Positive for blood in stool. dr. won't do colonoscopy because i'm not a candidate for surgery. (have stage 3b lung cancer & severe copd) any suggesti?

See another doc!: Heme pos stool may be from a polyp, removable by colonoscopy, or other benign source. Colonsocopy may be possiible for you without sedation, if that is what worries him/you, and there are many other possible sources for your heme + stool that may not require surgery. The "ostrich technique" (burying your head in the sand so the problem will go away!) is rarely helpful in this case. Ct colonography.

Possibly repeat test: Occult testing often leads to false positives. Abnormal test results may occur after eating meat, a nosebleed or gum bleed. It does not necessarily indicate internal bleeding. With stage iiib lung cancer and severe copd, i suspect your doctor believes there is really no benefit to further testing due to these very severe illnesses that will probably limit lifespan.

Agree with your doc: On any invasive test especially one where there is a risk of complications the benefits of that procedure must be weighed against the risks...In your case your doctor has appropriately felt the risks outweigh the potential benefits.

Worthwhile follow up: Metastatic lung cancer is still treatable especially with the number of new agents being approved for this disease in the metastatic form, and example being the PD1 drugs that have been beneficial in many cases. One site of metastasis that your MD may not be familiar with is lung spread to mucosa of bowel. If on chem,o bowel disease progresses from lung Ca treatment must be revisited.