First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
lemondrop~
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:53 pm
Facebook Username: Erica Rebecca
Location: Houston, Texas

First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby lemondrop~ » Fri Jan 18, 2019 6:48 pm

Hello Everyone,

I've been lurking this forum for a week or so now, and decided to make an account. I have not been diagnosed yet, and would like a place to share my fears and worries - I hope you don't mind.

Weird things first started happening in early November of last year. I began having abdominal pain, and was burping more than usual. These were my only symptoms. Went to the my GP and she thought it was a stomach bug. I was prescribed omeprazole and on my way. After taking it for about a week I felt better. However, my symptoms returned shortly thereafter, and I began to experience diarrhea along with my previous symptoms.

I returned to my GP, a different one this time, because my previous GP was on maternity leave. She asked me a bunch of questions, did a brief check, and suggested I had gastritis based on my symptoms. I was instructed to continue taking omeprazole along with an additional medication, to treat my symptoms. I also had some bloodwork done and a stool test to check for h pylori. My complete metabolic panel showed my bloodwork was completely normal and my stool tested negative for h pylori. Additionally, my bloodwork showed that my liver, pancreas, kidney enzymes etc. were normal. Because my symptoms did not improve, I asked for a referral to a GI specialist, which I was given.

Around early December I saw my GI specialist. He asked me about my symptoms, and also performed a check. He suggested based on my symptoms, I do bloodwork to check for Celiacs as well as an up upper barium swallow test. I went that day to do my bloodwork, and also scheduled an appointment for the swallow test a week and a half later. About two days later, I was informed by my GI that my T-TRANSGLUTAMINASE (TTG) IGA level was elevated above the normal range. I was instructed to cancel my swallow test and set up an upper endoscopy, which I wasn't able to have until after Christmas.

In late December (the 28th), I had my endoscopy done. Everything looked okay, however my upper intestine did show some visible signs of villous atrophy. My GI informed me in the recovery area that he took multiple biopsies, and would have my results in a week or so. My results came back as positive for Celiacs. From here, I pushed forward eating gluten-free as best I could. My GI scheduled a follow up with me in 4 weeks (which would in early February) to see how I was doing, and also scheduled an appointment with me at the same time to see a dietician for guidance.

My concerns have grown since having my upper endoscopy done, however, as between late December up until now, my symptoms do not seem to be improving. I continue to have an achey, burning abdominal pain in my mid/lower abdomen on a daily basis, and along with that, I have developed new symptoms. I started switching on and off between constipation and diarrhea, and was losing quite a bit of weight pretty quickly (have lost 20+ pounds in 3 months time). I should also note that because of my abdominal pain, I stopped eating regularly everyday. I went from eating 3 full meals a day with snacks in between, to one meal a day, rarely two - and very small amounts of food. At this point, I'm consuming nothing but liquids. I've also become very fatigued, irritable, and my body aches.

Since my endoscopy, I have been to the ER twice. The first time all they did was bloodwork and a uranalysis. Bloodwork was normal, but uranalysis showed I had a pretty nasty UTI. I was put on a cycle of Cipro for 7 days. Later that same week, on Saturday, I went to the ER because there was blood in my stool the previous night, which scared me a lot. They refused to do scans of any kind, only bloodwork and uranalysis. Bloodwork was normal yet again, and the uranalysis showed my UTI had cleared up. I wasn't sure if the antibiotics upset my digestive system even more and caused the bleeding, or if my symptoms were getting worse.

Over this past week alone, I've started feeling more constipated, and when I do poop, it's always a light yellow/brown color, and the poops are skinny. Yesterday I broke down at work crying, because I've been so frustrated and tired of all this, at which point my GI called me. I had left him a message couple of days prior stating my concerns I'd been having with my health. I asked him if there was anything more I could do, and he said he could have nurse set up a colonoscopy for me (which is exactly what I was hoping for). I'm really thankful I didn't have to push so hard or fight, as my GI obviously understood my concern/was empathetic.

I am now waiting to have my first colonoscopy on Feb. 1st. After browsing this forum, as well as reading the instructions for my prep, I'm so nervous. But I'm also relieved that I was able to get one so easily and fast. Until November of last year, I had no prior digestive issues at all. And it seems as though what seemed so very minor became much worse within the span of a few months. I'm not looking for medical advice or anything like that, I know the colonoscopy will provide me with the definitive answers I seek, I just needed to get this off my chest.

