flare, although I am not a doctor and would suggest you go back to see your GI and have some more tests done. Try not to stress about colon cancer, cause stress isn't going to help your condition, I know its easier said than done but please try. There are lots of new meds on the market now for crohns now too and many people have had good results from those. The sooner you get to your doc the better and get on top of this. For now I would be sticking with foods that your tummy can handle. Have you ever kept a food diary to see what foods seem to give you problems? Perhaps you need to do something like that for the moment until you get some answers. Take care and hope you feel better soon
Doreen
Posted 7/27/2011 10:30 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Kew,
Re-fear of colon cancer....i too share that fear...my beloved mother passed away just before Christmas last ,R.I.P...and it was around this time that my symptons started....i was so glad to be eventually diagnosed with Crohn's as i was showing all the symptons my mother did....although my risks of colon cancer have increased it's because of history/genetics and not necessary because i have Crohn's....i should point out here that not all bleeding is a sign of cancer...up to and including the day my Dear Mom died she had no bleeding whatsoever...do however voice your fears/worries to your doctor...worrying as we all know causes our symptons to get worse,Kind Regards,
Slainte.(good health)
Posted 7/27/2011 12:31 PM (GMT 0)
Not much to add here but this, because you have crohns your GI will be watching you closely . Should you indeed contract cancer it will be detected in the very early stages probably before it can spread . Treatment then is much better than later . Tell your doc what you fear and he, she will be extra vigilant .
Posted 7/27/2011 12:33 PM (GMT 0)
Kew, do I understand right that the only medication you're using is Rowasa enemas? That is only going to treat inflammation in the rectum and sigmoid colon. I suggest that you and your DR discuss an oral medication to address this flare.

If your scope was clear two years ago you do not have colon cancer. Colon cancer grows very slowly over many years. There was just an article in the paper this wknd about how people who die from colon cancer are the ones NOT getting scoped.
Posted 7/27/2011 12:52 PM (GMT 0)
I did have a celiac blood test and they ruled that out so that's a plus!

I too tested negative for a celiac blood test and that led me down the primrose path for over a year. And I am not the only one, many others share the same story. Celiac tests for gluten intolerance, they do not detect if you are gluten sensitive. The symptoms for gluten intolerance and gluten sensitivity are almost the same. The only way to be sure if you are gluten sensitive is to avoid it for a week or two and see if things improve.

BTW if you are really worried about cancer then get your vitamin D level checked during your next blood work. Google 'vitamin D cancer' and you will understand why. For the same reason you should also get your folic acid levels checked. Many with Crohn's have nutrient deficiencies including vitamin D and folic acid.
Posted 7/27/2011 3:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Kew and welcome to Healingwell. I have to agree with Kazbern in that you are ticking time bomb if you are not treating your disease. I made that mistake myself and my nearly 20 year remission ended with emergency resection. I am now maintaind with only Asacol, one of the mildest CD meds out there.

Diet alone is not enough to treat this disease. While you are busy getting on with your life, the CD is still in there doing its damage unbeknowst to you on a microscopic level. So please do talk to your doc about some kind of oral med.

Also, getting your B12, Vitamin D3 levels checked might be good too. Sure hope you get feeling better soon. Hugs!
Posted 7/28/2011 3:54 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much for the great advice. I do need to get out of denial, monitor and modify my diet even more, and talk with doc if these symptoms don't go away. Interesting about the Vitamin D levels. Will have to read about that!
Posted 7/28/2011 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with everybody here...please see your doc soon...and yeah, the bloody stools can be a flare, but your doc will probably want to have a look anyway to see what's going on (as it can change)...I have to get yearly scopes for the reason that I am higher risk for Colon Cancer (because of another autoimmune disease...PSC, an liver disease, I have in addition to my crohn's, and when you combine the both, probabilities are very high)

Again please see your GI soon...and hopefully you can get things under control soon...good luck!
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