Any other reason for symptoms - other than cancer?

SereniaSaissa · Last edited by SereniaSaissa on Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:52 am; edited 1 time in total

I am a newbie - just registered here today.
This is not about me, but about my husband. He has the following symptoms, and we are getting very concerned.

Always tired - a lot more than normal. Sleeps a lot as well.
Cramps and a feeling that his rectum is always full.
Is not eating much, spends a LOT of time on the toilet trying to pass BM.
When he does pass a stool, it is like narrow ribbon or liquid
There is a lot of red blood in stools - sometimes bright red and sometimes dark red
He does have hemarroids (SP)

He was been told by the family doctor just last week that one hemarroid (sp) is inflamed and raw

No weight loss and no vomiting yet.
He has an appointment with the gastroenterologist Sept 11, 2008.
He is unable to get any earlier appointment.

We are concerned that he may have colon cancer.
Can a raw open hemarroid (sp) cause all these symptoms?
Yes or No?

And how fast does cancer grow if left untreated?

On a side note, my father and grandfather both had colon cancer. My grandfather died in 1989. My father has had surgery and chemo and now wears a colostomy bag. I will start getting colonscopies next year when I turn 45. There is lung cancer in my husbands family - but then they are all heavy smokers. My husband stopped smoking over 20 years ago.

I would appreciate any answers.
Thank you.

SS

brainman

SereniaSaissa, I am very sorry about your husband's health concerns. I think hemorrhoids could cause his symptoms but I cannot be sure. I see that he already has an appointment with a gastroenterologist. Good! If not recommended, then you should request a colonoscopy to examine your husband's colon for cancer, polyps, hemorrhoids and other problems.

The symptoms are not specific enough for anyone to know for sure what is the cause. Keep us informed.

You and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

DulcimerGal

Hi SS - welcome to the forum!

For what it's worth - I spent quite some time telling myself that my bleeding and narrowing stools were from hemmoroids (SP?)......it took the tumor I had to ulcerate and start some major bleeding to send me to the emergency room. My tumor was rectal and close to the anus, so it did not take much more than a digital rectal exam for them to admit me and do a colonoscopy ..........I was never tired though....

Of course we have others on this forum who had colon cancers and blockages that were higher, so it is all speculation, and it often just needs our imagination to think we have just what others do when reading symptoms!

We will all hope and pray that your husband does NOT have cancer and that these symptoms can be attributed to other, simpler causes. Good Luck and keep posting - let us know when you get some news.

Cheers
DulcimerGal
_________________
Rectal Cancer diagnosed Valentines Day 2008
Finished 6 weeks of radiation and chemo 4/23/08
Surgery to remove tumor - June 18th 2008
Colostomy Reversal August 20th 2008
Five rounds of Xeloda (chemo) to ZAP anything left!

SereniaSaissa

Well we have some good news.

My husband (DH) was feeling really bad this evening, so I called the emergency doctor who came to see us. Excellent service. I called at 7pm. She arrived just after 9pm. She said that because of the antibiotics that DH was taking (he is diabetic and had some open sores on his leg) for the last 3 weeks, she thinks that he has clostridium (difficile). Where the antibiotics have killed off the good bacteria in the gut and allowed the clostridium bacteria to grow and cause the diarrhea and bleeding.

She has given DH a prescription, but we need to get to the doctor ASAP and get a stool sample tested for clostridium.

Why our family doctor did not know this when he saw DH last week, I will never know. but its not the first time he has missed something like this.

We are also relieved that (so far) it is not something more serious - such as cancer. Not yet anyway.

brainman

This really IS great news! I am so glad that DH does not have cancer.

Regards to you and DH.
_________________
Jim
Site Administrator and long-term cancer survivor
1992 Astrocytoma grade 2, left motor strip
2005 Recurrence this time said to be an Oligodendoglioma grade 3, same location.
My Story Part 1: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?p=7350
My Story Part 2: http://cancerforums.net/viewtopic.php?t=8029
Blog http://jimhawkinsport.blogspot.com/

DulcimerGal

SS - wow - that is terrific service indeed - and what a relief for you and your husband. I am very happy for you.

Thanks for posting and letting us all know - we LOVE good news!

Cheers
DulcimerGal
_________________
Rectal Cancer diagnosed Valentines Day 2008
Finished 6 weeks of radiation and chemo 4/23/08
Surgery to remove tumor - June 18th 2008
Colostomy Reversal August 20th 2008
Five rounds of Xeloda (chemo) to ZAP anything left!

SereniaSaissa

We dont know for sure that it is clostridium, and the doctor has NOT yet ruled out cancer.

But DH went to the doctors yesterday and gave them a few stool samples so they can test for Clostridium, and other bacteria.

Now we have to wait to hear what the results are. Since the symptoms fit clostridium toxin symptoms so neatly, we are hoping that this is what it is.

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