Connect
Anyone have a positive Cologuard test?
My test results came back positive. I asked what did it show, because they test for 11 different cancers or categories. They said, it just states either negative or positive for cancer. I had problems a few years back and did a colonoscopy, which came back ok. Now this!! I'm reading theres a 13 percent chance of false positive. Right now I'm extremely distraught about having to go through all Consults, tests, and dreaded preps. Orders are in for Consult with gastro, but they're booked out through January or February in Mayo. I have not received any notice for appointment yet. Dont know what to think or do.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Colorectal Cancer Support Group.
Connect
Okay did Cologuard, the results were positive. I went for a colonoscopy and it was normal.
How annoying…
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionFor anyone who is interested, I thought it might be useful to post a link to this study, which looks at patient attitudes and experiences that positively and negatively influenced whether they completed the mt-sDNA test kit (Cologard) and expected to do so in the future:
- Attitudes and Experiential Factors Associated with Completion of mt-sDNA Test Kit for Colorectal Cancer Screening https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/23743735231213765
This was published in the Journal of Patient Experience in 2023. It does involve some Mayo Clinic and Exact Sciences (the maker of Cologard) authors. It touches on the patient anxiety that @dbchip mentions, but it is not entirely focused on the emotional side of its use (i.e., some of it looks at comfort, embarrassment, ease of use and following instructions, etc.)
An acquaintance had cologuard because he didn't want the colonoscopy. It came back positive. He had the colonoscopy, had a polyp removed, and he's good to go with screening every 5 years. Plus I had read that some doctors say don't use cologuard if you have hemorrhoids, because of the presence of blood triggers the positive response. Seems like you either have nothing, or you have something that probably can be easily handled with a colonoscopy. Don't stress yourself unless you learn otherwise. BTW, the first time I was referred to the hospital for follow up breast imaging due to a suspect mammogram, I worked myself up into a tizzy. Turned out nothing wrong, a lot of false positives there too. Good luck!
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionCologuard is better than nothing. Many reports on here about the test's stress inducing impact when ++ result is found. Many times false ++. If it is working for you great but for many people better just to get the colonoscopy.
I am on 3-year recall also, have history of polyps. Better to bite the bullet and get the colonoscopy which is the gold standard.
Yes, but no harm getting one in between colonoscopy. Mine was accurate. My G.I. doctor told me one of three possibilities with test- can show cancer, polyps or nothing is wrong.
Cons:
Not as accurate.
Can't determine what you have.
I have colonoscopy every 3 years, same as Cologuard. They developed the Cologuard to get people to screen since so many don't.
Don't understand stress of Cologuard. To me it is reassurance. I need colonoscopy every 5 yrs due to polyps. My dr does cologuard in between. I had a positive - showed polyp. Had colonoscopy to remove- precancer. If I hadn't had it done, by next colonoscopy would have been cancer.
Yes I had my colonoscopy a few months back. They found two small Sessile serrated adenoma polyps. I need to return in 3 years for another. The Cologuard just caused anxiety. I will never use it again.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
4 ReactionsHi, @dbchip. This may sound like a downer, but I'm trusting it will be a message of hope. Basically the worst I could have imagined occurred after my abnormal result from the Cologard DNA stool test, but now everything is all right.
My primary care doctor referred me for a colonoscopy. I was concerned at that point, but my doctor seemed to think it was likely something benign that was no big deal. My husband also is really big on not spending energy and time worrying about theoreticals, so I did not spend a lot of time worrying precolonoscopy. I did my colonoscopy pretty promptly after the stool DNA test.
I got my colonoscopy results back on a Friday afternoon, so it was not surprising that no one interpreted them for me over the weekend. I do not fully understand pathology or radiology results. These medical professionals just speak their own language. So I was reading a lot of jargon in my patient portal, one sentence of which made it look like I could have cancer. My husband did not fully understand it, either, and thought maybe it was saying I had some kind of marker for cancer. It was a little bit scary.
Well, I learned that Monday I did have cancer, a neuroendocrine tumor found alongside a couple of polyps. That was super surprising to me, especially as this cancer is rare. My doctors launched a series of different types of imaging and testing to find out if there was any residual tumor. My tumor was found in late July 2023, and I spent a lot of time going to the doctor that fall.
Long story short, the doctors learned that the colonoscopy had gotten all trace of cancer out of my body. I had a bit of residual trauma, I'd say, from the whole experience and the scanxiety people talk about (in one scan, I had tears flowing down my cheeks on both sides the whole time). But in a couple months that was all kind of a distant memory, and I've been perfectly normal since.
dbchip, have you had the colonoscopy? If so, what did they find?
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 Reaction