Painful Bowel movements could this be a sign of Anal cancer?

Okay...where should I start, as yall might be aware Im diagnosed with High risk HPV in Feb of this year and Im still on the wait and watch approach. Im scheduled to do my next pap smear at the end of the month hopefully all goes well but apart of me knows that the results might not come in my favor. For the pass months Ive been experiencing pain before I have bowel moments and it happens every time and it seems like its getting worst. Its and indescribable pain which makes me feel real uncomfortable to discuss about. The only way the pain would go away is when I let the waste out. Ive noticed too that Im having difficulties having bowel movements. Sometimes I have to take laxatives to make it easier.

I was wondering if this could be a sign of anal cancer, Ive read on some of the symptoms and Im not having any bleeding or itching but the pain is way too severe. Plus all of the major contribution to cause anal cancer occurred in my life. Anal sex, Ive smoked a couple of times in the past and the killer High risk HPV.

As I stated earlier Im scheduled to do my 3rd pap next week and Im highly considering doing an anal testing as well too. Im to a point in life where I rather known than to not know. All types of events is going on and Ive mentally blocked out the fact that I have this virus I just wanted my normal live back so Ive continue as if it wasnt bothering me. I didnt want the fact that Im HPV positive ruin my life but Im self destroying it day by day by sitting down and not taking any action. I know what I have to do to make my life better so that I can live longer and have a flourishing and prosperous life with this virus.

Could my symptoms be that of anal cancer?

By ShaundraNCCC-AZ
Posted September 15, 2009 at 7:40 pm
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Hi there I-will!
Soooo many things can cause the bowel irritation that you have. Definitely discuss your symptoms with your physician and they will help figure out what's causing all of the issues. I recommend that you write down every symptom that you have, so that you can give your Dr. a comprehensive overview of exactly what is happening.

Anal cancer, although known to be caused by HPV, is fairly rare and typically there are many many other things that are causing your issues. Let me be very clear, I'm not a doctor and unless stated otherwise, neither are many of the other people that post on this board, so please be very vigilent about your doctors appointments and follow ups regardless of what symptoms you are having. And if you do not get satisfactory results from your Dr, get a second opinion. The NCCC always recommends second opinions, even if they only confirm the findings of the first doctor.

Good luck and keep us posted!
Hugs-
Shaundra

By mp327
Posted September 16, 2009 at 9:33 am
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I don't post here very often, but feel compelled to respond to this message, as I was dx'd with anal cancer in June 2008. I underwent 6 weeks of chemo/rad and am now 1-year post-treatment. I will once again list the symptoms I experienced prior to my dx:

1) Abdominal bloating
2) Rectal pressure and pain
3) Chronic constipation
4) Stools thin in diameter
5) Rectal mucous discharge with BM's
6) Pain with bowel movements
7) The feeling of never getting emptied out after a BM
8) Rectal bleeding w/ and w/o BM's

Please note that I experienced symptoms 1 through 7 long before I had the rectal bleeding occur, leading me to believe that I had anal cancer long before it was dx'd. The bleeding is what got me to go to the doctor. My colorectal doctor did an anoscope on me upon my first visit and told me then I had cancer. Colonoscopy was done two days later with biopsy, which confirmed squamous cell CA.

So to answer you question if you could be having symptoms of anal cancer, I would say "yes" you could. I would recommend getting checked. Trust me, you do not want to have the experience I've had with chemo/rad--it is pure hell. I wish you the best and hope you get answers to all your questions.

Martha

By i_will_survive
Posted September 16, 2009 at 9:53 am
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thanks for all the responses, @ Martha I'm experiencing from your list of symptoms numbers 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7. I guess I've already found the answers to my question. Thank you so much for replying!

By marsha123
Posted September 16, 2009 at 12:16 pm
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I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow because of rectal pain. I know it may be just hemmoroids, but I realize that since HPV is spread by skin-to skin contact, a man's penis can brush by the anus often even if you don't actually have anal sex especially if you have sex from behind. In my case, I've had high risk HPV which resulted in a hysterectomy in less than a year so I'm being very proactive now with my self-care.

I'll let everyone know the outcome of this visit, and please stay in touch with me also to let me know how you are doing and coping. Thanks, and feel free to write to me. M

By dcw0405
Posted September 16, 2009 at 7:28 pm
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I'm glad to see that other people are being open about this issue. I'm 25 years old. I had a pap done back in February and the results came back abnormal, with LSILs, although the dr. didn't say it was HPV. From the research I've done, it seems like this could and is HPV so I finally (after much hesistation and fear) scheduled an appointment with a gynocologist for this Friday to have a colposcopy and possible biopsy done. Within the past couple weeks, I've noticed that I've had rectal pain.. just some pressure and always feeling like I have to "go". I'm going to my regular doctor tomorrow for this. I'm worried it may have to do with my possible HPV, mostly because I have had anal sex, not recently but in the past couple years I've had it maybe once a month. I'm really worried about this. I'll keep everyone updated on what the doctor says! I'm glad to see there's lots of support.