Crossing my fingers that everything goes well. And if not, at least I'll be better prepared.

del
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:21 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby del » Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:04 pm

Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear what you've been going through! It sounds like your doctors are doing the right investigations, so hopefully you will have some answers soon. But to me your symptoms sound like celiac disease, which you have already been diagnosed with. Can I ask why you are worried it is colorectal cancer? What has the gastroenterologist said about your symptoms?
Male, 33 @ dx, stage 1 RC (T1N0M0 mod. diff. 0/29 LNs)
2016-02 - Cancerous polyp removed during colonscopy, 0.5 mm margin
2016-03 - ULAR & TME surgery, temp ileostomy
2016-04 - DVT, pulmonary embolism
2016-11 - Ileostomy reversal
2018-10 - Another DVT & PE
2021 - 5 years of clean scopes/scans/bloods

lemondrop~
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:53 pm
Facebook Username: Erica Rebecca
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby lemondrop~ » Fri Jan 18, 2019 9:54 pm

del wrote:Welcome to the forum and sorry to hear what you've been going through! It sounds like your doctors are doing the right investigations, so hopefully you will have some answers soon. But to me your symptoms sound like celiac disease, which you have already been diagnosed with. Can I ask why you are worried it is colorectal cancer? What has the gastroenterologist said about your symptoms?


Hi del, thank you for responding.

When I first got my results back from my blood tests for suspected celiacs, I did alot of research online, and also talked to a few people who I knew have the disease. Alot of what I was going through made sense - especially the diarrhea, which is classic sign of celiacs.

The blood in my stool (which was a very dark color), the constipation, and the thinning of my stools did not seem to be common symptoms, however.

I'm torn in my feelings. Part of me suspects I could have colon cancer based on what I've read and some of the more recent symptoms I've had, but part of me disagrees. As I mentioned before, the blood could have been from the strong dosage of cipro I was taking, especially since I was taking the medication at a time when I was eating barely anything on a daily basis. I'm sure my tummy didin't take kindly to it.

The weight loss also has me freaked out. I know I've cut down on eating hardly anything, but to loose so much weight so fast has me freaked out. Between November and now I went from 193 to 167. For reference, I am 5'-7" and a half. The weight loss could certainly be due to my eating habits, but losing almost 30 pounds that quickly seems too much.

I've also been stressing out alot on top of the anxiety I already have, which can't be good for my health. I did think about this as another possible contribution. The phrase "worrying yourself sick" may very well apply to me.

When my GI called I'd told him how much weight I lost, how stressed I've been, and the blood in my stool. He didn't actually ask too many questions or say too much. He said he could have a colonoscopy arranged - and that was about it. I think he could tell how upset and distressed I was. I've never been much of a hypochondriac, but after my symptoms didn't clear up within a month, I definitely became worried.

Unfortunately, I am the type of person who worries until I know everything is okay. I will try and not stress too much until my procedure.

Based on what I've read on here, people's symptoms they experienced seem to vary from person to person. I'd rather rule this out to be safe. Luckily I'm froogle with my money, so I paying foe the procedure won't be an issue.

If you don't mind me asking, how was your experience with prep involves before the colonoscopy?

Jannine
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:46 am
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby Jannine » Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:09 pm

Welcome, and good luck on your colonoscopy. I hope you can sort out exactly what's going on very soon, and that it will be straightforward to treat. For what it is worth, the first thing my GP did for my symptoms was put me on Cipro, and I think I hated those 10 days of Cipro more than almost all of my chemo treatment (I did not need radiation). I had taste changes that were really awful on Cipro. The neuropathy right now is admittedly worse than being on Cipro was, but I am hopeful that will mostly clear up, eventually.
DX: sigmoid colon cancer 5/2018. 48 F
laparoscopic sigmoid resection (24 cm removed); no stoma.
7.5cm adenocarcinoma -- mod. diff.
1 noncontiguous tumor deposit removed; 0/31 lymph nodes
T3 pN1c M0
5/18 before surgery, CEA 11.2
6/18 began FOLFOX
7/18: CEA 1.9; added neulasta post infusion
9/18: CEA 2.8
10/18: 25% chemo reduction
11/18: CEA 1.8
7/19 CT scan clear


Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby Punky44 » Sat Jan 19, 2019 1:04 am

Glad you got it scheduled so you can hopefully find some answers and relief. For what it’s worth, my experience has been there is so much hype about a colonoscopy and it gets people all freaked out and it was honestly not a big deal at all. Even the prep, while not lovely tasting, was doable.
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!

Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.

lemondrop~
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:53 pm
Facebook Username: Erica Rebecca
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby lemondrop~ » Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:56 pm

Jannine:

I hated takimg the cipro too. I felt like it was really tearing up my already sensitive gut. Hoping I never have to take it again. Hope things improve on your end.

Punky44:

That's good to know. I've heard good and not so good experiences. I've also heard it can sometimes depend on the kind of prep taken, ans the way our body reacts to it. I'm hoping it won't be too bad.

Jannine
Posts: 204
Joined: Wed Jun 20, 2018 7:46 am
Location: Maryland, USA

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby Jannine » Sat Jan 19, 2019 8:25 pm

I had my colonoscopy after getting admitted to the ER. I had trouble drinking the stuff, it was really distasteful, but I told myself I would just get through it at my own pace, and if it took me 3 hours instead of whatever time period they wanted, so be it. I did get through it. It wasn't pleasant but it wasn't awful either.

I did request to only get "twilight" sedation, and I watched the colon-cam while they did it. Usually they put people out completely unless they request otherwise. If you have concerns about sedation, this is an option. They did tell me that they started having trouble with the light sedation because a lot of people are taking opiates and don't reveal that to the anaesthesiologist, and it can be hard to find the "sweet spot" if the patient has a higher tolerance and requires a higher dose. I promised I had no such drug use going on and they agreed to do the lighter sedation for me. If you want to try this, I'd talk to the folks doing the colonoscopy and find out what your options are ahead of time.
DX: sigmoid colon cancer 5/2018. 48 F
laparoscopic sigmoid resection (24 cm removed); no stoma.
7.5cm adenocarcinoma -- mod. diff.
1 noncontiguous tumor deposit removed; 0/31 lymph nodes
T3 pN1c M0
5/18 before surgery, CEA 11.2
6/18 began FOLFOX
7/18: CEA 1.9; added neulasta post infusion
9/18: CEA 2.8
10/18: 25% chemo reduction
11/18: CEA 1.8
7/19 CT scan clear

del
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:21 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby del » Sun Jan 20, 2019 6:39 am

lemondrop~ wrote:Hi del, thank you for responding.

When I first got my results back from my blood tests for suspected celiacs, I did alot of research online, and also talked to a few people who I knew have the disease. Alot of what I was going through made sense - especially the diarrhea, which is classic sign of celiacs.

The blood in my stool (which was a very dark color), the constipation, and the thinning of my stools did not seem to be common symptoms, however.

I'm torn in my feelings. Part of me suspects I could have colon cancer based on what I've read and some of the more recent symptoms I've had, but part of me disagrees. As I mentioned before, the blood could have been from the strong dosage of cipro I was taking, especially since I was taking the medication at a time when I was eating barely anything on a daily basis. I'm sure my tummy didin't take kindly to it.

The weight loss also has me freaked out. I know I've cut down on eating hardly anything, but to loose so much weight so fast has me freaked out. Between November and now I went from 193 to 167. For reference, I am 5'-7" and a half. The weight loss could certainly be due to my eating habits, but losing almost 30 pounds that quickly seems too much.

I've also been stressing out alot on top of the anxiety I already have, which can't be good for my health. I did think about this as another possible contribution. The phrase "worrying yourself sick" may very well apply to me.

When my GI called I'd told him how much weight I lost, how stressed I've been, and the blood in my stool. He didn't actually ask too many questions or say too much. He said he could have a colonoscopy arranged - and that was about it. I think he could tell how upset and distressed I was. I've never been much of a hypochondriac, but after my symptoms didn't clear up within a month, I definitely became worried.

Unfortunately, I am the type of person who worries until I know everything is okay. I will try and not stress too much until my procedure.

Based on what I've read on here, people's symptoms they experienced seem to vary from person to person. I'd rather rule this out to be safe. Luckily I'm froogle with my money, so I paying foe the procedure won't be an issue.

If you don't mind me asking, how was your experience with prep involves before the colonoscopy?


Constipation and weight loss are also symptoms of coeliac disease. And bleeding can occur as a result of constipation if you are straining on the toilet. I think it is really good that you are getting this checked out, but I know that waiting for results can be very anxiety-inducing!

