u/Short_You_164

Hello all! 22F with health anxiety. I’m on buspirone for the anxiety.

I saw some blood in my stool which triggered prolonged anxiety attacks, my worst ever. I was scared that I had colorectal cancer. It wreaked havoc on my stomach to where I was having diarrhea CONSTANTLY with slight stomach discomfort. This is where the mucus started showing up. The diarrhea cleared up for the most part as I began to calm down slightly, only showing up when I was severely anxious in the moment or in the morning.

Long story short, I went to the GI and he said the morning diarrhea and mucus sounded like IBS. He ordered a CBC to check for anemia and C-reactive protein blood test for inflammation. Both of which were normal and the notes said to follow up in a year.

Well, I still see the mucus in my stool and the discomfort is somewhat there. It’s not even painful, I’m just very aware of my stomach sensations. I’m also still actively anxious and stressed because with health anxiety, there’s always something to worry about… some bowel movements have it, some don’t. I’ve been anxious these past few days and have been seeing it.

In the back of my mind I’m still worried it’s something sinister. I cannot afford to go back to the doctor. My bloodwork was normal and I have no idea why the mucus persists. My only ideas are the anxiety and the supposed IBS. If anyone has any input, I’d greatly appreciate it.

Hey yall. I (22F) made a post last month or so about going to the GI doctor for digestive problems and believing I had CC. One of the things he wanted me to do was to get CBC and C-reactive protein blood tests done. I totally forgot that I scheduled this and when I remembered that my appointment is tomorrow, I got hit with waves of anxiety 😓

The thing is, most of my ‘alarming’ issues disappeared and I started to feel a lot better physically. I guess I’m just anxious that these tests will reveal something not so good, even though I feel okay. How did yall deal with the anxiety of getting blood tests? I almost want to back out… but I know it’d be good for me. Really struggling here so any suggestions or feedback would be amazing!

I just have to wait a couple minutes, hours, or a single day before the DMs start to get weird. It’s bound to happen at this point. they start getting flirty and asking for pics. It’s hard for me to make friends irl. People have found me and my interests weird all my life so I hoped to find people who liked the same things as me so I won’t be judged.

I know it’s the internet but this site is where I’ve seen people lie about their intentions the most 😩🙏🏾 lying about their age and gender, lying about wanting to remain platonic, etc. How bold do you have to be to assume I’m attracted to you 🙄

I’d like to think of this as a success story, even with the uncertainties :)) long-ish text ahead.

Hi everyone! I hope everyone is doing okay.

I’m 22f. I won’t go too much into my symptoms because I don’t want to get banned but about a month ago, I experienced something that made me believe I had CRC. I of course consulted Dr. Google and have had horrible anxiety and stress since.

I made an appointment with a GI that was more than a month out and it just kept replaying in my mind that my symptoms will get worse by the time my appointment was here. On the contrary, my GI symptoms improved somewhat. though, I still had anxiety and it showed. I was particularly anxious about my lack of insurance. Without insurance, there is no colonoscopy. That made my anxiety skyrocket!

My appointment was today. I told him about all my symptoms, including the anxiety. He went over standard questions with me like family history of GI issues to which my answer was no.

He said it sounded like IBS. He performed an exam on me (hated it. But it was quick) and found nothing alarming. Just to be thorough, he wants me to get lab work done to detect anything further. Also, of course, more fiber. He was very nice and seemed sympathetic about my anxiety.

In the end, he ended up prescribing me a cream and buspirone 5mg. I have never taken anything for anxiety. Im weirdly excited to start because I just want the anxiety to be gone.

I’m writing this to tell you all that it feels like a weight has been slightly lifted. I was so damn nervous about this appointment. But I got it done and I’m proud of myself for it. Because of his thoroughness, I feel heard.

Truth is, I’m still anxious. I found myself searching up the specific blood tests and what they could mean before I stopped myself. I still have my compulsions. My doc didn’t seem too concerned, and so I think I should be like him and take it easy.

Don’t be afraid to go to the doctor and get checked. Tell them EVERYTHING!! And for sure tell them about your anxiety. I’m trying to take things one day at a time. The more I relax and go back to doing what I love, the more I start to feel somewhat better.

Another user on here told me to think of what’s most possible, not most scary. Maybe you guys can try this when you feel the anxiety taking over 🤍

I’d love some help or advice. My family does not take me seriously and laugh at me. Here’s the story:

I’m 22f with severe carcinophobia and health anxiety. I had 2 occurrences of blood in my poop, the second time completely setting me off because the first time I was constipated and just come to the conclusion that I hurt myself whilst straining. But a second occurrence? That sent me googling and of course, I came across the possibility of colon cancer.

I hear that the rates are up in adults my age, but that it’s also very rare. My anxiety caused so many stomach issues I’ve never had before like mucus in stool, severe diarrhea, and weird stomach sensations. I developed a compulsion to check my poo and my weight that I cannot stop. I actually developed a fear of going to bathroom. I’d rather do anything else than sit on a toilet.

