Question about Ultrasound.

[tcabaco]

I want to apologize in advance for the question, but it's one that I've been having in the back of my mind and in all honesty I keep forgetting to bring it up every time I got to the doctor, so I thought I would just ask here.

So back in 09 I had my gallbladder removed, I did a bunch of blood work and a couple of ultrasounds. For a while now (even before the surgery) I'm having this weird feeling that something (else) is not right down there. I'm a firm believer that we are our best health advocate, so my question is: Can colon cancer be detected via ultrasounds and thorough blood work? The reason why I ask this is because during one of the two ultrasounds I did, where they discovered the stones in my gallbladder, the doctor asked me if I need to evacuate, and I said no, to which he replied that I had a lot of bowel on the right side of my abdomen. Could he have mistaken the bowels for polyps, lumps, cancer?

Again, terribly sorry if this is a silly question, but I've just been extra-worried lately.

Thanks!

[patient915]

What you describe is almost for sure tomato or red bell pepper skins.  You are worrying way to much about this.  You don't need to examine your stools.  You can get a fecal occult test to test your stool for blood.  I think you are worrying way too much about all of this and I don't think you need to worry about 1 strange bowel movement.  It is normal for your bowel movement to mildly change shape and color.  Having mucus once is normal.

[tcabaco]

Thank you both for your replies.

I do have a question regarding "blood in stools." Lately I have examined my stools quite thoroughly and sometimes I find red pieces inside, or on the outer layer of some stools. I grab a q-tip and separate it from the stools and it's "hard", like tomato skin, or red bell pepper skin. And I have in fact eaten red bell peppers and tomatoes, but I guess my question is: How to distinguish blood from food? Would the blood be "solid?" After I press on it with the q-tip it holds its form and it doesn't spread/dissolve? Would the blood, being liquid, spread/dissolve?

On a separate note, today I passed what I considered to be pretty weird stools. When passing they felt quite normal, didn't hurt, very tooth-paste like, and it was considerably big and solid. Thing is when I got up to and looked at it, it seemed to be covered in like...how to describe it...forest green matter, almost like grass or "condensed" marijuana (which I never smoked but I've seen in pictures (very uneven and from what looks to be "hair" or something that easily moves with the water movement). I then separated everything and "inside" there was the normal looking stool. What was this outer layer? Another thing I noticed was that once I separated them there was this mucus-looking matter that stretched and eventually broke apart. Basically like a string of mucus coming out of a child's nose. What is/was this?

Thanks!

[patient915]

In response to heather's comment, there is a large difference between colon cancer and a carcinoid tumor at your appendix tip.  Colon cancer almost never hits people as young as you, and when it does, there is almost always a family history of colon cancer at an early age.  I believe that you have no need to worry about colon cancer.

[heather2683]

Hey! I got my gallblader removed back in january and found out I had a carcinoid tumor at my appendix tip in april after appendectomy. Colon cancer could be a possibility, never underestimate it. It isn't likely but it could be possibly. Your body is still adjusting to the changes of that organ being removed, I've talked to several others that have had there's removed and sometimes the abdominal cramping pain just never goes away. Its hard to add something towards a list of symptoms when your digestive system has been tampered with. Have you had any bloody stools? Any odd odor in stools.. or mucus in stools?

[patient915]

It is very very unlikely that you have colon cancer, mostly due to your age.  It sounds like you might have IBS, which can definitely be made worse by stress and anxiety.  I don't think it is all in your head, but I do think that if you are able to reduce your stress, your symptoms might improve.

[tcabaco]

Hi, thanks for your answer! I'm 25 years old. I forgot to add that I've been extremely anxious lately. My wife is about due with our first child, and the fact that I'm not feeling quite ready for it, plus the stress at work and the anxiety caused by the physical stress is, has been putting me on edge, panicing and maybe feeling things that aren't really there.

I've been having extremely mild pain, very much like a tingling sensation, in the very low area of my abdomen. Sometimes it moves to the right making me think it is my intestines/colon, but maybe it's my bladder/urinary system?

99% of the time I only feel this when sitting down, and since I have a desk job, unfortunately it's pretty common. But if I find myself distracted or standing/walking, I don't feel it.

Is it all in my head?

[patient915]

Welcome to the gastroenterology community!  Unless colon cancer caused a large tumor, it can't be seen via ultrasound.  Unless bleeding from colon cancer caused anemia, it can't be suspected via blood tests.  The best test for colon cancer is a colonoscopy.  How old are you?