Rectal Polyps

[Kari]

Well, it's always something. I went for my annual medical check-up today and she did a rectal exam. I nearly jumped off the table, as it was so painful. So, apparently I have developed rectal polyps :(. I'm seeing a GI later in the month, and will then schedule a colonoscopy. Not looking forward to this :(.

I was wondering if anyone else here has or had this problem, and what you might know about it?

Thanks for any information.

Love,
Kari

[tex]

Hi Kari,

I've never had that problem. That's a heck of a note, to say the least.

How's your vitamin D level these days? The reason I ask is because Polly seemed to consistently develop polyps (the regular kind) between colonoscopy exams, until she managed to get her vitamin D level up, and after that they stopped forming. Of course, with such a limited statistical sample, it might have just been a coincidence, but we can always hope that vitamin D is the key to preventing the formation of polyps.

Love,
Tex

[Kari]

Hi Tex,

Thanks for your response. My vitamin D level is on the low side (35 last year at my Annual), but I have not found a supplement I can tolerate. I even ordered from Freeda, which is supposed to be "squeaky clean". I do spend time in the sun every day, which I'm hoping has brought the level up a bit. I'll be curious to find out the results from yesterday's blood test.

Do you know if Polly had the polyps surgically removed while they were forming? Hopefully she will read this and chime in. Sure glad the problem resolved for her.

Love,
Kari

[tex]

Kari,

Actually, 35 is not a bad vitamin D level, though I do try to keep mine higher. I just thought that your result might be lower, which would make it a more obvious clue.

I don't recall the details of Polly's vitamin D level results, for comparison. She stays extremely busy this time of year, because she chairs a committee that apparently does most of their work this time of year, but I'm sure if you PM her she would be more than happy to share any insight she might have.

As I recall, she had polyps removed during at least a couple of consecutive (probably 5 years apart) colonoscopy exams. During her last exam no polyps were detected.

Love,
Tex

[Kari]

Thank you Tex - I will PM Polly - it's very reassuring that someone else has been dealing with this. Waiting to get an answer is always the most difficult part. My appointment with the GI is on June 27, so the colonoscopy is probably a week or two after that. I'm glad to hear you think 35 is an OK reading for D. My doc said that for some reason people in Colorado have generally low D levels. She couldn't explain why, and honestly it seems strange to me, since we have so much sunshine here.

Love,
Kari

[MBombardier]

So is that like a pre-cancerous adenoma? I had one of those. I feel for you, Kari. This flare that I am slowly coming out of was just like the colonoscopy prep. On the bright side, you can have the GI take biopsies again and stain for mast cells, etc., etc.

My Vitamin D level is around 50, at least it was last year. I am trying to spend more time out in the sun (yes, it does shine in the PNW ) because I read somewhere that half an hour in the sun makes the body produce something like 50,000mg of Vitamin D. That doesn't sound right, but I'm pretty sure that's what I read. I read recently that for someone with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the level should be higher, like in the 60-80 range.

[Kari]

Marliss - I don't know what it is yet - all she did was a manual rectal exam, and told me she could feel polyps. Have to wait till I see the GI for a diagnosis. Researching on the internet, there seems to be several possibilities. And yes, I do plan to have the various tests done - hope the doc is knowledgeable and cooperates :).

That sounds like a pretty "severe" flare you're coming out of, but glad to hear you're feeling better. I saw the beautiful picture of you and your daughters and dad - thanks for sharing.

Love,
Kari

[Polly]

HI Kari!

Tex is correct about my history with polyps. I actually had polyps in the colon, not the rectum.......the kind that Marliss had. The precancerous adenoma is the one that eventually turns into colon cancer. Mine were removed during colonoscopy. And as Tex said, once I got my vitamin D level up, I no longer developed them. My most recent level was 46, but I'd like it to be a little higher ideally. Yours may be a different kind, so I am glad you are having the evaluation. Keep us posted.

Love,

Polly

[Deb]

Kari, I had polyps found during a colonoscopy. They removed them, I had another colonoscopy, more were found. They removed them. I don't believe I was supplementing any vitamin D at that point. I had my third colonscopy and I did not have any more polyps. I was probably supplementing my vitamin D by then. My initial testing of vitamin D was 28. I was able to raise it to 56 pretty quickly. I'm not scheduled for another colonoscopy for five years. More puzzle pieces. Deb

[Kari]

Thanks Polly and Deb - it's reassuring that others have dealt with a similar issue and done well. I will let you know how it goes.

Love,
Kari

[LindyLou]

I too had a tubular adenoma in my colon. Found during my first colonoscopy at the age of 40. No more have been found in the last 3 colonoscopies however I'm on a 3 year recheck rotation. Not sure if that will be for the rest of my life but colon cancer runs on both sides of my family.

[christymk]

I also had 2 polyps removed in my last colonoscopy at the age of 34. I did not know there was a possible correlation between Vitamin D and polyps but will be sure to have mine checked. I just recently started taking calcium with vitamin D as my calcium was low in my last bloodwork. I have been dealing with MC for 13 years but was just diagnosed a little over 2 years ago so I always worry about how much damage has been done before diagnosis as I was told forever that I had IBS.

[Sheila]

Hi Kari, So sorry for what you are going through. As Gilda Radner said, "It's Always Something". The first time I had a rectal exam I was in my late thirties and the doctor used a sigmoidiscope. He told me I was a sissy after I begged him to stop and I thought he was a sadist. Lordy, that hurt!!! I had colonoscopies after that horrible experience. I did have polyps, several times, although none in the past 10 years. I have been more diligent taking vitamins in the past 10-15 years and perhaps that is why I've not had any more polyps.

I'll be praying all goes well.

Sheila W

[tex]

Hi Christy,

Welcome to the board. We don't know for a fact that vitamin D helps to prevent polyps, but research shows that vitamin D is associated with reduced risk of developing colon cancer, and since our own experiences have shown that we seem to be less likely to develop polyps when our vitamin D level is higher, there is a very good chance that this is the way that vitamin D reduces the risk of colon cancer (by preventing the formation of polyps).

And yes, "IBS" is the default diagnosis when doctors don't have the foggiest idea what is wrong. The only way that MC can be diagnosed is by means of biopsy samples taken from the colon, and examined under a microscope to look for the markers of MC. Your doctors delayed your diagnosis for over 10 years because their poor understanding of MC led them to believe that you were too young to have it. Because of that gross misjudgment (due to ignorance), in the past, doctors rarely suggested colonoscopies with biopsies for younger people, and that made their belief that MC is a disease of older women a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Again, welcome aboard, and please feel free to ask anything.

Tex

[MBombardier]

Welcome, Christy!