Terrified - 3cm polyp

[JBell550]

Hello everyone,

I'm new. And terrified. 

Had an OGD and colonoscopy all at once under General anaesthetic.  I feel pretty battered and bruised after it,  back and abdominal pain. 

But that's nothing compared to how sick I feel knowing that they found A 3cm polyp in my colon.  (Rest of bowel clear apart from slight diverticulitis). I am 47 and pretty fit and healthy. 

I had few symptoms, just some random flareups of random bowel movements - a couple of times a year only.  I asked for a colonoscopy as a bit of an after thought as I knew I was getting a general anaesthetic and thought they might as well.  

I had a CT scan about 5-6 years ago which showed only slight diverticulitis.  Now suddenly a 3cm polyp.

Of course I've googled this and realised that the odds of it being benign aren't good.

I am nearly sick with fear.  I have 2 young kids.  

My blood work is fine.

Jdfb xxxx

[Lee]

First breath, do not assume anything until the pathology report comes back. It could be cancer, it could not be cancer. Colon cancer in the beginning tends to be a very slow growing cancer. Dr.(s) figured I had my tumor probably 10-15 yrs. (please note I had a tumor, far more advanced than a polyp). That was almost 15 yrs ago. Also generally (butt not always),IF it does have cancer cells, it probably is a very early stage. If that is the case, your chances of beating it are VERY high.

Please avoid Dr. Google, it is either very out of date or flat our wrong. Ask questions or vent your frustrations here until you get you pathology. If it turns out you do have cancer cells, know that you have found the right forum for info and support.

Know that you are not alone here.

When will you get your pathology report.

Lee

[JBell550]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply.
J x

[Beckster]

Hello everyone,

I'm new. And terrified. 

Had an OGD and colonoscopy all at once under General anaesthetic.  I feel pretty battered and bruised after it,  back and abdominal pain. 

But that's nothing compared to how sick I feel knowing that they found A 3cm polyp in my colon.  (Rest of bowel clear apart from slight diverticulitis). I am 47 and pretty fit and healthy. 

I had few symptoms, just some random flareups of random bowel movements - a couple of times a year only.  I asked for a colonoscopy as a bit of an after thought as I knew I was getting a general anaesthetic and thought they might as well.  

I had a CT scan about 5-6 years ago which showed only slight diverticulitis.  Now suddenly a 3cm polyp.

Of course I've googled this and realised that the odds of it being benign aren't good.

I am nearly sick with fear.  I have 2 young kids.  

My blood work is fine.

Jdfb xxxx

Welcome.... did your dr remove the polp during your colonoscopy? What I do remember is that my dr knew it was cancer after my colonoscopy. The biopsy just confirmed what he already knew. My bloodwork should no evidence of cancer and my CEA was 1.9

[del]

Sorry for the reason you're here. I think everyone in this forum can sympathise with the terrible emotions you go through waiting for biopsy results. But please do yourself a favour and stay off Dr Google, it will only make you feel more anxious.

If it is cancerous, 3cm is still rather small, so hopefully it would be early stage (mine was about the same size as yours). Bowel cancer is very much curable these days and most folks do survive it.

Hang in there!

[JBell550]

Thanks so much for your words or support. The doctor said it looked like a benign polyp, however the size (3cm) made it suspicious.
J x

[DarknessEmbraced]

I'm sorry you're going through this and hopefully you won't have to wait long for biopsy results!*hugs*

[Dionca]

If your dr is experienced, he can probably tell by just looking at it, if it's cancer or not. Immediately after my colonoscopy, the dr told me it was cancer, and recommended a surgeon, without even waiting for a biopsy. I was then given a blood test, which showed an elevated CEA.

Your dr told you that it has the appearance of being benign, but of course, you have to wait for the biopsy to confirm (which is the hard part). Try not to worry too much - the chances are that it's benign and if it's not, then you can deal with it.

[AmyG]

If your dr is experienced, he can probably tell by just looking at it, if it's cancer or not. Immediately after my colonoscopy, the dr told me it was cancer, and recommended a surgeon, without even waiting for a biopsy. I was then given a blood test, which showed an elevated CEA.

That's what happened to me too. I just had the added bonus of being fully awake during my colonoscopy so we all found it together.

[Ehut]

I had a similar polyp found and was told by phone by some non-doctor at the office that the polyp was "negative". The GI doctor told me to come back in 2 years for a follow up colonoscopy. Just over a year later I was diagnosed stage IV. After my Mayo care team reviewed the original pathology report, they said they would have had me back for a follow up colonoscopy in 3 months because the polyp was advanced in it's progression towards being cancerous. My original local doctor told me none of this. If I were you I would:
1) Make sure you get a physical copy of the pathology report and have a doctor explain it to you and
2) push for a follow up colonoscopy in a few months.

[JBell550]

It's being removed regardless. My GI doctor told me 3cm is too risky regardless of what the biopsies reveal today. Thanks. X

[Lee]

It's being removed regardless. My GI doctor told me 3cm is too risky regardless of what the biopsies reveal today. Thanks. X

Is it being removed via surgery?

Good luck, so glad to hear about your good news.

Lee

[del]

I had a similar polyp found and was told by phone by some non-doctor at the office that the polyp was "negative". The GI doctor told me to come back in 2 years for a follow up colonoscopy. Just over a year later I was diagnosed stage IV. After my Mayo care team reviewed the original pathology report, they said they would have had me back for a follow up colonoscopy in 3 months because the polyp was advanced in it's progression towards being cancerous. My original local doctor told me none of this. If I were you I would:
1) Make sure you get a physical copy of the pathology report and have a doctor explain it to you and
2) push for a follow up colonoscopy in a few months.

Wow, unbelievable. That is serious negligence. Glad to hear you are in better hands now. Was it the original pre-cancerous polyp that progressed to stage 4 in a year or was it somewhere else?

[JBell550]

Being removed by colonoscopy.

[gwvet91]

I just had my colonscopy on Tuesday and they found a 4cm polyp. The doctor referred me to a colorectal surgeon and said they need to open me up and do a colon resection to take out the polyp. Who is removing your 3cm polyp via colonoscopy? I was told mine was too big but I did find a specialist at Johns Hopkins and Brigham and Women's who do these through the colonoscope.