I am olive, female and 74 years old. Looking for some advice please. My doctor wants me to have a colonoscopy with regard to bowel cancer and I am really worried.
I hope you don't mind but I have slightly edited your title to make it more specific and to encourage other members who have had a colonoscopy before to come and share their experience with you.
You must be feeling really anxious at the moment as you are waiting to have the colonoscopy. It is a very reliable diagnostic test and at least you will know once you have had your results what has been causing your bowel issues. There are so many bowel conditions the colonoscopy can flag which are not necessarily linked to cancer so I keep everything crossed for you that you get some clarity soon.
There is in-depth information on our website on the colonoscopy. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact the Cancer Research UK nurses on the freephone number 0808 800 4040. The lines are open from 9am to 5pm, from Monday to Friday.
I will now let our members come and say hello and share their experiences with you.
Best of luck for your colonoscopy, Olive. I hope it all goes well and that your symptoms improve soon.
Sorry for your worry. Might I ask why they have asked for this? Do you have symptoms of bowel cancer?
My mum has had them every year for the last five years, she explained them to not be painful but just a little uncomfortable (like you have some trapped wind!) the doctor performing the colonoscopy will be able to see if anything is wrong there and then too, as they did with my mum. She had early stage colorectal cancer with later stage symptoms (blood, irregular bowel movements) so we were very lucky. The doctor performing the colonoscopy told her "surgery is the cure!" After scans ensured there was no spread, 5-6 weeks later she was in for surgery to remove the 4cm tumour, she had an ileostomy for 12 months to allow her colon to settle and has had regular check ups since, all clear :) there was no need for chemotherapy or any other treatments other than surgery.
I hope your colonoscopy goes ok and clears up any worries, but there are good stories from bad news xx
I rang the doctor with regard to excessive wind. She asked me lots of questions and suggested a fit test. She rang me to say a red flag came up which could be associated with bowel cancer and will book me a colonoscopy. She has really frightened me and I am so worried.
Hi Olive. I am an endoscopy nurse. Please let me know if you have any questions about colonoscopy that I may be able to answer for you.
Is excessive wind your only symptom? Without knowing what the red flag is, it's hard to advise, but cancer is not a common finding on a colonoscopy for someone with wind and no further symptoms.
Oh ok, a positive fit test would mean there is some blood in your stool. This doesn't necessarily mean cancer. It can also be caused by polyps or IBD. The fit test won't say how the blood got there, so the colonoscopy is just to rule anything out. I know it's hard not to worry but remember it may not be a cancer.
I had my first colonoscopy examination the other day after a positive FIT test which found blood in my stool. I have to admit that I was pretty anxious in the lead up to the procedure and spent a lot of time searching Google and the internet on people's differing experiences. The worst part of the whole thing was the prep and consuming half a litre of Plenvu the day before and another half litre on the morning of the procedure. The Plenvu solution itself wasn't as bad as I had heard - a sort of combination of sickly sweet and very salty - defintely use a straw to drink this as you don't taste it so much. that way.
On the day of the procedure, I was prepped and then taken into the room where they perform the procedure. I opted to have no sedation and was looking to use the gas and air if needed but other than an initial feeling when the endoscope was inserted, didn't feel anything at all. There were a few times when the doctor said that there might be some cramping as the endoscope went around the bends in the bowel but I didn't really feel anything.
I found the whole procedure really interesting as I was wide awake and could watch what was going on via the big screens. It was just amazing to see inside with the level of detail they use. The doctor did find two polyps which were removed - again you can't feel this at all and the whole thing was over within just over half an hour. I was then taken to recovery and given something to eat and drink which was welcomed given that I'd had nothing to eat for well over 24 hours.
In summary, I'd say don't worry about the procedure itself. It's well worth having if it can help identify problems sooner rather than later. Whilst I was naturally anxious beforehand, in my case, it didn't hurt and I didn't feel a thing and it did help identify something which was subsequently removed at an early stage before it could cause any problems.
I went for my second colonoscopy yesterday morning and I am cancer free which is great but I have a very large polyp 2" which my local hospital couldn't take out so I have an appointment at the main hospital. I also have diverticulitis which is no big deal. All in all a good result.. Thank you all for your support.xx
Hi I can understand your worry ,it's a scary time for you. Ive had 39 colonoscopys. I'm 65. 66 first week in November 2022. So as you can imagine I've had lots of bowel problems from a young age. Lots of polyps found and cut away I've got ,diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis, internal and external hemroids and IBS. One colonoscopy I had showed a flat sessile polyp. I had to be rescheduled to have a another colonoscopy and a two hr slot,where they injected blue dye into the sessile polyp and cut it away carefully in five sections, as it was flat, they could of cut through my bowel wall. Luckily they didn't. I then had to have another colonoscopy to check it was ok,but it had started to grow back a biobsy was taken ,and it showed I had high grade dysplasia, pre cancerous cells inside the growth. So I was scheduled to have a right bowel resection, and a small part of my intestine was taken away as well.
But I'm still here,no colostomy bag was needed which im so grateful for.
The colonoscopy are unpleasant well the movi prep is the worst bit, but it doesn't really hurt I always take the sedation I'm offerd. It doesn't put you out ,your still awake but it relaxes you,which helps a lot.
So it's doable ,I've got to have them for the rest of my life and I'd rather be checked to be honest . I've had 39 ,so although your nervous I'm sure you will be fine having one,and if there is anything wrong it can be dealt with.
Hope this will help to put your mind at rest ,apart from the movie prep ,there not as bad as you'd think .
Good luck with evetything, I do hope it all goes OK..
Always here to chat ,if you want to ask any thing ,if I can help I will.
