Question: I am a 49 years old male. physically active, no family member with colon cancer. 9 years ago (40 years of age), I had pain in the lower left of the abdomen and frequent bowel movement but no loosing stools. My doctor did not have any concern but still referred me to a GI to have a colonoscopy because I insisted. The colonoscopy only found grade 1 internal hemorrhoid and the pain was gone right after that and I realized that I took too much of laxative herbal tea. I've been taking fiber powder & stool softener daily for a while since I've been having anal fissure due to hard stools sometimes and lately I had some good amount of fresh blueberry because they were so good and the exact same problem 9 years ago started. A friend of my who is a practitioner told me not to eat too much fiber and fresh veggies, the problem seemed to subside about couple days and it happens again when I ate a large avocado and some vegetables. I again had to reduce those to almost none and that seems help but I can feel the cartilage on the very low & far side of the left rib cage tenderness and pain when touch and so as the lower muscle below it near hip also tendered. My doctor plans to send me for another colonoscopy next year when I turn 50 and also 10 years interval. I've reduced consuming veggies & fruits and the mild pain in the lower left of abdomen seems better but not 100%, I guess. a couple muscle spots right beneath the skin on the left abdomen are tender to touch with stretching.

Do you think my symptoms cause for a concern?
What the odd of having colon cancer in my situation, a clean colonoscopy 9 years ago without family history?

Thank you for helping

Dear Dr.

Thank you for your answer, I%E2%80%99ve on high fiber for a long time and might be over dosed and laxative because I sometimes had anal fissure due to hard stool.

I did have similar symptoms several times
before but my family Dr said it was not IBS but shorter times.

i don%E2%80%99t think the mild pain in my stomach still there but I do feel some 2-3 very small tender spots when touch right below the surface of the skin of the stonach but they mimic some very short deep pain throughout the day