Normal procedure during a diagnostic colonoscopy?

Question

I had a colonoscopy yesterday because the medication they were treating my "IBS" for wasn't helping and they weren't really sure what was wrong with me. I was basically losing anything I would eat and had lost about 30lbs over the last 3 months. I guess the procedure went fine except he took 6 biopsy's of areas to check for types of colitis that the naked eye can't see. I'm feeling really uneasy about getting a phone call saying it is cancer or something bad like that (my uncle has had colon cancer), when I know that's probably not the case. Has anyone heard of this before? I just can't seem to accept that it went "fine", but yet they took 6 samples, lol. Thanks for any input

I'm 21 and my uncle has had colon cancer, if that helps.. thanks for the input

Answer 1

This is common to do in a colonoscopy. Did they biopsy or remove any polyps? If not, then chances are you do not have colon cancer. They probably got samples from any inflamed looking areas to discern the type of colitis. Are you under 50 (45 if black), with no history of colon cancer in your family? Then likely not cancer.

Answer 2

Don't panic. I had a colonoscopy 3 months ago. I did not want or need any sedation or pain medication (no I'm not brave or silly, just had a great consultant that promised it would not hurt and said if I wanted to stop at any point or have meds I could). I got to watch the whole thing on the monitor and watched as they plucked 4 biopsies out of the lining (could not feel a thing). The reason was as with you undiagnosed pain/suspected IBS that was not responding to Antispasmodics. The doctor sent the samples for checking to see if I had any micro cellular colitis that is not visible but he told me at the time that any cancer or even pre cancerous polyp would be easy to spot and the biopsies were not for that. BTW I did also have a couple of polyps found and these were romoved and checked - no issues from them either. If you were not told polyps were removed then there is zero chance of being told you have cancer.

Answer 3

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Answer 4

I second Nancy on the Celiac screening. Celiac is VERY under diagnosed in the US and Canada. Many people are told for years the have "IBS", suffering from malnutrition, fatigue, and high risk for cancer. If left untreated, symptomatic Celiac can be life threatening. The treatment is simple: A gluten free diet. That's it.

Crohn's and Ulcerative Colitis are other possibilitites. You may also have more than one autoimmune intestinal disease, such as BOTH Crohn's AND Celiac.

As everyone has said, it's a GOOD thing they took 6 biopsies. It will decrease your chance of a false negative result.

Answer 5

Actually it is anormal procedure during colonoscopy examination.I have gone through all this 4 many time.The biopsy taken had help my Dr to diagnosed me of crohns disease.At first, I was also afraid that It may be a cancer.But thanks to God it was not.before my Dr, recommended me to do this examination I do have gastrointestinal problem such as loss of appetite that coz me 2 lost about 15 kg of my weight, cramping abdominal pain, bloody stool frequent defecation and some systemic symptoms like arthritis and fever that do not cured with all the normal medications.i still have to undergo this damn fool procedure every 6 months or if I'm having a flareup.So dont worry until the result comes out.It may be other ilnesses such as Collitis or other inflamatory bowel disease that can be treated and controlled by proper medication.Dont put yourself in pressure as body and mind work hand in hand.Think positively and focuss in treating your illness.All the best to U

Answer 6

It might be celiac disease that they're checking for. But that's usually checked for by doing an upper GI (endoscopy) rather than a lower GI (colonoscopy).

They're starting to recommend that people with IBS, or IBS-like symptoms be tested for celiac disease, which is an intolerance to gluten (wheat, rye, barley and oats). A lot of people with celiac were misdiagnosed as having IBS for years. (18 years for me). It takes an average of 11 years for a person with celiac to be diagnosed.

Here's a webpage by the National Institutes of Health on celiac -
http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases...

If that starts sounding familiar here are a couple of message boards for people with celiac and other gluten intolerances.

http://www.glutenfreeforum.com
http://www.celiacforums.com

You can also be intolerant to other common foods and get IBS symptoms. Soy, corn, eggs, yeast, dairy, etc. You may want to think about keeping a food/symptoms journal and see if you can identify the culprit(s).

You might want to ask your doctors if they checked for celiac. If not, and they don't find any answers with the colonoscopy, maybe that can be something they can check on.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

Nancy

Answer 7

I've been in the Gastrointestinal Lab on a rotation, so I saw plenty of colonscopies. Keep in mind that doctors find it easier to be honest then to lie to you!

Since a colonscopy isn't something you want to do 6 times in a row it makes more sense to go ahead and get 6 samples doesn't it? =)

Answer 8

it is SO hard to wait for test results! We imagine the worst. It is not strange for them to take a lot of samples - they are ruling out all kinds of things, not just cancer. The very best thing for you to do would be call your doctor (or his nurse) and just EXPRESS your fears honestly and ask for a thorough explanation for exactly what they did when they took samples, what they were looking for, ruling out, everything. To get the best service out of medical help we have to ask lots of questions, and keep asking until we are satisfied with the answers! Good luck.

Answer 9

They probably did take more samples because you have the family history. Trust me, you want them to take more than less. If they didn't take enough tissue for an adequate sample then something may get missed. You should feel relieved that they wanted to get enough tissue to thoroughly test.
Stop worrying! That's not going to help your IBS!

Answer 10

If they told you it was fine then it was - the technology is so advanced that they can tell if something is wrong right away. The key is not to worry!