Incomplete colonoscopy - worried about surgery

[Cazkira]

Hello everyone,
I am new here and am so thankful there is a forum like this. I was diagnosed a little over one week ago with colon cancer. My concern is that when the GI doctor performed the colonoscopy, he could only get up to the mass in the sigmoid and that blocked him from going past to see the rest of the colon. They determined it was cancer and I then had a CT scan which did not reveal anything they could see other than that one area. My colorectal surgeon wants to complete surgery soon and did mention that I would need another colonoscopy a short time after I have healed to see the rest of the colon. He said it is possible he may find more further up there that he won't be able to see in surgery and that were missed on the CT scan. I know he needs to tell me about all possibilities, but the thought of finding more later, which could be discovered now if we have the right diagnostic tools, then possibly having to go through more surgery soon after to remove additional masses, frightens me. Has anyone had a similar situation and/or been presented with another option to see things better before going in?

[Atoq]

I had a similar experience and had my first complete coloscopy one year after diagnosis of rectal cancer. The tumour was too large and the scope did not pass. Nevertheless, my colon was clear. I also had a bounch of MR, CAT and PET scans that would probably detect larger tumours, but the scope can highlight really small polips and often they can be removed before they degenerate.
Good luck with surgery and therapy!

Claudia

[mandosquiddy]

I was in the same boat. I got my full colonoscopy about 4 months after diagnosis. My doctors weren't super concerned about the rest of my colon at the time but did recommend it get done soonish. They seemed more eager to start my chemo regime and I got the scope sometime in the 7th or so round. Perhaps some people prefer to wait until after chemo to do the scope? The prep can be rough and even rougher if you aren't feeling great.

Another random thought, my CEA dropped significantly after surgery. Perhaps if it didn't drop there would have more cause for concern.

[crikklekay]

My husband had the same issue except the mass was blocking his colon completely so we didn't really worry about anything other than getting him into surgery ASAP. After we were told he needed to finish his colonoscopy to make sure nothing else was going on but we'd have to wait for his colostomy to heal first. Our oncologist told us not to worry, he'd be getting chemo which would be fighting anything that might still linger while we waited. I was still twisted up in knots waiting for the results when we finally were able to get it done 5 months later, but thankfully he was clear!

Good luck!

[Cazkira]

Thank you all for your responses. It was recently mentioned that I should have CEA blood test for measurement. I think that would help a lot to see those numbers drop after surgery. I'm pretty nervous about surgery but will be glad to have the tumor out of there and to remove the partial blockage. Thanks again.

[tminor5]

My husband was the same. We went to the ER for a bowel blockage. Couldn’t do a full colonoscopy because of the cancer. He ended up with a colostomy because there was an infection in there. His surgeon wanted to wait until after chemo to have a full colonoscopy. He will have one on Monday. Then we find out about his take colostomy reversal. The surgeon just wants to make sure everything is clear. He doesn’t want to go in to do a reversal and then find out later that there was still cancer in there.

[michelle c]

Try not to worry about this. My advice is to take one day at a time. I know it's hard not to worry but all the "what ifs" and overthinking nearly made my crazy and only heightened my anxiety. It sounds like you have a great doctor taking care of you. Try to focus on this and that it has not metastisized. Best wishes for your surgery. One day at a time.....

[rp1954]

...which could be discovered now if we have the right diagnostic tools, then possibly having to go through more surgery soon after to remove additional masses, frightens me. Has anyone had a similar situation and/or been presented with another option to see things better before going in?

My wife was similarly blocked but had more stuff, stage IV as it turned out, in the bad zone. So much for "at least a stage 2" at dx...

We took several pre-emptory actions at this point in the diagnosis-treatment chain to improve her odds, and it has paid off. These first days and weeks can be used more effectively to increase the odds of a cure, or in the bad scenarios, gain years of survival with less side effects.

We got extra blood tests, beyond the "standard of care", which you can buy yourself over the phone or internet (the most reliable way with the least aggravation or conflict!). The most important missing common blood tests are CA199, LDH, 25 hydroxyvitamin D, but others I've listed before can help too. We also use some mild drugs for their anti-stem cell properties, and potent nutrients recommended by other doctors, beyond the ASCO/NCCN guidelines for improved odds and opportunities. Especially the cimetidine (Tagmet, available over the counter) before surgery. These are most of the supplements that we used the weeks before surgery, missing the Modified Citrus Pectin powder and probably 1-2 minor supplements. Before second surgery we used 30,000-40,000 iu vitamin D3 for even more immune modulation and response, where she was clearly vitamin D deficient before cancer dx.

Please read my previous posts in "First Aid" for colorectal cancer - things you can do now, like we did for extra improvements and one time opportunities before surgery. We did these things and have gained extra years of continuing, high quality survival for my wife, at lower out of pocket costs.