Question about symptoms and diagnosis

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Question about symptoms and diagnosis

Postby Guest » Wed Jan 24, 2007 1:12 pm

Hello!
I'm a 26 year old female, who recently noted a small amount of blood streaking my stool. I followed up with a gastro, who did a sigmoidoscopy, and identified an anal fissure. The problem is, I'm still worrying that there's something else wrong (even though the bleeding stopped, only occured 2x in one day). How accurate would you say a sigmoidoscopy is, and do you think I can trust this diagnosis?

I also remember having some bleeding well over a year ago, that I didn't have investigated. Nothing else noted in between the 2 incidents, though...

Thanks - any answers/comments would be appreciated!

Maggie

Postby Maggie » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:14 pm

Hi.
If you are still concerned, I would find a doctor who will do a colonoscopy. Sigmoidoscopies only look at a section of your colon, not the whole thing. I even sometime wonder why doctors still use them (I think in unlikely cases they use them, also if your main sympton is bleeding bright red, the chances of the source of the blood being further in your colon is less likely). But then again, I was diagosed with a sigmoidoscopy because my cancer was in my sigmoid colon. And I continued to have them as a regular follow up between my yearly colonoscopies to see the resection site of my colon. Anyway, what I am saying is go get a colonoscopy done. That will put your mind at rest. And it's actually easier than a sigmoidoscopy! Good luck!
Maggie

Guest

Postby Guest » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:38 pm

Thanks for the response - it was bright red blood, and the doc seemed to be more concerned about the possibility of ulcerative colitis than anything else (no signs of that).

Also, just out of curiosity - Maggie, did you have bleeding/blood on stools? If so, was it intermittent or consistent?

Maggie

Postby Maggie » Wed Jan 24, 2007 5:26 pm

I had symptoms for approx. 2 years. My first was diarrhea and that happened fairly regularly (like once a week or more) for the whole two years. My initial thought was that I was lactose intolerant or something. I didn't think much about it. I was bleeding when I wiped (or so I thought) for approx a year and a half of the period of diarrhea. I basically thought it was because I was going so much, I was wiping myself raw. When I started to be concerned was a particularly stressful time of my life (I was a senior in college struggling to graduate on time after a semester in Germany where my credits didn't transfer and working 30 hours a week) I notice that I was literally dripping blood. At that point I went directly to the doctor and had a sigmoidoscopy where they found a polyp that was causing the problem. If I wouldn't have been super stressed out and caused the bleeding to be more prevelant, I probably wouldn't have gone to the doctor. Luckily, the doctors took my concerns seriously and I was only stage I.
It is important to take your symptoms seriously, but also realize that though it does happen that younger people get colon cancer (I was 21) the usual diagnosis isn't colon cancer. That said, if you feel concerned about only have a portion of your colon looked at verses the whole thing, go and get the colonoscopy out of the way. Most likely you'll feel a lot better taking more caution rather than letting it go.
Maggie

Magnolia
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Postby Magnolia » Wed Jan 24, 2007 7:24 pm

Most, but not all, colon cancers occur in the lower portion of the colon, which would be reached with a sigmoidoscope, and bleeding from higher up would not be likely to show up as bright red. Chances are all really is well. Sigmoidoscopy is falling out of favor, though, because it doesn't show the whole picture. If you're still worried, persue it. Ask more questions at the very least. To be honest, if the fissure heals, the bleeding stops, the sigmoscopy was clear, if it was me, (and I didn't already have a history of cancer) I might be happy with that. I'd jump on it if the symptoms came back though, or if any new symptoms developed. Keep up a dialogue with your doc. If anything doesn't feel right, stay on it. I had a Stage III cancer that was causing no symptoms at all. If I had not had a screening colonoscopy I wouldn't have known I had it. The stuff can be sneaky.

That said, bright red bleeding usually comes from the lower tract, and the sigmoidoscope would be likely to find the source. That much is reassuring. The only advantage of a colonoscopy would be to find an occult problem higher up that wasn't acting up yet. There's no real reason to believe you have anything there, except that some of us did. You found the source of your bleeding, and if you have no other symptoms, watchful waiting and careful monitoring may be an option. Forgetting about it is not. Colonoscopy would give you a clear answer. Keep talking to your doc.


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