Hi I’m 44 and have spent the last two years having treatment for triple negative breast cancer. I’ve had the all clear and was discharged from care in Feb this year. However last week I was in so much abdominal pain and ended up in a&e. After a scan it turns out I have a few 5mm polyps in my gallbladder. They’ve said they’ll just scan me again in 12 months but I’m not sure if I should be pushing for treatment now as I’m aware ppolyps can turn cancerous and given my history this worries me. Should I go back to doctor and insist they remove them now even though theyre clearly not worried? Any advice would be appreciated. Don’t want to be a pain and over react but also do t want to be in a position in 12 months they’ve grown and turned nasty and it’s too late?
Hi Bergop23
I can definitely empathise with having severe abdominal pain caused by my gallbladder, although mine was caused by gallstones identified when I had scans for my original cancer diagnosis.
Gallbladder attacks can be extremely painful, but my doctors weren’t concerned as gallstones are so common throughout the population, that they tend not to act straight away on them, in my own experience and the current experience of my partner who is going through exactly the same. Monitoring tends to be the way to go with things of a smaller size.
It was a long time before I did get surgery and then only because one of the gallstones blocked my bile duct so my situation became very serious. I had my gallbladder removed which solved my issues, but this was only done because there was no other option. My partner is just being monitored and scanned, and despite asking for gallbladder removal this has not yet been agreed. The consultant said half the patients in his waiting room would have gallbladder issues, so won’t agree yet to treatment.
I can understand your situation, and why you’d want treatment, but certainly at our hospital doctors just will not agree at the moment, despite 2 referrals to gastro, two different consultants and multiple scans.
It’s very difficult to have uncertainty hanging over you, especially after going through cancer-have you seen a gastro consultant rather than just your gp for them to explain why monitoring alone is deemed to be sufficient?
Sarah xx
