Upcoming Colonoscopy And Looking For Support

[Mcarps]

Hello All,

I have an upcoming colonoscopy and I'm pretty nervous. I'm really more nervous about the prep and the potential of seeing blood in my stool during all of the evacuation. I saw blood in my stool about a month ago. It was at the very end of my stool and it was a bright red and caused me to panic. In the days before I saw the blood I did have a bout with intense constipation and the stool I passed was large. However, I have never experienced blood in my stool before or at least that I have noticed.

It seemed to have gone away and then looked as though it may have returned 2-3 weeks later with bright red blood on the toilet paper. I did have my period that week, but felt that I was too far at the end of my period to have bright red blood on the toilet paper.

Mind you...this whole time I DID have some anal irritation. I went to my GP and she did a digital rectal exam and a visual exam. Nothing was found on digital rectal exam, but she did notice a tear on the outside of my anal cavity that she placed her finger on and it did feel raw. She prescribed some cream. She didn't seem too worried. I called later in the week and requested a colonoscopy. I am 44 years old and felt that at my age things should be ruled out appropriately.

That brings me to yesterday. I have been terrified to poop. I'm so scared that I will see blood again. I decided to take a FIT test and the results were negative for blood. I'm not sure what to think? I took a FIT test last May and it was also negative for blood. So, 2 FIT tests in one year and both negative.

So....I am scheduled for my colonoscopy on Monday and I am freaked. What if I see blood during my prep? The FIT was negative. I don't know.....

Any advice or positive thoughts?

Thanks

[bantam12]

My advice is get some vasoline or nappy rash cream, once the prep starts working you will need it !! Drink the prep through a straw, take it slowly and have some squash or water ready to drink after each mouthful because most taste disgusting ! keep well hydrated or you will get a headache.

The prep is definitely the worst bit but once you get through that the procedure isn't that bad. Don't worry about bleeding as that's the reason for having the colonoscopy, you may have biopsies taken but you won't feel anything.

If you are nervous make sure you ask for sedation and arrange for someone to collect you and stay with you for 12-24 hours depending on your hospital rules.

Try to relax, follow the instructions and you will be fine, good luck.

[Mcarps]

Thank you. Your words are reassuring. I'm sorry to hear about your mother. I had a great grandmother who died of colon cancer when she was 89, but other than that I don't have any family history. I took another FIT test this morning and it was once again negative. Mind you....these FIT tests are not prescribed by my doctor. I purchased these online. However, they are FDA approved, so....I think the thing that freaked me out was that I bled again about 5 days ago. I thought my fissure was healing so that was surprising. I will still go ahead with the colonoscopy on Monday. I'm due for a screening within a year as is so I mine as well do it. Plus, I don't want to miss anything and kick myself later.

[Cheyenecat1]

i put one off for years..because of all the ,bad things you hear about prep and procedure..had one a month ago ,there is nothing to it...i am 60 years old,and they found a 3cm.polyp,that thankfully was benign.if i would have had the procedure earlier, it would have been much smaller...DO NOT fear anything about the procedure,take it from me..

[Mcarps in reply to Cheyenecat1]

I guess I'm more fearful of what they will find. Just freaked that I'll see blood during the prep and get even more anxious. A friend of mine had colon cancer at 41. Her only symptom was minor rectal bleeding when she wiped. That was it. Nothing else. It was already stage 3 when they got to it. Just so scary.

[Cheyenecat1 in reply to Mcarps]

sorry to hear about your friend,and i totally understand about the bleeding,because i had blood on t.p. and some in stool also,but i am so glad that i went ahead and had it done.now i at least have peace of mind with what it was. i just told myself,that i do not want to live with the thought of not knowing what is causing it,but admit it was hard.Hopefully things will turn out well for you,its easy for me to say, but try not to be afraid,like i was,its better to know one way or the other what is causing it...than to live with the thought of not knowing, that will haunt you every day,i hope that makes sense,good luck,and God Bless.

[Mcarps]

Had my colonoscopy today. Nothing was found except external hemorrhoids and possibly Chron's. Waiting on biopsy results. Thank you all for your support.

[Nicole_GCCA Partner in reply to Mcarps]

Mcarps ,Glad to hear you had a successful colonoscopy. Hopefully, they gave you some ideas and recommendations on how you can manage the external hemorrhoids?

Also, there's a group on HealthUnlocked for Crohn's and Colitis, you might benefit from this group if you haven't yet joined: healthunlocked.com/crohns-c....

Best wishes,

~Nicole @ GCCA

[digar in reply to Mcarps]

Congrats on a clear colonoscopy! My symptoms were exactly the same as yours so I had a colonoscopy in late July, which came out clear. However, my bleeding has not stopped but has gotten lighter with more fiber and exercise. The frustrating thing is that they didn’t focus or take a picture of the anus so I don’t know if I have hemorrhoids or an anal fissure or worse. I wish you luck on your biopsies. I thought they only biopsy if they find polyps or something. Did they tell you why they took a biopsy? Please let us know how it went. Thanks!