Necrotic Tissue

[JustThinking2023]

Hi ! I’ve been lurking for a while, trying to find some answers, thought I would try postin.Upfront, I’m sorry for the graphic photos.

I have had stomach issues for several years now, I’m 62 years old.

Started with immense stomach cramping, going to the bathroom 5-6times days at a time. The pain would be so bad, and I would sweat terribly, feel like I was either going to vomit or pass out.when it would be over, I would fall into the bed in complete exhaustion, and fall asleep.

I had told my PA and she only said hmmm sound like IB to me, so I just went with that.

It has never improved but last month things changed drastically.

I had a bowel movement that wasn’t actually stool it looked like a bunch of strings intertwined. I sent photos to my PA and she said t put it in a clean container and bring it in to send to the lab. I had already flushed it, but I had another odd movement that night so I sent it in.

The lab said it was Unidentifiable Necrotic Tissue. Since then I have pencil size stools, blood has been in some but not wen I wipe, and bottom right abdominal pain.

I will attempt to load photos. I’m sorry for graphics again.

I tried to post more than one photo

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator]

Hi JustThinking2023,

Thank you for posting with us. I'm sorry to hear you have this going on, but I have some other questions. When is the last time you had a colonoscopy? Blood in the stool, pencil size stools, and lower abdominal pain all warrant having a colonoscopy to get you some answers. And with the abdominal pain, you may need to have a CT scan as well. You need answers. Not answers being guessed at by a PA that "it sounds like IB", but a diagnosis based on tests to address your symptoms.

Another thing to think about is if there are any family medical issues. Are there any hereditary things going on within your family health wise? That would be good information for your doctor to know as well. That could lead to some further testing that would be needed.

You definitely have symptoms that need to be checked out by a doctor. I do wish you the best in finding answers to the symptoms you have expressed here. I am glad to see you're not ignoring that. You just need to have some testing so you can get a good diagnosis. Also, please let us know how the process goes for you and let us know what you find out. It is that type of information that can 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.

[JustThinking2023 in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Thank you for your response. My Dr. actually sent me yesterday for a CT scan. The Dr. At the hospital said that made no sense, that I need a colonoscopy. I have never had a colonoscopy. The CT scan showed nothing s far as what could be causing the problems, but the dr. at the hospital said, that’s why I need a colonoscopy,. It’s all so confusing, why did my dr. say CT scan and the other tell me unless it was a huge tumor it wouldn’t show? I feel most the time I get a run around. They did do a CBC but everything looked ok, if it WERE to be cancer wouldn’t that show SOMETHING is off with the CBC?

[GCCA-Survivor Administrator in reply to JustThinking2023]

I see some strange but good things here as well. With abdominal pain, sometimes it's good to get a CT scan. In my case I got a CT scan first which in my case revealed the tumor. I next had a colonoscopy just before I had surgery to remove the tumor. As a part of my cancer surveillance, I get a CT scan annually and a colonoscopy annually. The CT scan can reveal things that the colonoscopy cannot and vice versa. The fact you had a CT scan first is not a bad thing. It gives you the knowledge that it was clean and now you no longer have to speculate about that. The fact you're getting a colonoscopy next should give you the answers you're looking for.👍

The CT scan is also a good way to look for metastasized issues. That is something that has spread from its original location. It is not a bad thing that you had a CT scan and I don't know why your doctor said it was not useful. I think it gave you a great deal of knowledge and now you can focus on doing your colonoscopy. The colonoscopy is the gold standard to finding out about our GI tract. The procedure also allows the ability to take biopsies of questionable areas or even remove polyps.

As far as the CBC is concerned, it isn't looking for cancer. It’s looking for Red blood cells, which carry oxygen, White blood cells, which fight infection, Hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cells, Hematocrit, the amount of red blood cells in the blood, and Platelets, which help blood to clot. There is a way to test your blood for cancer cells but that wouldn't be done unless your doctor ordered that. It's called a “liquid biopsy” or a Grail Test, or a Galleri Test. The CBC alone wouldn't tell you if you had cancer or not.

I do wish you the best in finding out what's going on. I think getting the colonoscopy will alleviate a lot of the speculation that you're having to go through right now. Your focus now should be doing the prep work for the colonoscopy properly. I get an annual colonoscopy and the prep that I normally get is called MoviPrep. I think it's a good one.

Colonoscopy tips … move the timeline up 1 ½ hours on everything you have to do from the day before to the day of the procedure. I also find adding lime Gatorade to the mix helps with flavor. Adding more water can help thin it out a bit. Nothing red should be added. I get full anesthesia and for me it’s the most restful experience I could imagine.

Good luck and please let us know what you find out.

Thanks,

Tom

[JustThinking2023 in reply to GCCA-Survivor]

Thank you so much !