# colonoscopy: do I really need it?



## higgsb (Apr 4, 2016)

I just had my 55 y/o checkup and besides a slightly enlarged prostate, I'm in good health. I could stand to loose 20 pounds and I'm getting up twice a night to p!ss but my doctor said I'm in good health.

Then he said I should get a colonoscopy. I've been googling around and I don't see what a colonoscopy has to with getting up twice a night to take a piss. It seems more related to prostate than anything else.

I don't want to get a colonoscopy. It seems invasive and there are possible complications.

Any thoughts on this?


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## richardsharpe (Jul 8, 2014)

Good evening
the american medical system tends to over-treat a lot. There is some risk, but of course there is some risk of not doing it.


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## higgsb (Apr 4, 2016)

Maybe I'll wait a year to have it done.


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## Bibi1031 (Sep 14, 2015)

A colonoscopy is a routine procedure that begins at 50. Most insurance plans accept it as such and is part of yearly routine exams. Your are past due on this one for 5 years now. Prevention is key. Why are you arguing with your doctor? Doesn't he have your best interest in mind?

He has nothing to gain by sending you to get this procedure done as he is not performing it. I believe that if everything is okay in the first colonoscopy, you are not due another until 5 years later. If something is found at the time the procedure is done, the doctor will most of the time take care of it then and there. That is when this procedure becomes a routine part of your life. Just like blood work is for making sure you stay healthy as you age.

It's scary, but it's something that you need done. I hate Pap smears and mammograms, but I gotta get those done every year anyway...sigh


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## Satya (Jun 22, 2012)

You only have one life. If you don't value your health, who will? Strangers on the Internet?


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## Openminded (Feb 21, 2013)

The procedure itself is nothing -- you're totally out for that. What people really dread is the prep -- for good reason -- but there's no getting around that and you just have to deal with it. Sure, you can put it off for a year (I put mine off for many years) but you don't gain anything by postponing it and it will be in the back of your mind until it's done. I kept postponing mine (no history of problems in my family) but finally had it done and now I don't have to think of it again for awhile.


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## Happilymarried25 (Mar 19, 2014)

You should get a colonoscopy. Doctors recommended it after age 50. I just had one and I'm 52. They found some polyps but they weren't cancerous. My husband had one at 47 because his Uncle died of colon cancer. The worst part is drinking the stuff to clean you out, but I was out during the procedure, so that was a piece of cake.


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## dash74 (Jan 3, 2015)

Happilymarried25 said:


> The worst part is drinking the stuff to clean you out,


My step dad called it seven down because it's seven up from he11 >


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## EleGirl (Dec 3, 2011)

Yes, get the colonoscopy. 

A lot of people get polyps as they get older. It's better to have them removed before they get bigger and before they become per-cancerous, and especially before they become cancerous.


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## TBT (Dec 20, 2011)

Do it and put your mind at ease. The only thing I don't like about them is the prep. Other than that,it's an easy procedure.


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## RainbowBrite (Dec 30, 2015)

There's nothing to getting a colonoscopy. Thinking about it is the worst part. Get it done.


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

I had one at 50, yea, the prep sucks but not worse than bad ethnic food resulting in heavy duty Montezuma's Revenge...

I'll have another in the next 12 months. My brother was not told to have them despite very high-risk due to Crohns disease. He passed on due to colon cancer in his 50's, a tribute to non US style medicine...


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## Openminded (Feb 21, 2013)

dash74 said:


> My step dad called it seven down because it's seven up from he11 >


Yes, the prep you drink is awful but it's so much better than it was years ago. The prep I had two years ago was clear and looked like water -- not the old thick and chalky stuff a friend of mine had to get down when she started having them decades ago. 

My problem was keeping the prep down because there's a lot of it to drink and the kind I was given had a taste sort of like cough syrup. And I hate cough syrup. However, not everyone has a problem with the taste or with keeping it down and it's not a reason to delay the procedure (although it was the reason I stupidly delayed mine for many years). Luckily, I didn't get punished for my stupidity but that was an unnecessary risk to take. So don't wait.


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## Blondilocks (Jul 4, 2013)

The invasive aspect is what has kept me from getting one. I'm sure I'll break down and get one (one of these days).


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## Red Sonja (Sep 8, 2012)

There is a brand new test available, recently FDA approved, for early detection of colon cancer and it's non-invasive.

It is called Cologuard, and uses stool DNA changes for early detection of colon cancer.


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## Marc878 (Aug 26, 2015)

I get at least one every day at work.


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## kristin2349 (Sep 12, 2013)

OP, just do it! You are alread 5 years overdue. I recently drove a friend who is a Dr. to theirs, they said the drugs they give you are great. Even the prep that everyone complains about is easier than it used to be. I lost two friends to cancer this year already, get the screening.


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## Bibi1031 (Sep 14, 2015)

Marc878 said:


> I get at least one every day at work.