I calmed down very briefly enough for my stomach to stop feeling weird, but my mind went from colon c to rectal c after I experienced switches between constipation, diarrhea, and normal BMs. Now I can’t help but think about anal c.

I know statistically crc and Anal c are unlikely for someone like me. Logic just isn’t enough to heal my anxiety. What’s worse is that I cannot afford mental or medical care right now like a therapist or colonoscopy.

So I’m looking for advice. Anything at all to help me out of this cycle. Please tell me your experiences and how you got over something like this. I’m not looking for reassurance for my symptoms because I understand it’s not beneficial. Just suggestions on how to stop returning to the same routine.

Hi! I’m a 22 year old woman from the US who is pretty lonely. I don’t have many friends so I’d really like to make some. Im a recent college grad and never made any friends during that time. I’m comfortable talking to any gender, but preferably my age or a little older.

Looking for fellow nerds who won’t find my interests childish or weird :) I love cartoons, comic books, and superheroes. I love sonic the hedgehog, TMNT, and He-man to name a few things. I’m a very very casual gamer and I recently picked up RPGs. I’m also a digital artist.

I’m pretty introverted and anxious so I’m hoping to find someone the opposite of that? Or you can be an introvert too and we’ll suffer together!! Don’t worry, I pull my weight in conversations!

Please don’t DM me with the intention to be weird. Platonic only. Don’t ask me for pics or to “confirm” if I’m a girl… lol. No weirdos PLEASE. We can talk on discord after chatting here for a bit.

Let me know if you wanna get to talking! Or just DM me. ,,⁃ ⩊ ⁃,,

Hi everyone.

Today I’m going to attempt to stop seeking comfort from online forums, including this one. It’s going to be hard, but it needs to be done if I want to improve.

I’ve been having fears of CRC as a 22 year old for a month now. I turned away from Google. But every time I feel some kind of twinge in my stomach, I run to Reddit or another online forum. It’s been a way that I calmed down, knowing that there are people who are experiencing the same thing as me. But it’s not healthy. It’s become a sort of compulsion.

I don’t have the resources to help myself medically and that’s the worst of it all. So I have to do it by myself.

I have good days where I don’t open Reddit at all and I don’t think about my symptoms. Today has not been a day like that. Regardless, I’m going to take the most popular advice which is to live with uncertainty.

If I reduce my anxiety, I might get better. I know i only really started to feel shitty after the anxiety attacks. So I’m gonna let my mind and body heal away from online forums.

Wish me luck 🙏🏾 hopefully this post keeps me accountable and I’m not back on here again lol!

Basic info

22 year old Female

Black/afro Caribbean

Weight: between 193 and 195 lbs

Height: 5’3

I work out sometimes. I try to be better lol.

No family history of colon cancer

I don’t drink or smoke.

Only using vitamin supplements like A, D, B-complex, fiber pills, and iron pills only on period.

Here are the details:

Sometime in April, I had blood in my stool due to what I think is constipation. Blood and constipation disappeared pretty much the same day and everything returned to normal after I started fiber supplements.

Fast forward to early August, blood reappears after I drank coffee. Poop was large and the blood appeared as a streak in one of the logs and on toilet paper. No symptoms or changes in poop from April to August. No fatigue and I actually gained weight then. I have not seen anymore blood since early August.

Then came the anxiety attacks. Persistent diarrhea, mucus in stool, weight loss, nausea, lack of appetite. Took some supplements and sort of controlled my anxiety enough to start eating somewhat regularly again. I believe the supplements were causing some sort of stomach upset so I began taking tums.

I now have gas and constipation with left-side stomach discomfort. I drank orange juice, I ate rice with chicken, as well as Laynes (If you don’t know, it’s basically Canes chicken but better) prior to constipation. I haven’t had sugar, fried foods, or heavy carbs in 4 weeks before this.

All these stomach issues happened within the month. Never experienced stomach issues like this before. I’ve always been pretty regular. Very rarely was I constipated or experienced diarrhea before this. I don’t feel fatigued and I’ve maintained my weight since losing some during my anxiety attack. I have an appetite.

Given my information and symptoms, do these correspond with symptoms of colon cancer? Is this anxiety related? I’m not 100% cured of my anxiety as I cannot really afford medical help right now. I was only able to secure an appointment with a GI at a low income clinic who may only be able to give me advice since… no money.

Thank you!

Basic info

22 year old Female

Black/afro Caribbean

Weight: between 193 and 195 lbs

Height: 5’3

I work out sometimes. I try to be better lol.

Here are the details:

Sometime in April, I had blood in my stool due to what I think is constipation. Blood and constipation disappeared pretty much the same day and everything returned to normal after I started fiber supplements.

Fast forward to early August, blood reappears after I drank coffee. Poop was large and the blood appeared as a streak in one of the logs and on toilet paper. No symptoms or changes in poop from April to August. No fatigue and I actually gained weight then. I have not seen anymore blood since early August.

