Colonoscopy story sad but funny

ACinNC
ACinNC Member Posts: 46
in Anal Cancer #1

For the last 6 or so months I've had increasing and often unbearable right side lower abdominal pain. Nothing shows up on scans etc so at the urging of my oncologist and colorectal doctor I submitted to a colonoscopy thinking it might reveal what doesn't show up on scans. I met with a nice young gastrointestinal doctor and we proceeded to give me the procedure. OR NOT as it turns out.  He did a biopsy and said that it didn't show cancer but it did show skin in my colon. WHAT??? He also showed me pictures of my sigmoid which looks like raw meat. And he said I had a stricture and he couldn't  complete the test.

So he had me take a gastrografin enema to get a better idea of this structure.  This test did not reveal a stricture.  He then notifies me that he doesn't  know what to think of this disparity and is baffled by the skin he found.

I get another call from him after he consults with my colorectal doctor.  My colorectal doctor asked him what hole in my colostomy he used. I have a loop colostomy. In a loop colostomy both limbs of the section of colon are brought out to create the stoma.  It turns out he went down the wrong hole and ended up in the sigmoid down to the rectum instead of going transverse and down the ascending colon which is the source of my pain. The "stricture" was my anus and the skin in my colon was normal squamous cells found appropriately down there!

I told him I had a loop colostomy but he apparently forgot.  I could tell he was very nervous when he called to explain and I am sure he learned a lesson he will never forget.  I had to look outside of the fact that all this happened to me and saw the humor in it.

At this time I am not willing to get cleaned out a 3rd time for a repeat colonoscopy.  He did say that even if the other side of my colon looked as bad as the raw meat side he saw, it was not the source of pain.

I don't  know what to think at this point.  I asked my radiation oncologist for a referral to have hyperbaric oxygen therapy hoping it might heal an as yet unknown issue.  But I don't  think they will allow it until I get ruled out for lung mets and that won't  happen until a CT in early Oct. In the meantime, I'm  managing on tramadol and life goes on.

Comments

  • eihtak
    eihtak Member Posts: 1,473 Member
    #2
    ACinNC...

    Oh my! I do love that you are able to find some degree of humor here...it often really is the best choice. I too have a loop ostomy and have only had one colonoscopy since getting it (fortunately with no issues such as yours). I will remember to mention this though if ever scheduled for another just to be on the safe side! I have found that a lot of people do not know much about ostomies and even less about loops! I sure would hope that a gastro doc knows this though, Yikes if not!! I bet he will never make this mistake again so, let me say, "thanks for taking one for the team"!!!

    I am sorry you need to manage this pain right now, and I assume a hernia has been ruled out? They are rather common with ostomies.

    I will pray for no mets to be found this fall and that the pain you live with becomes easily managed.

    katheryn

  • mp327
    mp327 Member Posts: 4,440 Member
    #3
    ACinNC

    I'm sorry you had this experience and am amazed that you are able to find some humor in it.  What concerns me is your pain and the fact that the source has not yet been found.  Having had several episodes of intestinal blockage, which are very, very painful, I'm wondering if this is what you experienced.  Even a partial blockage can be quite painful.  Also, the one time I went to the ER in great pain and had a CT, the doctor(s) all felt that a blockage was the source of my pain, even though it didn't show up on the CT scan and they could not pinpoint the exact location.  Apparently, sometimes blockages can not be visualized on a scan.  If you have a narrowing in some spot in your intestine, this could be the source of your pain.  People who have had radiation to the pelvic area are at a much higher risk for this, as the radiation causes scar tissue to form.  It can form on the inside, outside or both of the intestine, causing a squeezing effect, which makes it difficult for contents to pass through, causing the pain.  Another scenario is when the intestine becomes twisted, thus causing a blockage, as intestines float free in the abdominal cavity.  One clue that always arose when I had these episodes was that they occurred a few hours after a meal.  The scary part about these episodes is if they are not resolved, a person is at risk for intestinal rupture, which is an emergency situation.  I would suggest asking your doctors if this is possibly what is happening to you.  Since you have had pelvic radiation, you are at higher risk.  I hope you and your doctors can figure it out and I wish you all the very best.

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