Soft tissue thickening at the ileocecal junction…?

Hi Franniefanakapan and welcome to the board. I’m sorry to hear that you’ve lost your dad and now have concerns for your mum. I’m not medically trained so it might be better to copy and paste the jargon bit into the Ask a Nurse section or ring the support desk?

 Ask a Nurse 

It does look like they suspect that there are signs of cancer there but need a colonoscopy to confirm - an urgent referral means you should get an appointment within 2 weeks.

The prep is not great for a colonoscopy - most people have moviprep which involves drinking 2 x 1 litres of a powder mixed with water which has a laxative effect and clears out the bowel. There is one called picolax which is used and sounds to use less volume but I’m not sure if all hospitals use it? It’s really important that the bowel is completely empty so they can see everything when doing it.

The colonoscopy should not be painful. Your mum will be offered gas and air or a mild sedation which is inserted through a cannula in the hand - this keeps you aware of what is going on and you can watch on the screen if you wish - but very relaxed. You can’t drive and need to have someone with you for 24 hours after this. There are virtual colonoscopies - presumably a bit like an x-Ray - but I’m not sure how readily available these are?

Hope this helps but please ring the support desk on the number below if you need more advice

Take care

Karen x