Would it help to use the InStr function? This is what I usually do if
I understand your question correctly. You could use something like . .
..

Dim lkFor as Integer
set nextCell = myCell.Offset(1,0)
lkFor = InStr(myCell, ":")
If lkFor 0 then
' now you know the colon character exists and handle accordingly
set myCell = nextCell
End If