So I am back to anxiety again. Two months ago I had a sigmoidoscopy and biopsies of polyps were taken that came back negative. I had the proceedure for diverculitis attack. Inflammation was so bad that a full colonoscopy was delayed. Today,the inflamation was gone and the diverticulitis back in control. I had the colonoscopy and it revealed a tumor that is definitely not a polyp and looks suspicious according to the doctor. Waiting for the biopsy but it does not look good. The doctor is scheduling surgery to remove what he guesses will be about 12 inches of upper sigmoid. I know that my prognosis depends on what stage the tumor is. The doctor said that the stumor looks small but that tumors grow from the inside out so it is difficult to tell at this point what stage or how big it is. He was unable to go past the tumor in the colonoscopy. I was wondering if anyone has some experience or knowledge they can share.

I can only offer encouragement at this point and am so sorry you are going through this. The waiting for biopsy results is the worst time as there is nothing you can do to hurry it up! Do you know when they plan to do surgery as you mention that the doctor is scheduling it. Remember that, if it does turn out to be cancer, there are several treatment options these days and there are several persons on this board who have done well, even with more advanced colorectal cancer. So, don't even think about prognosis!

Please keep us posted when you get your results. We like good news too, so we hope to hear that from you. It is so difficult not to worry but try not to let it consume your life.

I am sorry about your test results. It sounds like your results are simular to those my husband had 2 years ago. We were told that he had a flat mass near the sigmoid colon that they could not remove. They told us that they biopsied it and we would have to wait for the results. We were then informed that such masses were almost always cancerous :( We spent the week in turmoil hoping and praying that they were wrong. A week later it was confirmed to be cancer.

I do hope that you will hear better news. Just so you know, my husband has survived his radiation treatment, surgeries and chemotherapy. He is back to work full time and life is good. :)
In any event the folks that frequent these wonderful boards will be here for you:angel: Kathy

Hi Larbos wife,
Thank you very much for the information and your experience. Your story cetainly helped me to feel better and more hopeful that your husband is back to his life and your life is good these days. I hope it stays that way for you and wish him the best of luck. I have been very reassured by the many success stories of people who have dealt with colon cancer in their life and are back to living their lives.
gwb