I (35m) have had at least mild digestive issues (soft stool, loud digestion, partial evacuation) for as long as I can remember. Symptoms have gotten more severe as time goes on, to the point I had a panic attack last week and convinced myself I was dying of colon cancer. I took a FIT test and results came in negative today. I’m incredibly relieved I can cross CRC off the list as a likely culprit, but I’m stumped as far as what I should do next.
I live in the US and don’t have health insurance, so unfortunately I don’t have access to a physician to talk to about this.
I know our guts are incredibly complex and so many issues express with similar symptoms. What should I do next to figure out if I have a food allergy, parasite, other GI disease? Who can I talk to? What tests/experiments are accessible for uninsured people?
u/Impossible_Beat6092
Im up at 3am panicking that I’m dying because of a grumbling tummy and pressure in my lower left abdomen.
I (35m) have had a loud gut for years. I’ve always had softer stool. I’m in the US and don’t have health insurance, so I don’t have a dr to talk to about it. Last year I decided to work on alleviating my symptoms by taking some gut supporting supplements and incorporating more fiber in my diet. I havent noticed any improvements. Over the last 3-4 weeks my stool has been extremely loose, fluffy, and full of mucus. It’s pretty normal for me to evacuate virtually nothing but mucus, and then an hour later have a full evacuation. About 2 weeks ago I started noticing a chronic soreness/pressure in my lower left abdomen. When that didn’t go away after a few days I ordered a FIT test from everlywell to see if a colonoscopy is a smart next step or colon cancer is an unlikely culprit.
But tonight I can’t shake the thought that this sore spot in my abdomen is a tumor and I’m approaching my last days.
I need help calming my thoughts and advice on what I should do next to take care of my health.