symptoms

beelover said:

questions
I am wondering if the polyp is cancerous would they be able to tell during the colonscopy, Or is the dr. still assuming that its not cancerous because of my history and my age? If it is cancerous how will they find out what Stage I am at? I guess I'm asking where do we go from here? Not cancerous then I go every 3 years and hope that I catch them??? If it shows cancer then what? Any stories or input would be helpful

such a long wait
Hi Beelover,

I'm wondering how you're doing emotionally. I can't believe they are making you wait until May 15 for your results. They should have been able to get results within a couple of days of your colonoscopy! As was just said by someone else, insist on a CT and PET if they discover this polyp is actually cancerous. I'm another example of someone who was told it was highly unlikely I had cancer and was put off for far too long (I was also one to finally insist on getting a colonoscopy). When I did receive the news that my "very large polyp" was actually cancerous, I was told nothing was seen in the nearby lymph nodes and they thought it was in the early stages (stage 2 because it had grown through the bowel wall). I wouldn't have even thought of asking to get a CT or PET scan at that point, so I'm glad that they did it as "routine" (even though they said they didn't expect to find anything). All doctors involved were dismayed and amazed to get my CT scan results, which showed spots in my liver and in both lungs- so my staging jumped to a stage IV.

Again- this is not to scare you- hopefully this will not be your case- but just to make you aware of what you already know... that many doctors will not be proactive and will down play everything due to your age and lack of family history, etc. They may not order the needed CT and/or PET scans or the neccesary tests in the bloodwork (make sure they include a CEA test when testing your blood, which is a tumor marker (my oncologist didn't do a CEA on me until I finally found out about it and asked for it to be included in my bloodwork).

Finally, know that it is your right as a patient to get results in a more timely manner. I bet you if you were to contact the lab where the biopsies are being tested, they'd probably be able to tell you if the tests were done yet and if the reports have been sent yet to your doctors. Also, in the future, when you have a CT scan or a PET scan done, know that even though they'll probably tell you it will take a few days to get to your doctor, I've discovered that they often have sent the report even later the same day or for sure by the next day. Last time I had a scan done, I went the next morning to the hospital radiology dept and requested a copy of the radiologist's report of my scan. Amazingly, I was handed the report after filling out my request and signing for it. I got my results before my doctor did. Not everyone wants to do that- I'm just the impatient sort, I guess, but I wanted you and others to know that you really don't have to wait as long as they say.

Best wishes to you-
Lisa