Diet and Health FAQ

Tagged As: Pediatric Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Question:
My son is going to have a colonoscopy next week.  He has symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.  My first instinct was to tell him not to do it.  He is concerned it might be cancer. He has constipation, pain in his gut, (especially after eating), passes undigested food.  He has had a sudden weight gain of about 20 lbs. in the last 2 months. Any opinions re: colonoscopy?  

Answer:
Why not, Spy? Afraid the instrument might not be clean ? CdLS stands for Cornelia deLange Syndrome. I am not so concerned with the instrument not being clean (I am sure they are sterilized well). My concern would be that the procedure might irritate and exacerbate the problem not to mention the possibility of perforation (as remote as that is). Well, he is 40 years old and he can make his own decisions. I just thought he might get a few diverse opinions. There are many reasons why the bowels stop functioning normally.  BOs (bowel obstructions) can be caused by twist in the bowel, other organs pushing on the bowel, adhesions from previous surgeries and yes, tumors, both malignant by cellular composition and malignant by position (benign tumors that are causing pressure and therefore strangulating healthy tissue).  I'm not versed on blood test that are used to determine CA markers, but other test that can be done are x-rays, heme of the stools, and other stool test for infection and/or parasites.  Then there are CTs of the abdomen, which in my opinion I would want done first and then based on those, then a colonoscopy.  Then depending on what they find, (ulceration, colitis, adhesions, tumor, etc.), then they can determine what the course of treatment will be.  Sometimes this involves surgery, but each bowel surgery is different, determined by which portion of the bowel they are operating on.  If surgery is suggested after all the test are done, ask questions as to what the surgery will entail, will they do a diversion (placing an ostomy appliance to divert stool to an abdominal bag), and most importantly, will they be able to perform an anastomosis at a later time to reconnect the bowel and restore anal function. I hope that your son has established a good relationship with a gastroenterologist and others that would help him would be a nutritionist, because nutrition and bowel function go hand in hand.   Do it. He will never know that he had it because of the drugs they give...Versed & Demerol and if it is cancer don't you want your son to be treated. What is 30 minutes worth of diagnosing (colonoscopy) vs. death? If it was my son  he would of had it yesterday!!!