Hi -
I'm asking this question for my neighbor. I don't know the answer and don't want to guess.
She has a colonoscopy scheduled for May 11. It was scheduled yesterday. Based on her symptoms it was the soonest she could get with the doctor she wants. If she goes elsewhere she can get sooner. She's debating. Her primary care scheduled this and was sketchy on answers to questions telling her to relax and just get an answer from the test. Of course, she'd like to know if anyone has an idea from their experience.
Her stats: 51 years old, occasionally constipated (not often) and when she is it's very medication related. She takes about 8 to 12 percocets a week due to a foot injury. (I'm telling you this for grins and giggles - her husband ran over her foot with their sleep 8 pop up camper last summer. Yep.
) No one in her immediate family has had colon cancer. (Parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins)
Her question: About 1.5 months ago she had a week where she frequently felt like she still had to have a bowel movement after having one. Pretty much daily. About 3/4 of the time she actually had to go more and would in about 20 minutes. In other words, most of the time when she had the feeling of needing to go more, she actually needed to go more. Then it stopped for several weeks and started again last week. So with that she went to her doctor and got scheduled. Her main question is: If this is a symptom of a problem, would it come and go? And when they say that feeling like you have to have a bowel movement is a symptom of problems, do they mean it's a symptom if you then can't go? Or when then try to go, there are other issues like bleeding, pain, constipation?
Secondly, with this being the only issue she's having, would you recommend she go to another doctor to get a sooner test.
Thanks for any thoughts. Understand you are not a group of doctors but thought you might have had this experience.
