Colonoscopy

[Andrea1976]

Hello,
I need to be carefully monitored for years to come. Who is better to monitor me a colorectal surgeon with 40 years of experience who can do my colonoscopy.

Or a regular GI doc - he is also very nice and good.

Thanks!

[mike1965]

Be careful. Good Luck. My surgeon with 40 years wanted to do wait and see. He was wrong in my case. I ended up being Stage 3 after I had the LARS surgery and they did a biopsy. Everyone case is different. Just be educated and comfortable with your decision.

[shade]

Good question. I am getting colonoscopy followup from the same GI doc that found my cancerous polyp in the first place. He specializes in screening, and does colonoscopies every week. I am sure he has seen more colons from the inside than my surgeon, whose experience with colons and rectums is mainly from the outside. I am not even sure my surgeon even would be willing to do colonoscopies for long term followup. Definitely there is a better level of communication with my GI doctor. So, having said all that, I trust my GI doc for my colonoscopy followup, but I am interested in what others say.

[Andrea1976]

Mike,
Sorry to hear. But good that you are getting treatment. It is a hard decision. Southwestern Cancer center doesn't recommend surgery. I actually spoke to the surgeon again today. He says that the chance in my case is minimal since my 2 cm stalk was free of Cancer and displasia. I am going to MD Anderson next week for another opinion. I am suprised that in your case with flat polyp the 1st surgeon would say no to surgery. From what I have seen online - it's almost always surgery. The only time is if it's a Pedunculated polyp with favorable biopsy, clear margins etc.

[Andrea1976]

Shade,
Thank you!

[Travelgirl]

Smart choice getting more than one Dr's opinion.

I saw 3 GI Dr's .. First two each biopsied my flat polyp in different spots both path reports said precancerous polyp. I called mayo clinic for another opinion. the 3rd GI DR from mayo took another biopsy, he hit the spot where the cancer was hiding.

If I would of never got that third opinion from Mayo clinic. I would of been getting a second surgery. And risked the chance of the cancer spreading.

The surgery recommended by the first two GI Dr's would of just been the removal of my Cecum only The mayo clinic took a foot of my colon and twenty lymph nodes making sure all my margins and risk of return were minimal if any.

Keep us posts and I wish you the best..

[Andrea1976]

Travel girl,
My polyp is completely out since 01/15. 3 different biopsy done including in a large cancer center to confirm the pathology.
Cancer center doesn't recommend surgery
Colorectal surgeon with 44 years experience and formal professor doesn't recommend
Baylor surgeon said that I have 3-6% chance of lymph nodes involvment and said to consider it. But the other surgeons say this statistics is not based on valid knowledge.
Going to MD Anderson to review on Tuesday. Will be interesting to hear their opinion.
Just had MRI of abdomen and liver. All ok. CEA 0.3

[orcasres]

My husband has had Ulcerative Colitis for 45 years and has a scope every two years. GI docs who do regular scopes are better (ours has done over 3000 of them) are better in our opinion. The one time that a surgeon did it, the reporting and follow up was the worst he ever had. Lois

[Andrea1976]

Thank you! Good to know. My colorectal surgeon wants to do the colonoscopy so he knows if we go ahead with the surgery.