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Original poster

Bowel polyps

46 replies

Firsttimemummy23 · 30/04/2023 20:01

Hey all,

Currently feeling a bit sorry for myself so be kind lol.

I had the most precious adorable baby girl 10 months ago via csection and I have been having massive issues with my bowels .. conspitation and diarrhea, bleeding.

My doctors didn't really take me serious said I had internal piles, fissure (I didn't) so I had to fight for colonoscopy however it wasn't the full one so I need to go back. They found two polyps one 2mm and the other 4mm and I'm so concerned!! I need to go back and have surgery.

Has anyone had this before? Did their symptoms go away once they had the surgery? Any advice or post care would be great as well as I'm all alone apart for my husband.

OP posts:
Jellycats4life · 30/04/2023 20:03

The best advice I can give you is that you request ongoing bowel screening even though you’re technically too young for bowel cancer screening. Polyps are essentially pre-cancer so it’s great that they’ve been found now.

Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 30/04/2023 20:04

Hi I will be! I'm 32 so I don't know if I'm too young? They did say I would probably need every 3 years now.

OP posts:
Bearpawk · 30/04/2023 20:10

A good friend of mine had and still has terrible digestive issues (pain/ bloating/ blood in poo)
A colonoscopy showed lots of polyps, they removed and biopsied the largest ones which came back benign so she's been offered no further treatment.
You really have to advocate for yourself at the moment, keep pushing

Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 30/04/2023 20:33

I'm so sorry to hear about your friend! I will I had to fight for this scan! It's not pleasant at all I needed it. They said they're removing them all!

I'm also having sedation so not sure if I will feel any pain or not xxx

OP posts:
YellowDiamondInTheSky · 30/04/2023 20:45

So I had bowel cancer at a very young age and now have colonoscopies every couple of years. So maybe around 10 colonoscopies since I had cancer. Almost all of them have found one to two polyps and none of them have been cancerous.

It’s also not quite right to call them pre-cancerous as PP said. Some polyps can be pre- cancerous, but not all polyps are pre-cancerous. All it means is that you will need to have regular colonoscopies to check for any polyps and get them removed before they have the potential to become an issue.

MissyB1 · 30/04/2023 20:50

Sorry OP what surgery are you having? And what was the histology of the polyps when they were looked at in the laboratory?

Vintagecreamandcottagepie · 30/04/2023 20:53

I had polyps discovered very young, they were removed there and then, and I was told to go back every 5 years for regulat colonoscopies.

caringcarer · 30/04/2023 21:05

My sister had polyps. They removed them under sedation. They take them for analysis. One of hers, the biggest one was cancerous. She gets checked every 2.5 years now.

Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 30/04/2023 21:15

They did give it a name but i was in so much shocked I can't remember the name sorry. I never had an issue with my bowels before this either, no history of this. I know my grandad has the scans but he's over 70 so I figured that's normal.

I'm just very scared and in so much pain, was any of you in pain? Xx

OP posts:
Jellycats4life · 30/04/2023 23:26

It’s also not quite right to call them pre-cancerous as PP said. Some polyps can be pre- cancerous, but not all polyps are pre-cancerous.

In that case I’m happy to be corrected. But isn’t it true that all bowel cancers start as polyps?

YellowDiamondInTheSky · 01/05/2023 07:31

Jellycats4life · 30/04/2023 23:26

It’s also not quite right to call them pre-cancerous as PP said. Some polyps can be pre- cancerous, but not all polyps are pre-cancerous.

In that case I’m happy to be corrected. But isn’t it true that all bowel cancers start as polyps?

Yes that’s right, but not all polyps are pre-cancerous. Many are benign and will never turn into cancer.

MissyB1 · 01/05/2023 08:07

Jellycats4life · 30/04/2023 23:26

It’s also not quite right to call them pre-cancerous as PP said. Some polyps can be pre- cancerous, but not all polyps are pre-cancerous.

In that case I’m happy to be corrected. But isn’t it true that all bowel cancers start as polyps?

Yes technically all bowel cancers start as polyps, but that doesn’t mean all polyps will become a cancer.

Notagoodtime · 01/05/2023 09:50

I had 4 polyps discovered 3 years ago. All were removed and benign. I have just had another colonoscopy to check if I have anymore but thankfully none were found. It’s great that they were found as they will never get to become a problem.Both of your polyps are called diminutive as under 5mm which is great news.

Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 01/05/2023 09:57

Can I ask did you have any symptoms before they found them? I had all of them and worried I'm stuck like this. Also I'm so constipated from the procedure it's painful 😔

Also, did your symptoms (constipated or diarrhea/bleeding) stop? Xx

OP posts:
YellowDiamondInTheSky · 01/05/2023 10:14

Polyps don’t usually cause those sorts of symptoms, especially when they’re as small as the ones you have. That’s why many people have them and have no idea. So I doubt those symptoms will stop. Equally you do bleed from anal fissures and haemorrhoids, so if that’s the cause of the bleeding, it’s not going to stop once the polyps are removed.

Have you had your biopsy back from the polyps they did find?

Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 01/05/2023 10:18

Hey they didn't find any piles or fissures! Apart for external skin tag. But they said they need to do a full colonoscopy as I only had partial so they will be removing them. So I am worried that there might be bigger ones further up 😭 he said my bowel look good (showed inside the entrance where the pain in) and said it was healthy apart for polyps.

So I'm just waiting for a phone call or letter now, it did say on my report that I will have this done before 6th June! So hopefully it's sooner than later.

Did you have the sedation? I'm so scared I'll feel pain.

OP posts:
Notagoodtime · 01/05/2023 10:21

Yes I had bleeding, which stopped straight away after the polyp was removed so that was obviously the cause.

Notagoodtime · 01/05/2023 10:23

Sorry to answer your question, yes I had sedation. You are still awake and can move into the positions requested but you feel much more comfortable and relaxed so would definitely recommend.

Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 01/05/2023 10:26

That's good to know!! I'm trying not to be a baby especially as I got a baby but I'm so scared.

If it gets rid of the conspitated that would be great! I was thinking last night that this might have happened when I was pregnant as I remember bleeding xx

OP posts:
Gilmorehill · 01/05/2023 10:29

My dh was in the same situation as you. He had a partial colonoscopy (can’t remember the exact name of the procedure). The doctor found polyps so decided to book him in for a full colonoscopy. The preparation for it is horrific. You are limited on what to eat and you have to drink a special drink to basically clean your bowels out. He had the polyps removed. There’s no pain afterwards. One of the polyps was found to be stage one cancer. He had an MRI and ct to make sure it hadn’t spread. He had colonoscopies every year for five years. It was a very worrying time but I’m so grateful he got checked out early. Good luck.

Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 01/05/2023 10:41

I'm so glad your husband is ok! Did he have the same symptoms as me? Has his symptoms now disappeared? Xx

OP posts:
Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 01/05/2023 10:56

That's perfect! The gas and air doesn't seem to have any effect on me .. so hoping it can ease the pain! Xx

OP posts:
YellowDiamondInTheSky · 01/05/2023 11:14

Right. Got it. So you had a partial colonoscopy (was it a flexible sigmoidoscopy, where you didn’t need to do any prep or need any medication for it?), and that was when they found the two polyps? And now you have a full colonoscopy booked?

So it could be that you have more polyps further up and that could be the cause of your symptoms, so having the full check and getting them all removed could help.

Also, are you breastfeeding?

Original poster
Firsttimemummy23 · 01/05/2023 11:27

YellowDiamondInTheSky · 01/05/2023 11:14

Right. Got it. So you had a partial colonoscopy (was it a flexible sigmoidoscopy, where you didn’t need to do any prep or need any medication for it?), and that was when they found the two polyps? And now you have a full colonoscopy booked?

So it could be that you have more polyps further up and that could be the cause of your symptoms, so having the full check and getting them all removed could help.

Also, are you breastfeeding?

Sorry yeah! Yes it was and I had to do the two day prep but they didn't remove them said they would do it all when I go back. I think it was because the gas and air wasn't working.

I really hope so! I'm in so much pain. No not breastfeeding!

I'm really hoping by magic if there's any maybe two or three they can remove them and I can go to the loo without being in pain. I'm also a bit unsure what to say to the drs as they're calling me about a blood test as my protein c level was high (level 43) as they misdiagnosed with piles and they promised me it was just piles ...

OP posts:
Gilmorehill · 01/05/2023 11:28

Firsttimemummy23 · 01/05/2023 10:41

I'm so glad your husband is ok! Did he have the same symptoms as me? Has his symptoms now disappeared? Xx

Well he’d had IBS for years and worried it was something else so he basically fibbed that he had some bleeding. I’m so glad he did. Well done to you Op for pushing the doctors on this. All the people I know, except one, who have had bowel cancer have been under 50 yet the doctors dismiss symptoms like bloating etc if you are young.