Diverticulitis or possible colon cancer?

Please feel free to read, share your thoughts, your stories and connect with others!
OTFUN
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:59 am

Diverticulitis or possible colon cancer?

Postby OTFUN » Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:18 pm

Hi guys, my 39yo husband started having constipation, nausea (especially after eating) and tenderness at left lower abdomen almost 2 weeks ago. He had an abdominal/pelvic CT w/contrast at ER a week ago revealing inflammatory mesentery and enlarged mesenteric nodes, but all other abnormalities were found. His blood works so far all look good without elevated white counts and liver enzymes, he even got a CEA test and it is <0.5. My husband has never noticed blood in his stool beside ongoing occasional tenderness at left lower abdomen, nausea, constipation an lack of appetite. He is currently waiting for a colonoscopy and vey paranoid he has colon cancer.

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

Re: Diverticulitis or possible colon cancer?

Postby Lee » Mon Dec 14, 2020 5:19 pm

Hi sorry for the reason you are here. Here is my story.

Many years age, my mother ended up in the ER, serious stomach pain with lots of bleeding. Glad your DH is getting scoped, that will give a true diagnose, anything else is just a speculation.

Anyway that being said, my mom was scoped, no cancer, not even one polyp, just a bad case of diverticulitis.

Me, I didn't really have any symptom. I had hemorrhoids, PCP confirmed I had bleeding hemorrhoids, he saw them. I had NO pain what so ever. He ran every test that should have been a red flag for colon cancer, all came back negative or normal. When all was said & done, my PCP figured those bleeding hemorrhoids were going to be my excuse for getting my baseline early. I was a rectal cancer, stage IIIC. Sometimes cancer is a very silent killer.

Does colon cancer run in his family? Parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles? Again, it is best to get this checked out, butt during the mean time, try not to worry. Please let us know the out come.

For constipation, maybe increase liquid intake.

Good luck,

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!

Usmccolon
Posts: 50
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2019 12:45 am

Re: Diverticulitis or possible colon cancer?

Postby Usmccolon » Wed Jan 06, 2021 1:14 pm

I wouldn't freak out just yet. Based on what your saying doesn't sound like diverticulitis is an option. Granted imaging isn't always perfect but it would of shown diverticulitis or at the very least diverticulosis. Without diverticulosis (pouches in colon) you can't have diverticulitis which is inflammation of those pouches.

Those inflamed nodes sound scary too. Again don't freak out just yet. I've had diverticulitis a lot and I've had those same nodes inflamed and those same symptoms and they didn't find any cancer.

Another good thing is they didn't see obvious cancer on CT which means in the small chance he does have cancer it hopefully hasn't spread.

I have elevated liver enzymes too. I'm 36 I think and have had 2 colonoscopies less then year apart I think and had polyps removed both times. None were cancerous.

I hope that helps a little and wish him luck!


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



Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 99 guests