Dear grace77,
Thanks for writing in.
Though a family history of a single affected member does not significantly predispose you to colon cancer, the symptoms mentioned by you certainly merit a workup for colon cancer. Methotrexate is unlikely to cause a gastrointestinal (GI) bleed unless the platelet count is very low, which is obviously not so in your case.
Rarely, mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) per se can cause GI bleeding but that is not seen too often in clinical practice.
I would certainly like you to have the colonoscopy as early as possible and not to wait for more than a month. By that time, a computerised tomography scan (CT scan) of abdomen and a serum carcinoembryonic antigen level (CEA levels which are a marker for colon cancer) may also be done.
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Best Regards,
Dr. Indranil Ghosh
I wanted to mention also that I have a sensation of "fullness" in the rectum and feel like the bowel has not been emptied completely.
Thanks