The prep is definitely the worst part of the colonoscopy, but it's not too bad. Just make sure you stay home and don't arrange anything for that day, as you want to ensure you have quick access to the toilet at any time. And make sure you strictly follow the dietary restrictions - the cleaner your colon, the better they can visualise it and make sure they don't miss anything.
Male, 33 @ dx, stage 1 RC (T1N0M0 mod. diff. 0/29 LNs)
2016-02 - Cancerous polyp removed during colonscopy, 0.5 mm margin
2016-03 - ULAR & TME surgery, temp ileostomy
2016-04 - DVT, pulmonary embolism
2016-11 - Ileostomy reversal
2018-10 - Another DVT & PE
2021 - 5 years of clean scopes/scans/bloods

DarknessEmbraced
Posts: 3816
Joined: Sat Nov 01, 2014 4:54 pm
Facebook Username: Riann Fletcher
Location: New Brunswick, Canada

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby DarknessEmbraced » Sun Jan 20, 2019 10:33 am

Welcome and sorry you're going through this!*hugs* I'm glad you're getting a colonoscopy. I hope your prep and colonoscopy go well!*hugs*
Diagnosed 10/28/14, age 36
Colon Resection 11/20/14, LAR (no illeo)
Stage 2a colon cancer, T3NOMO
Lymph-vascular invasion undetermined
0/22 lymph nodes
No chemo, no radiation
Clear Colonoscopy 04/29/15
NED 10/20/15
Ischemic Colitis 01/21/16
NED 11/10/16
CT Scan moved up due to high CEA 08/21/17
NED 09/25/17
NED 12/21/18
Clear colonoscopy 09/23/19
Clear 5 year scans 11/21/19- Considered cured! :)

del
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:21 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby del » Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:23 am

Wishing you all the best for your upcoming colonoscopy. Please let us know how you go!
Male, 33 @ dx, stage 1 RC (T1N0M0 mod. diff. 0/29 LNs)
2016-02 - Cancerous polyp removed during colonscopy, 0.5 mm margin
2016-03 - ULAR & TME surgery, temp ileostomy
2016-04 - DVT, pulmonary embolism
2016-11 - Ileostomy reversal
2018-10 - Another DVT & PE
2021 - 5 years of clean scopes/scans/bloods

lemondrop~
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 1:53 pm
Facebook Username: Erica Rebecca
Location: Houston, Texas

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby lemondrop~ » Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:01 pm

Hello everyone.

Had my colonoscopy this past Friday.

My results came back normal, aside from a few hemorroids they found near my rectal region. I was originally worried because my GI said he took some biopsies, however he did call me today to let me know everything is fine.

I was given colores pictures as well, that show my colon and the hemorroids.

I suppose it is just Celiacs, then. But I am glad I got the colonoscopy anyway - it has put my mind more at ease.

Thank you for the support you all have provided me. I greatly appreciate it.

del
Posts: 119
Joined: Thu Mar 03, 2016 11:21 pm
Location: Sydney, Australia

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby del » Tue Feb 05, 2019 2:19 am

That's excellent news! You must be relieved. Wishing you the best in bringing your coeliac symptoms under control.
Male, 33 @ dx, stage 1 RC (T1N0M0 mod. diff. 0/29 LNs)
2016-02 - Cancerous polyp removed during colonscopy, 0.5 mm margin
2016-03 - ULAR & TME surgery, temp ileostomy
2016-04 - DVT, pulmonary embolism
2016-11 - Ileostomy reversal
2018-10 - Another DVT & PE
2021 - 5 years of clean scopes/scans/bloods

Punky44
Posts: 498
Joined: Mon Oct 01, 2018 4:29 pm

Re: First Colonoscopy in 2 Weeks

Postby Punky44 » Tue Feb 05, 2019 10:38 am

Great news!
Caregiver to my amazing mom (68 at dx)
10/1/18 DX with rectal cancer; CEA 17
T3N2M0
Total neoadjuvant therapy:
8 rounds Folfox 11/5/18 - 2/11/19
Short course radiation 3/14/19 - 3/20/19
Robotically assisted laparoscopic LAR 3/21/19
Pathology report says yT2N0M0 with 0/38 nodes
6/28/19 Reversal and port out
CEA 2.1; 1.9; 2.6; 2.8; 2.3; 2.4; 3.0; 3.4; 3.1; 3.4; 3.0; 3.1; 2.6
Latest update: 8/21/23 Clear CT with CEA 2.6!

Me: 34, first colonoscopy 11/16/18—normal! Come back in 5 years.


Return to “Colon Talk - Colon cancer (colorectal cancer) support forum”



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 112 guests