My health update: I guess I've dodged a bullet.

[Droopy]

I went to the gasteroentologist yesterday to get the results of the colonoscopy and the biopsies. He said the biopsies on my large intestine were normal, but the polyps that he removed could have been dangerous. Most colon polyps are not cancerous, but it turns out the the three that I had (and that the doctor removed) were the type that can turn into cancer. They were in the early stages of development, but they posed enough risk that the doctor wants me to have a colonoscopy every three years now for the rest of my life. I'm 35.

You know, I'm not the type of person who does a lot of preventative health care stuff. I usually only go to the doctor when I have an immediate problem. It turns out that my irritable bowel syndrome may have been a blessing in disguise. It got me in to see the doctor before I may have had a much more serious problem.

The doctor says to take Citrucel and Immodium for the IBS and he has also prescribed a drug called Entocort. The Entocort is some kind of steroid and I really don't want to take it. I know a woman who was given some sort of steroid for a lung problem that she was having. She put on 100 pounds while taking the drug. I'll live with diarrhea before I do that.

[fizzgig]

1. i'm glad you caught those early

other than that, how are things in your world?

[Droopy]

5. Things are going alright

I'm trying to become a real estate investor. Buying a house is pretty easy right now if you have decent credit. It's truly a buyer's market. But I'm not just looking for any old house. I'm looking for one I can make money on. Those are a little rarer these days.

I'm currently in a bidding war for a house that I think would be a good investment. I found it when it had only been on the market for a week and made an offer on it. It's bank owned. We went back and forth a couple of times trying to work out a deal and then some other buyer jumped in. I'm not going any higher than my last bid, so I'll probably lose the place. I won't know for sure until next week due to the timing and the holiday. There will be more out there, though.

[lost-in-nj]

2. That was a hell of a bullet

I am glad your tests were good......

:hug:


:hi:



lost

[Droopy]

7. Thanks lost

:hug:

[sasquatch]

3. People need to eat spicier foods to prevent that from happening

I eat foods so spicy that crap won't happen to me.

[Droopy]

6. I'm not sure what causes polyps, but I think it's just hereditary

With my irritable bowel syndrome if I eat really spicy foods I pay for the next day. I recently ate refried beans with hot sauce on them, and let me tell you, I'm never doing that again. It wasn't too long ago when I could eat food like that and not be bothered.

I recently quit smoking, but I used tobacco for 19 years. That might have something to do with the pre-cancerous polyps.

[TZ]

4. Glad you got good results

And it was good you caught it early. This why they are now putting out PSA about men and getting check ups because a lot of men are like you.

[Droopy]

8. Yeah, that fear of doctors runs in the family :)

My poor grandpa was hard of hearing for the last half of his life, but he refused to get a hearing aid. Prostate cancer got him when he was 80. He could have lived much longer if they'd caught it early, but the old man literally had to be dying of pain before he would see a doctor. And it turned out he was.

My dad is like that to some degree. He lived with depression that led to other problems for a long time before he saw someone about it.

I lived with severe mental illness for 10 years before I saw a doctor about it, but I guess I didn't know that I needed to see a doctor. Now days I go to the doctor when there's a problem, but the thought of preventative medical treatment hadn't even occurred to me before I came down with this. Now it's prostate exams and colonoscopies all around. :)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

9. Ditch the steroids

In the long run, they're more harm than good. Stay with Fibercon, or Citrucel, and make sure you eat the things that you're supposed to eat. There are a couple of very good books on IBS that might help you (I just came across my copies on the shelf the other day): "The First Year - IBS," by Heather Van Vorous, and "Eating For IBS - 175 Delicious, Nutritious, Low-Fat, Low-Residue Recipes To Stabilize The Touchiest Tummy," also by Heather Van Vorous.

http://www.amazon.com/Eating-IBS-Delicious-Nutritious-Low-Residue/dp/1569246009/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b

There is also something that saved my life, and it's called Digestive Advantage. I'm telling you, there's nothing like it, and it's over-the-counter: http://www.digestiveadvantage.com/prod_ibs.html

The sad reality is that physicians know nothing about IBS. We have to be our own doctors. But, seriously, your instincts about the steroids are dead right on.

Good luck.

[Droopy]

10. Thanks, Tangerine

I appreciate the links. I think I will definitely be needing a cook book.

[applegrove]

11. Glad your issues are not as serious as they could be. Take it as

a warning to eat right and get regular check ups. Lucky you.

[ScreamingMeemie]

12. Droopy, I have been on steroids and antibiotics (3 month courses

on and off) for the last 6 years. In that time my weight hasn't gone up much. It's gone down. You do tend to get face bloat the first few days, but it goes down. If it helps, please don't look away from it.

[DFW]

13. Welcome to the club

I was supposed to have been the subject of an obituary April 30, 2004.

Mine was cardiac.

I beat the Reaper, too.