Then came the anxiety attacks. Persistent diarrhea, mucus in stool, weight loss, nausea, lack of appetite. Took some supplements and sort of controlled my anxiety enough to start eating somewhat regularly again. I believe the supplements were causing some sort of stomach upset so I began taking tums.

I now have constipation with left-side stomach discomfort. I drank orange juice, I ate rice with chicken, as well as Laynes (If you don’t know, it’s basically Canes chicken but better) prior to constipation. I haven’t had sugar, fried foods, or heavy carbs in 4 weeks before this.

All these stomach issues happened within the month. Never experienced stomach issues like this before. I’ve always been pretty regular. Very rarely was I constipated or experienced diarrhea before this. I don’t feel fatigued and I’ve maintained my weight since losing some during my anxiety attack. I have an appetite.

Given my information and symptoms, do these correspond with symptoms of colon cancer? Is this anxiety related? I’m not 100% cured of my anxiety as I cannot really afford medical help right now. I was only able to secure an appointment with a GI at a low income clinic who may only be able to give me advice since… no money.

Thank you!

Hi everyone. I am a 22 y/o black female currently worried about having CRC.

It started with a large BM, which was induced by coffee, having a streak of blood in it and on the toilet paper. This was about 13 days ago. I've been spiraling ever since.

Now, my stools are super weird. It was mainly diarrhea with mucus for about 10 days. These last few days have been a mix of hard and soft poo as my anxiety sort of lessened, mucus included. I see these also appear in someone who has IBS.

I want to say that I'm not a very anxious person in general. This was the first time l've ever been so anxious and it took a toll on my body.

I do have an appointment with a Gl. But colonoscopy is not something I can do right now (no insurance)

Thank you in advance for your input.

Hi everyone. I am a 22 y/o black female currently wondering about having CC.

It started with a large BM induced by coffee having a streak of blood in it and on the toilet paper. This was about 13 days ago. I’ve been spiraling ever since and trying not to.

Now, my BMs are super weird. It was mainly diarrhea with mucus for about 10 days. These last few days have been a mix of hard and soft poo, mucus included. I see these also appear in someone who has IBS.

I want to say that, I’m not a very anxious person in general. This was the first time I’ve ever been so anxious and it took a toll on my body. I do have an appointment with a GI. But colonoscopy is not something I can do right now (no insurance)

Thank you in advance for you input.

Hello! I’m 22f black female and I recently had a health scare (bright red blood after large stool) that caused me to absolutely spiral worse than I ever have before.

I’ve never experienced such sensations and it’s really worrying me and making me believe I have something seriously wrong with me. I’m not known for being anxious either. My mother is very confused with me and doesn’t know how to respond to it all.

It’s about 3 am right now and I’m experiencing a lot of gas (flatulence and burping as I get it out), diarrhea, mucus being expelled as I fart, and lower back pain that’s reminiscent of a burning sensation? Im not really fatigued but I’m not eating right because anxiety makes it hard to swallow and eat as I normally did. I’m trying to drink lots of water so I don’t get dehydrated. Surprisingly I only lost around 2 pounds since this started 8 days ago. I’m scared.

I scheduled a GI appointment for my initial health scare but I do not have insurance, which means I probably can’t get a colonoscopy unless my family wants to help me with the funds. This is adding to my anxiety.

Just to be clear, I have no tarry, dark poop. Never did. Which is a relief on its own but I’m still nervous!!

Is this seriously what anxiety does to the body? I feel so helpless.

Hello all! I am a 22 year old black female currently and HA is making me believe I’ve got crc. I’ve been experiencing such anxieties for 8 days now with no relief.

Like I said, I’m trying to be logical. I had blood in my poop 8 days ago, but nothing since. I should mention 4 months ago I had blood as well but I think I just pushed too hard. Between those 4 months, I didn’t experience anything like weight loss (I actually gained) or noticeable differences in my abdominal region.

Last night, I spent a good 30 minutes poking and prodding at my abdomen because of a damn TikTok video (I know…) and now I’m experiencing slight issues. One part of me goes “you just spent 30 minutes pushing into your stomach at all angles. Of course you’ll feel shitty the next day.” Another part goes “this is proof you’re sick.”

I don’t know if my logic and attempt at reasoning is just misplaced optimism, and that I am in fact in trouble. But I also know that to overcome HA, you need to be real with yourself about your anxiety and the fact that it can create very real physical symptoms!

I’m trapped in a never ending cycle and I just want to be free of it. I have an appointment September 14. No insurance so no colonoscopy. I’ll have to see how my body holds out until then. Anxiety brain tells me it’ll get worse 😓.

Hello! I just started playing this game a little over a week ago and I see there is a parallel event on the way.

I read the steam guide as well as some discussion posts and I saw that a lot of people said you have to check into the game pretty frequently to get the character, and that it’s hard to participate and get rewards if you haven’t got the time.

How frequent are we talking? I also intend to stay f2p for this particular event. Does it take long if i don’t spend money?