Bob's doctor is now insisting upon a colonoscopy. I'm not a stranger to them since I had an SSA in 2004 which resulted in a bowel resection at the age of 32 I've had many. However, since his PC diagnosis my nerves are on edge for him to have this testing done. He does have a history of ulcerative colitis (in his early 20's) which increases colon cancer risk. I know he needs the test but now it seems I've developed "test" anxiety of ANY kind of medical tests he has done. It's like I'm waiting for MORE bad news. Have any of you experienced the same? Do you dread unrelated PC medical testing more now since your diagnosis? Is this normal to be more on edge? ~Miki

I think that once you've had a negative result to a test, the anxiety naturally will ramp up before the next test. The way I look at it, when previous tests are negative, it's easy to take an attitude of "no big deal, it doesn't mean anything". But, once the shoe drops, the assumptions change.

Perfectly normal to be anxious when you've already had a bad result. I keep wondering "what next" every time I go to the doctor. But that being said, it something that needs to be done and finding out that everything is alright is much better than worrying about every little ache and pain if you don't go. Best wishes to you.

Tom

Make sure the doctor is a specialist and knows about Bob's surgery. See who his urologist recommends. Generally these can be a bit more critical for men who had radiation as it can weaken the rectum and the doctor must be very careful.

Miki, perfectly normal, I think. But as long as he has them regularly, you probably know, its very unlikely that a cancer has developed. It takes many years for a polyp to form, then become cancerous.
I have them every two years, used to be every year.

One thing - I would talk to the surgeon first. I think I remember, and anyone with more knowledge please correct me if I am wrong, that during the surgery, a portion of the colon, near the prostate is thinned out, or something like that. But that it is a temporary situation.

The worst thing about a colonoscopy is the prep.

Bob is going to be just fine. I'd be very surprised if they found anything.

Andrew

To put a bit of a positive spin on things, the BEST thing about a colonoscopy, is the drugs they give you. If you have a good guy doing the anesthesia, he will give you a cocktail a bit before putting you out, and allow you to cruise in a fog for a while, before you go under