Colonoscopy revealed cancer

I guess I'm writing looking for some advice or support, maybe somebody else has gone through this??

I am 34 years old and was diagnosed with UC in 2006, but had symptons for 4-5 years prior.

I had a colonoscopy done in April to see how I was responding to the Imuran I started taking. My Dr noticed an area of Dysplasia (sp?) which he described as an area of high cell turnover and it could be pre-cancerous. He increased my Imuran dosage and scheduled me for another C-scope in 6 months to see if the Imuran would clear it up.

I honestly didn't really think anything of it at the time because the Imuran has been working really well for me.

So I went in for my Colonoscopy on Monday. The nurse from my GI's office called on Wednesday and said my Doc needed to see me right away. I knew right then the news was not good. When I met with him Thursday morning he told me that the biopsies that were taken revealed cancer. He said my colon is no longer worth saving and it needs to be removed.

This really sucks because the Imuran has been the most effective medicine I've been on and I've been feeling real good. Usually one trip to the bathroom in the morning and sometimes they were even kind of formed.... like a normal turd!! Now I have to get my colon yanked!!!!

I am scheduled to have CT scans next week to see if there are any other tumors anywhere else then I will have a meeting with the surgeon.

I am still in shock and can't believe this is happening.

Sorry to hear that. If I remember correctly, colon cancer has a pretty high survival rate if caught early. Bad way to look at it but maybe with the surgery you can kill two birds with one stone. Best of luck to you.

The good news is that without UC you probably wouldn't have found this for a long time. Nobody our age has regular scopes.

Sorry to hear this.

I'm so sorry to hear this. As others have pointed out, the bright side is that we get scoped so much more frequently that cancerous changes are found much earlier than in the general population. And most types of colon cancer have very high survival rates when treated early.

It's good that your doc is on the ball and that you followed his treatment plan. Hope this is confined to the colon and you are soon on your way to recovery.

I'm so sorry to hear that your dysplasia turned into cancer. That totally sucks. Colon cancer is really treatable this early, though. It's really great that your doctor caught it so quickly.

The benefit to removing your colon is that you can prevent the cancer from metastasizing. I know it won't be that much fun, given that it'll take a while to get used to living without a colon, but it'll prevent tumors from popping up elsewhere.

Imuran (and 6MP) are actually kind of cancer drugs ... they reduce cell division, which is one way to treat cancer. Sounds like your doctor was hoping the Imuran might stop the dysplasia.

As others have said maybe we can thank UC for catching it early. What news to be given though, I really am sorry for that.
Best to you and please keep posting.

I hope your surgery goes well. this disease sucks. you can feel fine and your guts can be a total mess on the inside.

stay strong and know we are here to talk if you need us.

I am really sorry about the diagnosis. Always shocking when a young person gets this type of news. On the positive side, you won't have to worry about imuran being effective after you're living with your new j-pouch. There are definitely some positives to having no colon, especially for UCers. I'd hate to get news that i needed my colon removed, but at least as a UCer, I could see the positive side of being without a colon. I hope everything goes very smoothly for you and that this is the end of the cancer. The only big downside to a j-pouch is the surgery to get it, once your healed, there are no limitations. Research your surgeon very carefully!!

Thank you all for the kind words and support.

I am hoping this was caught real early, but the April Colonoscopy was my first one in a number of years, so I'm not sure how long it's actually been there.

I am not aware of any family history of colon cancer.

So far I have told my wife and my business partner and they have been real supportive.
I'm still working up the nerve to call my parents and let them know. My Mom always worries about my health due to having Ulcerative Coloitis and I'm not sure how she'll take this news!

I'm really sorry to hear this. I think its better not to tell your mom as no mother can bear this news.
If your mom is already worrying about you for having UC, this will be a bigger shock for her.

My first GI suggested its necessary to get a scope every year. Atleast they had found out at an early stage.
May God bless you and gives you enough strength.

Good luck.

IAS, did you not sue your doctor? Such a carelessness from your doctor would have costed you loosing an organ.
You did a great job by asking for a second opinion.

Sorry to hear this. Hope all goes well