What They Thought Were Hemorrhoids Were Actually Advanced Polyps
When my doctor told me my rectal bleeding was from hemorrhoids, I didn’t worry about it. I knew they weren’t life threatening. But a few years later when I had a colonoscopy, I learned it was more serious.
Instead of hemorrhoids, Dr. Gregory Lam of Cincinnati GI found several polyps in my colon. A very large flat polyp was seen in the rectum that was close to the anal verge. Dr. Lam performed an endoscopic submucosal dissection of the lesion at Bethesda North Hospital a week later to have it removed. The pathology was a tubulovillous adenoma, which is an advanced polyp. Dr. Lam told me that if it was left untreated, it likely would have become cancerous.
Of course, I’m really thankful for the outcome. I’m also thankful for the reminder that you have to take your health seriously. You need to eat right and take care of yourself. And get a second opinion if something doesn’t seem right.
I also learned the importance of knowing your family’s health history. Had I known that polyps run in the family, and that one of my uncles had colon cancer, I probably would have acted sooner.
I’ll be more proactive about my health and my family’s health from now on. And I’ll always be grateful for Dr. Lam’s expertise and that I went to Cincinnati GI.
– Dave
