I'm now firmly planted in the suck it up and get it done camp now.
Just had my first colonoscopy on 11/20 at age 52. Neither the prep or procedure was as bad as I made it out to be in my head. Now to get to why I feel the way I do.
Colonoscopy found a polyp (removed and biopsied, non cancerous). They also found a golf ball sized mass partially obstructing the cecum (pouch where the small and large intestine's come together). Both the biopsy and CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) blood test results were negative. Still the mass needs to be surgically removed. I was not experiencing any symptoms. I was sent to a GI doc because routine blood tests came back with low hemoglobin and iron levels and Fecal Occult Blood Test came back positive for blood in the stool (no blood was ever visible).
GI doc ordered CT scans of the Chest and Abdomen/Pelvis afterwards. CT scan showed a large (9cm x 8.2cm x 7.7 cm) mass on my right kidney. For comparison sake, an average kidney is about 11.2cm in length, so the mass is very large in relation to the kidney. I've been referred to a Urologist at the University of Penn to have the mass/kidney removed. No further testing has been performed. After talking with some medical people and my own investigation, the mass will not be biopsied as kidney cancers are very mobile and they don't want to disturb it. From my reading about 80% of such kidney masses are cancerous so I'm approaching this situation with that in mind. My appointment at Penn is in 2 weeks, so hopefully I'll know more now. Again, I did not experience any symptoms. No pain, no blood, normal kidney function test results (4 times over the past year, test as a function of my diabetes). I expect surgery to remove both the mass and kidney will happen early in 2018. Kidney cancer, assuming it is cancer, doesn't respond well to chemo or radiation so surgery is the is the normal treatment. I'll now a lot more after the initial consultation at Penn on 12/28.
i also met with a local Colon Rectal surgeon about the mass in the cecum. He strongly suggested I go to see a Colon Rectal Surgeon at Penn and try and force the issue to have both surgeries done at the same time. The appointment with the Colon Rectal guy at Penn is on 12/22.
Moral of the story, get your colonoscopy done when you should, it could keep you healthy.
Cheesey