By ashbar
Posted September 17, 2009 at 9:05 am
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I just have to add that I've suffered from IBS-C (irritable bowel syndrome with constipation) since I was in college and have experienced all the symptoms that mp327 described, except for bleeding without BM. Being HPV+, you should definitely have your physician do a thorough exam, but I just want to reassure you that it's possible your symptoms are those of IBS, which is benign & treatable with diet changes.

By together-we-stand
Posted September 17, 2009 at 11:54 am
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a few months back i was experiencing symptoms 2,6, and 8 of mp327's list, it lasted 4 about 6-8wks and just stopped as immediately as it started without any warning. i spoke with my doc about it briefly, she offered to check it but i didn't let her. i hoping it's not too dumb a move to make, but even tho i've came to grips with havin HPV i don't think i'm prepared to go that far as doin anal tests.

V i wish u the best with your up n comin pap n other tests

By Dragonfly23
Posted September 17, 2009 at 12:00 pm
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Dear I Will Survive,

As Martha above, I also have had anal cancer - twice! The first time was in 1991 and now again this year. I found a lesion last July and the gynonc was supposed to biopsy it while he was doing laser ablation for AIN but he didn't. This delayed my diagnosis to where by the time I got treatment it had become invasive. I just finished chemo and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) along with brachytherapy three weeks ago and am still reeling from it all. As Martha said, pure hell.

Please do not let anyone brush you off with a diagnosis of bleeding hemorrhoids. Too many people have ended up with invasive anal cancer that way. Be sure that whomever you see does a high resolution anoscopy or at least an anoscopy and not just a digital rectal exam (DRE).

Women are more likely to develop anal cancer than men, and are more likely to have it inside the anal canal as opposed to outside or perianal than men. A colonoscopy is not designed to visualize the anal canal so that would be overkill in my opinion. Unfortunately as someone mentioned in another post, the method they now use is humiliating with a table that tilts downward leaving your bottom up in the air. Although it can be done lying on your side this horrible table causes the pelvic contents to shift down towards your head allowing the doc a much better visualization of the area.

For women who have had CIN there is a 37% increased risk of developing AIN and/or anal cancer so I certainly encourage you to pursue this with a colorectal doc who is knowledgable about HPV. There is nothing wrong with questioning his staff regarding this before making an appointment or even asking to talk to him. There's nothing worse than wasting time with a doc who is clueless about HPV and unfortunately far to many colorectals are just that, clueless. They should ALL be offering anal paps in their practices.

By soirche1
Posted October 16, 2009 at 8:39 pm
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Heya,
Getting a bit worried reading all of this. I just googled my symptoms and this site was the number 1 result with chlamydia being another.
I'm a 20 and so embarrased about whats happening with my body latley that i havn't spoke to a doctor or family to inquire as to wheather or not what i'm experiencing is normal. I dont know exactly what any of the abreviations mean so maybe you could kinda break it down for me? Would greatly appreciate any and all advice and help you can offer.
Firstly, I have symptoms 1 to 8 listed bymp327 and have had them for probaly a month, maybe more. Also, (I'm not sure if this is relevant but just in case...) my tonsils, glands and neck have been swollen and tender for probaly the same amount of time.
I'm a smoker, about 30 in a day, no history of cancer in my family that I know of (again I dont know if any of this is relevant but incase it might be....) I dont have anal sex and I've been in a faithful relationship with my boyfriend for nearly one year.
Help?!

By mp327
Posted October 20, 2009 at 9:25 am
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Hi Everyone--

I want to first let everyone in this discussion know that I think it's great that we are talking more and more about anal cancer. As for the symptoms described in my previous post, yes, they can indicate IBS, but you do not know that unless you have been thoroughly checked by a colorectal specialist with anoscope. I will be the first person to say that this is not a pleasant exam and that I probably put off going to the doctor for my symptoms just because I dreaded being examined. However, I now have anal cancer and these exams are part of my routine. I don't care to die of embarrassment and I hope no one else does either. If any of you are having any of those symptoms, please do not put off getting examined by a specialist who can do anoscopy or HRA on you. DO NOT let your primary care physician dismiss it as bleeding hemorrhoids, as mine did! Please see a specialist.

Martha

By i_will_survive
Posted October 20, 2009 at 12:31 pm
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Hello everyone, thanks for the comfort, advice and support, I never knew that my post would of gotten so much attention but as I get more awareness of my condition I'm noticing that this is affecting women everyday and there should be more awareness on anal cancer. I'm so please that everyone is trying to reach out at least I know now that I'm not alone.

