24 year old with large bowel polyp

Hi everyone. I am a 24yo female who has suffered with ‘IBS’ for some years, starting around 18/19. I have been to the doctors several times for bleeding and other issues such as weight loss, I am very slim however I also have lasting issues after covid where my smell and taste is messed which is a contributing factor to this . However I recently had pushed for a colonoscopy due to bleeding as I was becoming increasingly concerned. During the process, my doctor found a large 30mm polyp. He said it looked benign but this has really scared me, due to its size. He also said it was too large to remove at the place I was at, so I will have to be referred to a different hospital. He took 8 samples for biopsy. This was last Tuesday and I’m still waiting on my results, the doctor said 3-10 days. I don’t really know the point of this post, but I guess I am just seeking some comfort in this time and if anyone has had a similar experience 

H

  • Hi I want to give you a warm welcome as I notice you are new here. It sounds like you're going through a very difficult and anxious time. I feel for you as I am same age and waiting for a colonoscopy. I'm sure you will already do this but contact them on the 10th day if they haven't given your results.

    I hope someone who has gone through a similar situation as you reaches out. It might also help to post on the Ask The Nurses section.

  • Leighs

    Hi leigh, just read your post and thought I'd reach out to you as I know how scary and anxious your be waiting for your colonoscopy  biobsy results and surgery to remove your polyp  at a different hospital. 

    I like you from an early age had lots of bowel problems ibs,diverticulitis, and at age 18 was rushed to hospital with chronic stomach pains and diarrhoea, I was diognosed with ulcerative colitis, and was keot in hospital for rwo weeks and was treated with tablets. I've had so many polyps found I've had 39 colonoscopy procedures. I had a large flat sessile polyp,that  they couldn't take away,and i was rescheduled to go in and have it taken away in a two hour slot.  They had to unject blue dye into the fkat sessile polyp  so they could see it better as it was fiat against my colin wall and they had to be careful nit to cut into my bowel wall.  It was cut away in 5 sections.  It turned out  it was high grade dysplasia ( contained pre cancerous cells). So I was scheduled for surgery to have half of my bowel removed on my right side in 2015,my appendix and a small past of my intestine was also taken away.  I was petrified, as I was scared I'd end up with a colostomy bag,and although my surgeon had said she wasn't planning on me having one,she couldn't rule it our. But I had the bowel resection, and I didnt need a colostomy bag.  I know  this may alarm you ,but yours hopefully won't be anything seriously wrong, but if it is I just want to reassure you, you will be fine. I got through it all ,and the care from the NHS was amazing, and no one could of been any more worried and scared as I was.  Hopefully yours won't be half as bad as mine was,but im here if you need a friend. Good luck with it all . Xxx

     

  • Hi :happy: Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me, it means a lot. I'm so sorry to hear about your experience but thank you for sharing that with me.

     

    I had a call from my doctors nurse today that he wanted to see me on Thursday and to perhaps bring someone with me. I of course went into melt down, and my mum rang them and the doctor rang me back. He said he doesn’t have the full biopsy results yet which is why he wanted to wait till Thursday, but he they have found some high grade dysplasia. I am in shock and a bit of a mess but I feel better knowing than waiting till then. I thought he was going to tell me I have cancer. I’m still anxiously waiting Thursday as I feel like I didn’t take much in of what he said, so we’re going to take notes. I’m just thanking my stars I went in when I did and perhaps it has been caught esrly enough to deal with this in a positive way, and I think he will tell me that due to my age this is going to be something I’ll have to monitor for the rest of my life. 
     

    my polyp is penduclated, so I am hoping this means it will be easy to remove and I'm hoping this isn't cancer and it's a case of removing the polyp and then monitoring from then on! Just anxiously waiting now, but thank you again for replying to me xx

  • Leighps

    Hi sorry for late reply,this chst forum used to leave you notifications via email to let you know you had a reply, but im not getting that anymore, So just found a lot if reply that I didnt know I had,so I'm replying to them all now. 

    I guess you've been told what the results are and what trestmenrs you would need by now,as I do know high grade dysplasia is pre cancerous cells,not actually cancer but could potentially turn into cancer.  I had the same in a flat sessile polyp,and had to have a right bowel resection,as there I'd to much cancer in my mums side of the family, so  consultant didn't want to leave it . I do hope you are feeling well and whatever the outcome of your results has been dealt with, and that your keeping positively well.