Is this colon cancer?

[RickyB]

I am a 29 year old male who is a little concerned with colon cancer. There is no history of it in my family and nobody in my direct blood line has ever had cancer (only people married into my family ever have), with the exception of my mother who had breast cancer after two years of hormone replacement therapy. My symptoms are bloated stomach, excessive gas, thin stools and passing mucus alone with gas when I have been out for a drink the night before. I don't have any blood in my stools and neither do I have any hidden blood (I bought one of those test things). But do all cancers bleed? I don't have diarrhea but do have loose stools (thin ones). I don’t have much stomach pain unless I am bloated. Sometimes I can eat OK, sometimes I can not and feel awful. I know it is unusual for people of my age to get colon cancer, but they do. Are you more likely to get it at my age if you have a family history of cancers? My doctor found a pulsating mass in my left abdomen, which he says could be a mass of cells, an aneurysm or nothing. I am having an ultrasound tomorrow and am a little nervous. Does anyone think I have the symptoms of cancer? What can I do to be absolutely sure?

[TLC]

MY UNCLE HAS COLON CANCER AND HE BLEEDS TERRIBLE THATS WHY HIS DR DID A COLONOSCOPY ON HIM TO SEE IF IT WAS DEFINATLY CANCER AND IT WAS HE HAS BEAT IT AFTER A YR OF SUFFERING HE IS ONLY 40 YRS OLD.I WOULD TELL YOUR DR THAT YOU WANT A COLONOSCOPY DONE THATS THE ONLY WAY  TO BE SURE.GOOD LUCK TO YA!!! BY THE WAY MY STOOLS ARE ALWAYS LOOSE AND THIN BUT I DONT BLEED AT ALL.YOU KNOW THEY CAN DETECT CANCER THREW YOUR BLOOD DID YOU KNOW THAT?IF YOU HAVE CANCER YOUR BLOOD WORK WOULD SHOW SOMRE KIND OF ABNORMALSY IN IT.YOU COULD ALSO HAVE A POLYP UP IN YOUR COLON MY MOM JUST HAD ONE REMOVED CAUSE SHE WAS BLEEDING.MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COLONOSCOPY DONE!

[Doug]

You do not have colon cancer.  You don't even have the symptoms of colon cancer.  The stools with mucus are symptoms of IBS most likely.  People say you can get colon cancer at a young age, however the real world does not back this up.  RARELY (and I mean about 250 men/year in America) develop colon cancer before 30...but in about 90% of these cases either A)a severe colon disease was present such as IBD, Crohn's, etc. or B) There is some sort of STRONG family genetic problem such as two or three close blood relatives with the disease at an early age.  Pulsating mass in your abdomen??  That could be many things however colon cancer is not one of them.  Most likey DX is mass is nothing and bowel symptoms are IBS...let us know.

[RickyB]

Yup, pulse turned out to be my left iliac artery siting on tough scar tissue from an old back surgery scar. Everything else is fine. Even a high-fiber diet is working wonders. Symptoms much decreased. Thanks guys! I feel a bit of a ditz, but thanks anyhow.

[OzConcerned]

Very comforting to read the above... and I'm so glad you were not diagnosed with Colon cancer. I have similar symptoms and am having a colonoscopy done sometime in August. I am 26 y.o, and am really worried about colon cancer. No one in my immediate family has this, and the reason I have been to the Docs is an on/off pain in my lower right side for the past approx. 2 months.

I will post what comes of my results.

Thanks, guys.