Who performs it on ya? :wink2:


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## Cooper (Apr 18, 2008)

It is not a big deal, I'm not sure why everyone gets so stressed about it. Look at it this way, there's a chance it can save your life, just like a seat belt or a bicycle helmet. Why wouldn't you do it? Seems like a silly thing to die over.


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## btterflykisses (Apr 29, 2016)

Yes you do. Bowel cancer is curable if caught early. My dad would not be with us now if he hadn't had it. He didn't want it either. I made my husband who is in your age group have it too. I know it's awful as I have had it done several times being in a high risk group.


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## straightshooter (Dec 27, 2015)

Stop looking for excuses. It is common knowledge that at age 50 this should be done.

So you drink some lousy tasting stuff and you are stuck in the bathroom for a few hours.

Sure beats chemo.

So stop playing Russan Roulette with your health. Call the Gastroentologist ( yup that's who does it)


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## Satya (Jun 22, 2012)

john117 said:


> I had one at 50, yea, the prep sucks but not worse than bad ethnic food resulting in heavy duty Montezuma's Revenge...
> 
> I'll have another in the next 12 months. My brother was not told to have them despite very high-risk due to Crohns disease. He passed on due to colon cancer in his 50's, a tribute to non US style medicine...


The OP might lose a few lbs during the process, as I know a friend that did. He described it as feeling totally cleaned out and kept to clean eating after.


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## chillymorn (Aug 11, 2010)

better safe than sorry.


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## chillymorn (Aug 11, 2010)

just had one not too long ago. easy peasy.

get some reading material because you do spend some time in the bathroom.


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## citygirl4344 (Mar 4, 2016)

Get it done.
Early detection is key with this type of cancer and everyone should have it done at 50.
You mentioned enlarged prostate...there are medications you can take to help the constant trips to the bathroom to help the voiding problem.



Sent from my iPhone


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## karole (Jun 30, 2010)

I need to get one done too. A friend of mine had one recently. Before her appointment she googled "how to prepare for a colonoscopy" and said she found really helpful suggestions on how to prepare for a colonoscopy - such as she mixed a clear drink mix like crystal light in the cleanser drink and she said it made it much easier to drink. She said that overall, it wasn't a bad experience.


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## jb02157 (Apr 16, 2014)

I'm very close to your age and I'm on thyroid medication. Every so ofter the doctor makes me come in for an office visit just so I can continue to get refills. These visits seem to be fishing expeditions for the doctor to get me to do blood tests, physicals, colonoscopies and other unnecessary things so he can charge the insurance company more money. He did let me have an option of either doing a stool test or a colonoscopy. I definitely opted for the stool test. I don't have all day to mess around with a colonoscopy if I don't need one. I would ask your doctor if you can do the stool test instead. It's worth a try.


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## Acoa (Sep 21, 2012)

The colonoscopy has nothing to do with your prostate. The purpose is to screen for colon cancer, or polyps that form and eventually turn into cancer. 

As others have said, the prep is the uncomfortable part. The procedure itself is easy. 

The incidence of colon cancer is high enough that getting a colonoscopy to screen for it is considered safer than the chance you'll get an undiagnosed cancer. Colon cancer is one of those that you don't know you have until it's progressed to a stage that is very difficult to treat.


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## thebard77 (May 24, 2015)

Colorectal cancer is very treatable if caught early. Get the colonscopy. It will cost you half a day and several hours on the toilet for prep. It is worth it.


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## Hope Shimmers (Jul 10, 2015)

jb02157 said:


> I'm very close to your age and I'm on thyroid medication. Every so ofter the doctor makes me come in for an office visit just so I can continue to get refills. These visits seem to be fishing expeditions for the doctor to get me to do blood tests, physicals, colonoscopies and other unnecessary things so he can charge the insurance company more money.


This is ridiculous.

Speaking as a physician, I am not going to keep refilling your thyroid medication years on end without getting bloodwork at least once a year to make sure nothing has changed. Because those things change frequently!

As for the colonoscopy, it is a guideline recommendation for all physicians to recommend this test at age 50 years. That is because endless studies have been done to validate that this is the point in time that makes the most sense (clinically, economically, etc) for the patient to have that test. Colon cancer is largely asymptomatic until it is at late stages of disease. The test is worth the risk.

It has nothing to do with "billing insurance". Even if I had a private practice, I would not get additional insurance money for referring patients to get a colonoscopy when they turn 50.


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

Well this thread reminded me that I am due for mine. 

A little tidbit: one of the more common sedation drugs used is propofol, the same drug that killed Michael Jackson


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

blueinbr said:


> Well this thread reminded me that I am due for mine.
> 
> A little tidbit: one of the more common sedation drugs used is propofol, the same drug that killed Michael Jackson


I had mine 6 years ago. The above medicine was dreamyyyyyyyy. Also the Olympus endoscope, holy smokes that was high definition to end all high definitions... 

