<human>: Hello! My Name is Alyniece. I am experiencing a lot of symptoms that seem to line up with early signs of cancer. I m only 19 years old, and so I know that cancer is probably not the issue, so I am emailing you to see if you think that my symptoms merit my going to the doctor. Here are my symptoms: Sweating heavily, especially at night, abdominal pain at least once a day, nausea every other day for extended periods of time, loss of appetite--I haven t been able to force myself to eat regularly for the past 3 or 4 weeks, fluid retention in the form of bloating(a few times a month) and swollen ankles for no reason(almost every day), I ve also been unusually pale, I ve experienced dizziness and vertigo 1-3 times a week for the past few months, I ve been getting really overheated randomly and for no reason, especially at night but also throughout the day, blood in my stool, which I attribute to rectal bleeding, for the past few months, extreme lack of energy and fatigue for the past several weeks, I am easily tired and find myself out of breath. I also have something that feels like a lump in the ball of my foot, which has been there for over 2 years. I assumed it was a Morton s neuroma, but that was never confirmed. Recently at night the ball of my foot has been throbbing and so has my ankle, and the pain sometimes shoots all the way up my leg. Do you think that this combination of symptoms is cause for concern? and if so what should I tell the doctor I see to ensure that he understands the entirety of the problem? Thank you so much for your help and advice, Alyniece S
<bot>: Hello, There are some things of concern that require for closer assessment. You report rectal bleeding with lack of energy, unusual pallor and repeated dizziness. This may be due to anemia (reduced blood amounts) with multiple other symptoms being part of that (swollen ankles, breathlessness). I think you need to see a doctor to see why you are bleeding from your rectum. They may identify the problem just by a physical examination or may need a colonoscopy. As for the swelling on your foot, it could be a Morton's neuroma, but you would need either an ultrasound or foot MRI to confirm this. All the best.