30 Years Old - Colonscopy w/ Polyps Found

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Javeno
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:21 pm

30 Years Old - Colonscopy w/ Polyps Found

Postby Javeno » Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:36 pm

Hello everyone. I just wanted to share my story and what's going on with me especially after a very sobering phone call with my doctor tonight.

About 3 years ago I noticed some blood on the toilet paper when I would use the restroom, not a lot, not enough to really freak me out but it was noticeable. After it didn't go away for awhile I went to a walk-in clinic and the doctor examined me with their fingers and I was diagnosed with hemorrhoids. So I accepted it, used a donut pillow seat and went on with life, with intermittent blood on my toilet paper (every couple months, not sure) that I associated with hemorrhoids.

Fast forward to about a month ago, the blood is more noticeable. I get a little freaked out this time and call my primary doctor, but he's out of town so I see another doctor in the practice. He examines me, sends off an occult blood test and also says I probably have hemorrhoids and that it's likely not "something catastrophic" (why that wording?) due to the odds with my age and such. The results come back positive for blood of course, he said they probably would, but not to worry.

Two weeks later, it's not any better and I go in to see my primary doctor again and this time I get to see him. He examines me and says he can feel the hemorrhoids but that he wants me to see a specialist. The place he refers me to calls me the next day (Tuesday morning) and says they can get me in for a colonoscopy later that week on Friday - I take that opening because I want to get it over with.

The doctor finds and removes 2 benign appearing polyps during my procedure - one less than 5MM in my ascending colon, and one between 10-15MM in my sigmoid colon that was oozing blood and the likely source of my intermittent bleeding.

So it's been a little over 2 weeks since my procedure and my doctor called me tonight as I was coming home from work. He said it's taken them a little longer than normal for them to get the results and for him to contact me because he wanted as much information as possible. He said the smaller polyp was "normal" and what he'd expect from a regular benign polyp. The larger one near my rectum however was precancerous and was at the "highest level" precancerous it could be (something to that effect).

Needless to say, I am kind of shook up but grateful that I had the colonoscopy done. I just hope that for now, I don't have to worry anymore (that he got it all - he said they were completely removed) as long as I keep up with the screenings. He wants me to have another colonoscopy within a year and is having genetic tests done on my biopsy to test for mutations that can give us a clue as to the propensity for it in the future.

I wish I could tell everyone in my age group to get checked early.


Thanks for your time.

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CRguy
Posts: 10473
Joined: Sun Feb 10, 2008 6:00 pm

Re: 30 Years Old - Colonscopy w/ Polyps Found

Postby CRguy » Wed Dec 06, 2017 10:00 pm

Welcome to the forum ...
AND ... Yup that is why we are here :
GET checked early !

Best wishes
CRguy
Caregiver x 4
Stage IV A rectal cancer/lung met
17 Year survivor
my life is an ongoing totally randomized UNcontrolled experiment with N=1 !
Review of my Journey so far

Pemba
Posts: 84
Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2017 7:52 am

Re: 30 Years Old - Colonscopy w/ Polyps Found

Postby Pemba » Thu Dec 07, 2017 2:29 am

I had A very similar experience, even though the outside could have been prettier the inside luckily only had the lowest grade of dysplasi. Congrats on catching it in time before it turned nasty :D

I’m still debating with myself whether to fight for the genetic test. Sadly I suffer from anxiety that often evolves around my health, before my polyp I was in a really good place mentally, but the found and afterwards waiting for the report, knocked me back Into looney toons mode. I’m afraid positive genetic test would keep me busy with being sure I had cancer 24/7.

My compromise at the moment is to move my colonoscopy from a 3 year check to 1, see if anything appears and then make a decision.
Age: 26
2017: 15mm Tubulovillous adenoma- Low grade dysplasi.
Next scopy: original 2020 probably 2018-19

NHMike
Posts: 2555
Joined: Fri Jul 21, 2017 3:43 am

Re: 30 Years Old - Colonscopy w/ Polyps Found

Postby NHMike » Thu Dec 07, 2017 6:36 am

I'm impressed that they are doing genomic testing on your tumor biopsy. A lot of doctors don't order this as it can be difficult to get insurance to cover it. The idea is to find out what the gene mutation is in case it's one of the more aggressive mutations. You can see an older list of colorectal gene mutations at https://www.mycancergenome.org/content/ ... al-cancer/ if you're curious.

