22, positive FIT test.

[pelly22]

Hey all, wanted to get some opinions on my situation. For years now, since about 16, I have been having occasional blood in stool, abdominal pain, and gas and bloating. I've been to different doctors three times for this, all of which told me hemorrhoids without really checking anything out. Recently, I have been losing my appetite, really only eating one meal a day, which has reignited my concern that it may be cancer. I decided to take a fit test, which came back positive. It spurred me to try and get in for a colonoscopy: Am I overreacting or is this reasonable for me to do?

[Alloagirl]

A positive FIT test does not mean you have cancer. You definitely need to have a colonoscopy to rule it out though. They will be able to see what is causing the problem. The earlier you have this done the better. The prep is not wonderful but drink all of it to clear yourself out properly, otherwise the doctors will not have a proper view. Are you in the UK. You must be referred asap. Get back to your surgery and get it sorted. Good luck and though easy to say try not too worry too much. Age is on your side.

[pelly22 in reply to Alloagirl]

Thanks for the reply! I just had a call with my GI doc where we have scheduled a colonoscopy. I am in the US btw. Thanks so much for your response again, I feel validated in wanting a colonoscopy haha.

[Alloagirl in reply to pelly22]

Glad you have sorted out the colonoscopy. You will soon have a proper answer. Enjoy your Christmas and know things are going forward. Best wishes from Blighty lol.

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi pelly22,

Thank you for posting on colon cancer connected I hate to hear you're having to deal with blood and stool, abdominal pain and gas and bloating but I am glad to see you are getting these things checked out. The colonoscopy is absolutely the best way to see what's going on and get you some great answers. You did mention you were losing your appetite as a part of these symptoms and the colonoscopy may be able to deal with that also. If not you may need to get an endoscopy which can go into the stomach area and see what's going on. The colonoscopy and the endoscopy are just two procedures that can get you a lot of answers to what you are having to deal with. You are definitely on the path to getting good answers to what is going on.

I would say that the symptoms you are experiencing could be being caused by many different things. I would not go directly to the big C word. The tests you are getting ready to have done we'll go a long way to determining why you are experiencing these symptoms they gave you some direction as to the path you need to be on to get healthy. I don't know if I would say you are overreacting or not. Is there a hereditary health issue that you are aware of? But please know that you are doing what you need to get done as far as the tests that are being performed to get you answers. It looks like you and your doctors are all over this.

So we're doing the preparation for the colonoscopy please make sure you do it right. Follow all their directions. One of my surveillance procedures that I have done annually is the colonoscopy. One thing I do is add some lime Gatorade to the colonoscopy prep to make it taste better. I also look at their timeline and move things up at least an hour. This way you will be able to get some sleep and on the day of the colonoscopy there won't be such an urgent need to find a bathroom on your way to the procedure. Everything can be settled down before you need to make your way to actually have the colonoscopy.😁

We do wish you all the best in getting answers to what your symptoms are telling you. I think you and your doctors are all over this and you're on a great path to getting well. You are definitely validated in wanting a colonoscopy and I'm glad to see you're getting that as it is a very good way to determine what's going on.👍

Please let us know what you find out from your procedure. This type of information can prove to be beneficial to others on this site as well.

Thank You,

~Tom, GCCA Survivor - Colon Cancer Connected Site Administrator.

Just a reminder - this group is here to offer support, share experiences, and offer our thoughts - but this is not medical advice, and you should always consult your medical professional(s). Additionally, for all emergencies, seek urgent medical care, never delay.

[pelly22 in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Hey Tom, thanks so much for the comment. I thought I would update you guys a little bit. I finally got in to my GI doc, and he ordered an endoscopy and a colonoscopy, both scheduled for Feb 20th. He didn't seem concerned about the big C, though he definitely thinks something is going on. Due to my symptoms coming and going he thinks it may be IBD or IBS. It feels good to have the procedure finally scheduled, but one question for you: How do you deal with the anxiety before the operation? The fact that it's about 1.5 months away makes me worry that I'm going to be an anxious mess in the meantime. Thanks in advance for any advice, you guys have been life savers for me as I go through this process.

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

One of the ways that I've found beneficial to dealing with anxiety was to maintain as much of a regular schedule as possible. For me, I found great satisfaction and focus on doing things that the cancer and the therapy was trying to stop me from doing. It was a way for me to have some kind of control.

You have a little over six weeks before your big colonoscopy and endoscopy appointment. I will let you know that as a part of my surveillance to catch things early I get a colonoscopy every year and every three years I get an endoscopy. It doesn't take that much longer to include the endoscopy so it's not a big deal. You do the same preparation and it'll satisfy both procedures. In order to do the endoscopy, there is a mouthpiece that they'll want you to wear and it's not that bad. It's just something for your teeth to clamp onto and it holds them open with a small 3/4" tube.

