Journal: News & Comment

Still in the woods

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My planned morning-only colonoscopy turned into both a colonoscopy and a CT scan, and now, because my doctor thought there could be something else lumpy in my rectum, I need to have an endoscopic ultrasound tomorrow morning (St. Paul's Hospital couldn't fit that in today). My specialist implied that he had expected some of that could be necessary, but it was news to me. I would have preferred to know that possibility in advance.

I do find it frustrating that, in numerous medical situations, no one tells you why things are happening unless you ask, and even then, their answers aren't always entirely helpful. Nevertheless, the staff at St. Paul's were remarkably friendly, as well as apologetic when a visit that should have had me out the door by 9:30 this morning extended until 2 p.m.

It also turns out that I will have to have proper surgery to remove my pal, the cancerous rectal polyp—the colonoscope apparently wasn't right for the job—at some future date, and again no one mentioned that as a likelihood beforehand, which is annoying. I'll find out more about that next Wednesday, January 31 when I meet with my doctor again.

On the plus side, the colonoscopy found no additional polyps or other growths further up my large intestine. Small joys.

So, it sucks. Treatment continues. I'm still optimistic, of course, but I'm learning not to expect the best-case scenario anymore.

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