The need for a colonoscopy or not?

[tnman2]

hi doctor. I am a 38 year old male, non smoker, no drugs, weight 207 pounds. I went to the ER with mild lower left abdominal pain and I was given a CT scan along with bloodwork. The ER doctor told me all of my results were normal. here were the results. liver, spleen, pancreas normal in size,position and density. gallbladder is normal. adrenal glands are normal. no significant retroperitoneal adenopathy appreciated. aortic diameter is less than 3cm. kidneys are normal in size. no evidence of hydronephrosis. no renal stone noted. a tiny anterior cortical cyst on the left.
small hiatal hernia. mild fat containing umbilical hernia. mild diverticular disease is noted without evidence of acute diverticulitis. the appendix is normal. there is no evidence of obstruction, free fluid or free air.
no evidence of urinary tact stone or obstruction.
the ER doctor told me everything was normal and never even mentioned anything about the findings, just told me everything was normal. I read the results after i got in my truck to come home. she was gonna send me to a GI doctor to see about the acid reflux I had. I told her I would prob hold off on that. She told me my pain could have been coming from something viral, it would probably straighten up in a few days. there has been some kind of viral thing going on and some of the people I worked with have had the sme symptoms and their doctor had told them it would have run its course. The ER doctor told me to just to eat some yogurt and she wrote me a prescription for zantec.
Anyway, does any of the above warrant a trip to the GI doctor for a colonoscopy? Do I need to have a colonoscopy done Did the CT scan show everything? My symptoms have subsided tremendously. I ate bland foods yesterday and had very little, if any pain. Also, my bowel movements have all been normal. NO blood, no diarrhea, just NORMAL, REGULAR bowel movements.
please help me out. thanks so much for your time Doug

[tnman2]

alright, thanks for your answer. is it ok to just go about my usual business and leave things as they are and see what happens? I have seen nearly 100% improvement in my case since I have changed my diet. No more cramps, or pain the abdominal region. would it be okay to justwait and see? thanks so much.

[Kevin Pho, MD]

I agree that, if the symptoms continue, a colonoscopy would be the next step.  A GI physician would be required for this step.  

There are things that the colonoscopy can find that may not be apparent on the CT scan.  Small polyps or early colon cancer are two examples.  Inflammation, caused by inflammatory bowel disease, can also be found on the colonoscopy.

If the tests remain negative, sending the stool off for culture and analysis, as well as blood tests looking for celiac disease, can be discussed with your personal physician.

This answer is not intended as and does not substitute for medical advice - the information presented is for patient education only. Please see your personal physician for further evaluation of your individual case.

Kevin Pho, M.D.

KevinMD.com
Twitter.com/kevinmd