You have come to the right place, hopefully you will get an answer to your questions...Personally I avoided a colonoscopy for way tooo long and when I finally was persuaded to have one. I was determined to have stage 3 colon cancer...They tell me that if I had a colonoscopy earlier this could have been resolved by a simple removal of polyps. My suggestion is get your butt in for a procedure asap......

I agree he should get a colonoscopy as soon as possible. I put off getting a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with stage 2a colon cancer. I was diagnosed at 36. I'm 37 now.

thank you both for your replies. I only hope I can get him to go. He is not having any pain, and says it is just a little blood at the end of his bowel movements. Some days, he has none. please keep him in your prayers and as a mother, I am going to try and get him to go. It's very hard, I worry so. God bless.

At age 43, my only symptom was blood in my stool. Not enough to color the water, just ribbons and enough times for me to notice and make an appointment. When I was referred to get a sigmoidoscopy(which I think is a waste of time because it can only go so far), I put it off for awhile thinking I couldn't possibly have anything wrong with me as I felt normal otherwise. Luckily and unfortunately they found something big enough at the end of the scope to refer me to get the colonoscopy. I would have been PO'd if I didn't have such great insurance.
Anyway, I read your latest post and glad he's got an appointment for a colonoscopy. I will be on my third one in December (every 3 years if diagnosed with cancer). But do hope for a much better outcome for him:)

I am glad he is going also and will have to do his prep tomorrow. Everyone, please pray that everything is alright. I know God is in control of all our lives and I will be glad when it is done and everything is ok. Thanks so much for all of your prayers.

I can understand your fear as a mother for a colonoscopy, but it is a useful treatment to diagnose colon cancer. It is medically approved way and risk factor is null. Therefore, I hope that you positively take it and your son's colonoscopy will have nothing to fear.

All the best!

):

Hi, Mom to Mom - My daughter was told at age 18-19 that she had internal hemorrhoids. She dealt with the aggravation for years and had two children. At the age of 33, she went to the gastro dr. for a colonscopy expecting to have surgery for a hemorrhoid. He came in with the life-changing report that she had a cancer in there and there was no hemorrhoids, which she had been told years before. I certainly hope your son has gotten his colonscopy and everything turned out fine. Praying for you both. Best wishes to you both. Blessings, Sallie

DO NOT AVOID HAVING ONE DONE! I too had bleeding on/off, light, no pain or anything, thought it was just an 'angry hemmorid' Well, My current APRN was not taking no for an answer, even walked me over to the office to make the appointment for consult. Long story short, I had mine done. Are they dangerous? I won't lie, my story was scary. I had a 2cm polyp that she opted to remove. Not realizing she perforated my colon wall until I woke up screaming and realized that the air escaped back into my body and I was swollen up to my neck, they then wisked me to the OR for ER surgery. She repaired the colon wall, resected my colon to take out the infected area while she was there. They called my hubby to tell him it was a 'touch and go' and he had to get there asap. It was a close call. BUT it was cancerous. It's been 7 weeks, I'm just feeling 'normal' again and back to work p/t for a couple weeks. But I would NOT change it for the world. Matter of FACT, my old Dr. wanted me to have one done 3 years ago. I should've done it then, I probably wouldn't have had this type of an experience! AND it may have only been a precancerous or just a polyp? Who knows, I tend to take the 'hard route' no matter WHAT I do! :).....I was fearful of them too that is what kept me from doing it. I was also fearful of the spinal tap they gave you for a C-section (I was the one that left the room to throw up when I was pregnant) yupper, you guessed it...I needed a c-section and one of those spinal shots! And YES, the nurse in the OR was the one that taught that class that night! LOL...she had a good laugh....so tell him not to be like me! Don't wait, just do it! The prep is nothing (have some petroleum jelly on hand during the prep, it helps alot!)....Just GET 'ER DONE! Don't let fear stop him! Have him do a consult, ask questions, LOTS OF THEM....they will go over what is done, how it's done, what the risks are, etc....now I'm the one talking to all my family and friends and letting THEM know they need to get it done! Also, I had mine done on Wed, my brother in law was having his 1st done that friday and heard about MY situation, but he still went....He was the lucky one, he got to go for lunch right after! ;) I hope I didn't scare you, just want to be honest and open about my experience and that I'm still positive and an advocate now of people having them done! Feel free to message me if I can help in any way....

Please tell your son to get the tests done. I had chronic constipation, hemmoriads from straining. I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer and had my rectum removed. I wonder if things would have been different if I acted sooner, I knew that something was very wrong for a long time.

Tell your son to follow his doctors orders. I had symptoms, didn't have insurance. I would wind up,in the ER once every 6 months, because I didn't have a bowel movement for 2 months and when I did my hemorids would bleed. The last Doctor discovered a lump inside my rectum. He thought it could have been cancer. It was stage 3. Now I have a colonostomy.