The doctor might also order a test for Lynch Syndrome which is a blood test to determine whether or not you are MicroSatellite Instability High or MicroSatellite Stable. The former can be an indicator for Lynch Syndrome which is heritable and often results in cancer at younger ages. If you have this, then you'd want to get checked at younger ages and more frequently and you'd want your kids tested at younger ages than usual along with your siblings.

But it sound like you're cancer-free now and that has to be a relief. Good job getting it checked out.
6/17: ER rectal bleeding; Colonoscopy
7/17: 3B rectal. T3N1bM0. 5.2 4.5 4.3 cm. Lymphs: 6 x 4 mm, 8 x 6, 5 x 5
7/17-9/17: Xeloda radiation
7/5: CEA 2.7; 8/16: 1.9; 11/30: 0.6; 12/20 1.4; 1/10 1.8; 1/31 2.2; 2/28 2.6; 4/10 2.8; 5/1 2.8; 5/29 3.2; 7/13 4.5; 8/9 2.8, 2/12 1.2
MSS, KRAS G12D
10/17: 2.7 2.2 1.6 cm (-90%). Lymphs: 3 x 3 mm (-62.5%), 4 x 3 (-75%), 5 x 3 (-40%). 5.1 CM from AV
10/17: LAR, Temp Ileostomy, Path Complete Response
CapeOx (8) 12/17-6/18
7/18: Reversal, Port Removal
2/19: Clean CT

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susie0915
Posts: 945
Joined: Wed Aug 02, 2017 8:17 am
Facebook Username: Susan DeGrazia Hostetter
Location: Michigan

Re: 30 Years Old - Colonscopy w/ Polyps Found

Postby susie0915 » Thu Dec 07, 2017 9:48 am

So glad you caught it before it progressed. Now that you know and will be getting yearly colonscopies you will be ahead of the game at all times.
58 yrs old Dx @ 55
5/15 DX T3N0MO
6/15 5 wks chemo/rad
7/15 sigmoidoscopy/only scar tissue left
8/15 PET scan NED
9/15 LAR
0/24 nodes
10/15 blockage. surgery,early ileo rev, c-diff inf :(
12/15 6 rds of xelox
5/16 CT lung scarring/inflammation
9/16 clear colonoscopy
4/17 C 4mm lung nod
10/17 pel/abd CT NED
11/17 CEA<.5
1/18 CT/Lung no change in 4mm nodule
5/18 CEA<.5, CT pel/abd/lung NED
11/18 CEA .6
5/19 CT NED, CEA <.5
10/19 Clear colonscopy
11/19 CEA <.5

Lee
Posts: 6207
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 4:09 pm

Re: 30 Years Old - Colonscopy w/ Polyps Found

Postby Lee » Thu Dec 07, 2017 11:00 am

Good that you caught it early, if you have any sibling, they too might want to get scoped. Do you know if colon cancer runs in your family?

Lee
rectal cancer - April 2004
46 yrs old at diagnoses
stage III C - 6/13 lymph positive
radiation - 6 weeks
surgery - August 2004/hernia repair 2014
permanent colostomy
chemo - FOLFOX
NED - 16 years and counting!

Javeno
Posts: 6
Joined: Wed Dec 06, 2017 7:21 pm

Re: 30 Years Old - Colonscopy w/ Polyps Found

Postby Javeno » Wed Dec 20, 2017 3:44 pm

Thanks for the replies everyone. Sorry for not responding sooner, I guess I don’t receive notifications when people reply.

So the nurse called me on Monday and said the test was negative for genetic mutations that would increase my chance for colon cancer. That’s a relief, and she said that the doctor wants me to have another colonoscopy in 6 months.

There’s no known history of colon cancer in my family. My mother and father have both had polyps removed. My father had a section of his colon removed due to diverticulitis at one point.

Anyway, I guess my story isn’t a cancer story per se and a feel a little silly posting this after reading some of the stories on here, but I’ve already told many people around my age group to get screened earlier. I guess I really dodged a bullet of sorts.


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