Reader afraid to play waiting game

Dear Dr. Gott: I am a 49-year-old female in otherwise pretty good health.

In February 2004, I noticed what I thought was a lump on my left front under my ribcage in the stomach area. I finally went to the emergency room in spring 2004 in pain.

I sat there for seven hours to be told to go home and come back the next day for an ultrasound. The next day I went in for my ultrasound and was there for another seven hours.

When I finally saw the doctor, he told me everything looked fine and that I may be experiencing irritable bowel syndrome. I told him that I had had a colonoscopy seven years previously, and that was the diagnosis then, and that this did not feel the same.

I also told him that my mother had died from colon cancer when she was 29 years old.

The doctor told me that if I had a colonoscopy within that time, that another test would not show anything different. One and a half years later, having gotten an upper endoscopy for stomach problems and still experiencing a lump feeling, I told the GI doctor of my concerns, and thank goodness he agreed that I needed another colonoscopy.

My concern now is that my test is not until July.

This has been going on for some time now, and a few more months may be too late if there is truly something wrong. They say that my mother was diagnosed too late because she ignored her symptoms.

I have not ignored anything, but I feel the ones who could help simply ignored my concerns. I was actually told at one time to, and I quote, “Eat more fiber, get less stress and learn to live with it.”

Should I wait patiently, or do I have need to worry?

Dear Reader: The fact that your colonoscopy was normal seven years ago is an important consideration. If you have IBS, I believe that you can safely wait until your next scheduled test this summer.

However, if you develop other symptoms (such as bowel changes, rectal bleeding or pain), the testing certainly can be moved up. In short, I believe that patience is appropriate.

To give you related information, I am sending you copies of my health reports “Irritable Bowel Syndrome” and “Diverticular Disease.” Other readers who would like copies should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 for each report to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s).