You are here: Home Colorectal Cancer Colorectal ... Colorectal ... Follow Up Visits and ...
Information about all aspects of finances affected by a serious health condition. Includes income sources such as work, investments, and private and government disability programs, and expenses such as medical bills, and how to deal with financial problems.
Information about all aspects of health care from choosing a doctor and treatment, staying safe in a hospital, to end of life care. Includes how to obtain, choose and maximize health insurance policies.
Answers to your practical questions such as how to travel safely despite your health condition, how to avoid getting infected by a pet, and what to say or not say to an insurance company.

Colorectal Cancer: Post Treatment 0-6 Months: Managing Your Medical Care: Stages 0,I

Follow Up Visits and Tests For Colon and Rectal Cancer

« Previous

2/2

There will be follow-up visits with your oncologist after treatment. The timing of  those visits, as well as what happens during those visits, varies depending on the treatment, your particular health condition and other individual factors.

At the least, a follow-up visit usually involves:

  • A review of your medical history
  • A thorough physical examination.
  • A discussion about your health and any problems since your last visit (our Symptoms Diary can help keep track of symptoms from visit to visit. The push of a button turns the information into an easy to read graph. Click here 
  • Taking blood for blood tests such as the CEA . 
  • The doctor will order some follow-up tests. Common follow-up tests include:
    • Colonoscopy. The timing of a colonoscopy depends on plan recommendations.
    • Barium enema (a series of x rays of the colon or rectum that are taken after the patient is given an enema containing a contrast medium (usually barium sulfate). The contrast medium generally is described as tasting like chalk. Air can be instilled into the colon along with the barium contrast medium to further define structures of the large bowel and rectum.  
    • Chest x-rays 
    • CT scanMRI, or Ultrasound   
  • Time for you and your doctor to discuss:
    • Your progress
    • Your questions and concerns. (We provide a prioritizer to help you keep track of questions and concerns. A button reorders your entries before the appointment according to your priorities.) For information about how to effectively work with a doctor, click here.
    • Any concerns the doctor may have.

NOTE: If results from an exam are negative, or if liver lesions or lung spots appear, keep in mind that only further testing or a biopsy is definitive.


Please share how this information is useful to you. 0 Comments

 

Post a Comment Have something to add to this topic? Contact Us.

Characters remaining:

  • Allowed markup: <a> <i> <b> <em> <u> <s> <strong> <code> <pre> <p>
    All other tags will be stripped.