How do you do with anesthesia? I personally have had a lot of these procedures, so I have found that I do well with the anesthesia. It does leave you a little groggy a couple of hours afterwards. The anesthesia they used for me is called propofol. And I must say it is the absolutely best feeling when they start administering the anesthesia and you slowly go into a deep sleep. It is the most restful feeling I've ever had. It is actually something I look forward to. 😁

You should look at the procedures that you are scheduled for as an opportunity to go on offense and truly find out what's going on and getting on a path to being well. Right now, you still must speculate as to what's going on. That can drive the anxiety. So, you should focus on what a great event this is going to be for you and the beneficial answers you're gonna get from it.

I gave you some of my ideas on how to do the “prep”. It’s not only beneficial to the process but also to the way your day's gonna go. I remember my first colonoscopy and I did it the exact way they told me to and it was kind of terrible. I was focused on having to find a bathroom at every turn and was worried whether I could make it to the facility without having to stop at a bathroom on the way. So, moving out the process an hour or so solves a lot of things that make preparation difficult. It is what it is. But doing those little things make it a little better for yourself. Consider that a win that you can control. You don't necessarily want to “defeat” the preparation process. But if you feel you can control some of it and make it better for yourself then I consider that a win.

I think you should focus on just going about your days as you normally do. You took action to get answers, and this is how you're gonna do it. It is exactly the thing you need to be doing. You will definitely benefit from what you find out. Look forward to the day.

[pelly22 in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Hey! I really appreciate the advice once again. I don't know how I do with anesthesia, as I've never been under general anesthesia before, only local. I assume I should mention this to my doctor? And I've been trying to keep to a schedule to keep my anxiety at bay, but it seems to come in waves. One second I'm feeling fine, knowing that I'm 22, statistics are on my side and I have a very good chance that it's nothing serious, and the next second I'm googling things and reading every story from people around my age being diagnosed, and convincing myself I'm going to experience the same thing. This has really been a wake up call to start treating myself better, physically and mentally haha. Thanks again for all your help, I truly appreciate it.

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to pelly22]

I think you're doing great. You'll do fine with the colonoscopy and endoscopy. When you first arrive for your procedure, you'll probably be asked to get into one of those surgical gowns (one size fits no one😂) and there will be a nurse there that will hook up one of your arms for the IV. They will probably ask you to state your name and even ask you why you are there🤔. I thought that was always an odd question to get but they just want to make sure that you know exactly why you're here and it's another way to double check that you're the right patient for this procedure. You will then meet an anesthesiologist who will be responsible for putting you under and waking you up. That's the guy/girl to tell that you have not had anesthesia before, and you'll probably get questions about if you are allergic to any other types of medicines. I think you'll be fine. You'll do great.

About the Googling. I think we all do that it's just nature of trying to find out what others may have gone through. I know whenever I have to fix something or want to try something new, somebody on YouTube has already done it and I just have to watch a bunch of videos to learn how to do stuff. Healthcare is kind of the same way. I just had rotator cuff surgery and I'm on the 4th week of recovery. I watched a ton of YouTube videos on how to deal with being in a sling for eight weeks. I found it to be very helpful as I could set up my house to benefit being a one-armed person.

Know this: Every one of us has 3 billion base pairs of DNA. 99.9% are the same as all the people around you. That .1% of the human genome is what makes us unique. So, you are unique from everybody that you googled. 😁👏

[-Charlotte79 in reply to pelly22]

hi how did the colonoscopy go? Did you find answers

[pelly22 in reply to -Charlotte79]

Hey there! I have not had the colonoscopy yet. It's on the 20th of February, so it's coming up soon. The good news is that my symptoms have improved a ton now that I'm not as anxious about the whole thing. Still going to get the procedure to make sure, but I feel good about it. I will make sure to come back to let you all know how it goes!

[pelly22]

wanted to update this post. Just got out of the colonoscopy, things are mostly totally fine. Had one small (4mm) polyp that the doc told me is benign. Some erythema of the duodenum that I have to wait for pathology for. Overall though, he’s not concerned about anything. Huge weight off shoulders

[Pakleo]

Hi.glad to know that noth8ng serious came up in your colonoscopy.will you please share what was the number of your FIT TEST RESULT.I AM 17 AND MY FIT TEST CAME BACK AS 24. PLEASE RESPOND AS I AM REALLY REALLY CONCERNED AS TO WHATS GOING ON.THANKS.