@soirche1 its okay to be worried - this is an overall fear in all of our lives. Its best that you find out all that you can about your condition now then to find out later when things could probably get worst. I've learnt that the people here on Inspire has become my mentor when it comes to HPV and now anal cancer - I wasnt aware of this until I was reading a post here and I was having so much uncomfortable bowel movements and I still do. We are all here to help - I'm still not fully aware of anal cancer I'm still learning so my best advice is for you to obtain as much information you can and give your doctor who like mp327 says specializes in that field. From what I understand you dont have to have anal sex in order to get anal cancer its skin- to -skin contact.
First of all you have to talk to someone about your condition - i know it might be quite embarrassing at times but if you dont feel comfortable talking to a family member ( like I am) then there should be a friend that you can talk to - you know for the support. Just bear in mind that you have us here on Inspire to guide you through. You have to first find out if there's a possibility that you have the HPV virus then take it from there. Its a long process I'm still at the 3 pap smear results which is simply driving me crazy cause I know I still have further more to go I don’t even know what stage CIN I have, plus I'm dealing with all these painful bowel movements and don’t have a clue what’s going on because I haven’t been able to get a change to see a doctor. I dont want to make the situation any more stressful than it is. I too been in a faithful relationship over 2 and a half years - it wasnt until I came out of the relationship is when I found out I had HPV so I dont know maybe he wasnt faithful - I'm to a point where I really dont care because I cant undo whats already happened I have to find a way to move forward. Maybe youre situation might be different from mines not everyone condition is the same so please go and see a doctor and let us know whats going on with you. I would love to know how youre doing and whats the outcome. :) Please keep in touch

@ mp327 I totally agree with you but the sad thing is - where I'm from we are soo limited on medical resources I highly doubt that there is a colorectal specialist here on this islands so its going to be harder for me to get my situation looked after. But there's some hope I have a friend who recently did an anoscopy I'm not sure if the person performing the procedure was a specialist but the procedure was done and her results was send off (to the US) for testing. It takes a while for the results to come back but its the only way things get done here. Its sort of different when you go to a private facility but that's very expensive which I cant afford. Things are so bad here its difficult to get an appointment to even see an gyno - I'm trying my hardest to get one in now but I'm still not getting through to anyone.

@ Dragonfly23 & mp327 - First of all I'm so sorry I can only imagine what yall went through during yall chemo and radiation therapy. You both are a true definition of a fighter; Yall defeating the battle of cancer everyday by your determination of staying alive. Thank you so much for your advice and motivating me more on fighting this illness. I completely understand where you coming from. When I bring up the word HPV or cancer my friend would automatically say that, "I'm wishing death upon myself" or "It’s not that serious" you know something to brush the issue aside as its some common cold. Even when I spoke to a doctor recently she said that, "Ohh everything will be all right there are millions for females in the UK with HPV- your normal just like any healthy female - only different is that we will have to monitor you more." The constant thought of the fact that this std can lead to something more dangerous is a big eye-opener for me. Even though I have manage to not like HPV live for me I still wonder how things will be if I don’t do anything about it. So I'm far from letting anyone brush my situation off. I've come to an conclusion that the only people that will understand what I'm going through is the females that is going through it - my friends or that doctor don’t have what I have so they wont have a clue of how I or anyone of us here on inspire feels.

As soon as I get to see this doctor and finally get my pap smear result I’ll keep you guys posted. Thanks once again

P.S @ together-we-stand please let us know your results for your anoscopy.

By mswrx2u
Posted October 20, 2009 at 3:32 pm
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recently i have been experiencing some of the numbers you have described. i get bloated and am in pain during and it becomes itchy. Should you wait until you bleed to go do something? If i was to do something does that mean going to yet again another specalist....because i had a tragic experience and am currently in councling for it and i am not sure i could handle that right now

By mp327
Posted October 20, 2009 at 8:30 pm
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mswrx2u--

I'm sorry to read that you are having some of the symptoms I outlined above. Your question about waiting until you have bleeding is quite disconcerting to me. If you are having pain with bowel movements, then I would recommend getting checked now. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL YOU BLEED. I'm sorry you have had a bad experience previously, but your life could depend on getting these symptoms diagnosed in a timely manner. Believe me, if I had known I was having symptoms indicative of anal cancer, I would not have delayed getting checked. You have the information, so please don't put it off. If it turns out to be nothing, then you will have peace of mind. I wish you the best.

Martha

By calla53
Posted November 15, 2009 at 10:45 am
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My symptoms of dark, rectal blood (not bright red) started only 4-5 weeks prior to my diagnosis & only 2-3 times. I worked as a florist for 30 some years so I spent alot of time on my feet along with terrible eating habits & tons of stress & have always had bowel issues...my symptoms could have been there for awhile & thought of as my "normal". However this bleeding was different & I knew the bleeding was not from hemorrhoids. I feared the worst & I was right, Anal cancer.

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