> I have had so many problems and my doctor feels I need to have tests
> done to rule out other things like tumors etc.
> I had blood in my stool (actually filled the toilet) several times this
> past year and he was very concerned with this on top of everything else.
> He agreed not to do any INVASIVE testing since I just cannot handle them
> anymore!
Jean,
I don't want to nag, but blood in the stool is a very serious issue. There is no reliable way to evaluate it without colonoscopy. I know that that is invasive, but it can be done painlessly. The current drugs are pretty good. If you've had problems in the past, it can be done (as mine are) under general anesthesia.
Please don't ignore this. Someone needs to eyeball (hehe) your entire colon. It also doesn't need to be bad news. There are large polyps that are not cancerous that do bleed. They can be removed, without pain, during a colonoscopy and never become colon cancer.
Ulcerative colitis also causes bleeding -- sometimes quite alarming bleeding.
Please don't rule out "anything invasive." You really do need it if you haven't had a colonoscopy in a year and you are bleeding. We'll talk you through it.
Love,
Kate
-- Kate Murphy katemm@mindspring.com