Nothing found, proof that bourbon and vodka kill all polyps 😂😂


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## SunCMars (Feb 29, 2016)

americansteve said:


> I just had my 55 y/o checkup and besides a slightly enlarged prostate, I'm in good health. I could stand to loose 20 pounds and I'm getting up twice a night to p!ss but my doctor said I'm in good health.
> 
> Then he said I should get a colonoscopy. I've been googling around and I don't see what a colonoscopy has to with getting up twice a night to take a piss. It seems more related to prostate than anything else.
> 
> ...


If I called you a Sorry-A$s Wimp, would that Zika-Tick you off?

How about if your elderly mother had to call the Down-Under-Taker to bury that same Cancerous A$s that you swamp-gassed and cavalierly blew off?

I have had three colonoscopies............I still walk the Earth..........I will die from something else.........I'll take the deal.

Git-er-Done.......Dude!


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

OP needs to get snipped too . 55 is too old to have kids.


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## jdawg2015 (Feb 12, 2015)

Hell yes get the colonoscopy. You're over 50. If they go in an find a polyp they will zap it and put you on every 3-5 year monitor. 

It sucks drinking the fluid (a gallon is more water than you think...) but the procedure is super simple and they use conscious sedation so you're not even aware during the procedure. I had a small amount of blood when I would wipe, they did test and found polyp. Very good way to prevent colon cancer....


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## SunCMars (Feb 29, 2016)

Hope Shimmers said:


> This is ridiculous.
> 
> Speaking as a physician, I am not going to keep refilling your thyroid medication years on end without getting bloodwork at least once a year to make sure nothing has changed. Because those things change frequently!
> 
> ...



Good job Doctor!

One-shot.....one-kill ! 

Hippocratic Oath on So-Bad-Dik-ALL

You must have a Snopes on your long gun.

A Big Ego dispatched with Ka-Ching-Klarity.

No Rat-ta-Tat

......Single Payer O-BOOOOM-A-CARE Health Delivery....DELIVERED Tween-da-Eyes


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## jdawg2015 (Feb 12, 2015)

It helps that in the hospital your doctor was probably not outside taking texts and calls and that your constantly being sedated. Just sayin' :grin2:



blueinbr said:


> Well this thread reminded me that I am due for mine.
> 
> A little tidbit: one of the more common sedation drugs used is propofol, the same drug that killed Michael Jackson


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## Palodyne (Mar 3, 2016)

If your over 50 you should have it done. It could really make a difference. I have Crohns Disease, so I have had colonoscopy's once a year since 1995. They have revealed polyps, active disease, and even a tumor, that thankfully was benign and removed. Don't take risks with your health. These tests are usually recommended for a reason.


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## FrazzledSadHusband (Jul 3, 2014)

I had one at 46 due to a change in bowel habits. Three large pre-cancerous growths were removed. Doc said had I waited another 4 years, things could have gotten nasty.


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## Lilac23 (Jul 9, 2015)

Make sure you do the all the prep, though! I took my mom to get one and apparently she hadn't 'cleansed' as much as she should have and they started to do it then had to stop and have her come back again. That must have been embarrassing..... :rofl:


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## john117 (May 20, 2013)

It may have something to do with, ehem, colon shape. The above can happen with the "standard prep". There's also the "alternative prep" which involves slightly more, ehem, potent stuff.


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## just got it 55 (Mar 2, 2013)

americansteve said:


> I just had my 55 y/o checkup and besides a slightly enlarged prostate, I'm in good health. I could stand to loose 20 pounds and I'm getting up twice a night to p!ss but my doctor said I'm in good health.
> 
> Then he said I should get a colonoscopy. I've been googling around and I don't see what a colonoscopy has to with getting up twice a night to take a piss. It seems more related to prostate than anything else.
> 
> ...


You may find your head brother :surprise:

55

ETA: get one the worst part is the prep


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## DustyDog (Jul 12, 2016)

americansteve said:


> I just had my 55 y/o checkup and besides a slightly enlarged prostate, I'm in good health. I could stand to loose 20 pounds and I'm getting up twice a night to p!ss but my doctor said I'm in good health.
> 
> Then he said I should get a colonoscopy. I've been googling around and I don't see what a colonoscopy has to with getting up twice a night to take a piss. It seems more related to prostate than anything else.
> 
> ...


Absolutely, you should get a colonoscopy. It has nothing to do with the prostate, it's not a "male" thing, women need them too.

Colon cancer gives no symptoms whatsoever until it's too far gone to treat it. It is 100% treatable if detected in time, and the colonoscopy is how it is detected. Colonoscopies done right are 100% effective - I always prefer using a clinic whose staff has been there a long time and are willing to answer the question "what do you do in order to increase the chances of catching early-stage cancer?" The correct answer is "we time our movements, making sure we are moving the colonoscope very slowly both going in and going out".

I was scared of the procedure because of the invasiveness, but it was over and done so fast....

Prep is messy - you take an overly strong laxative to perform a true colon cleanse (not like the new-agey stuff that doesn't actually do any cleansing), the goal being to be empty about a day ahead of time. You subsist on clear liquids, such as apple juice or white grape juice. If you have 20 extra pounds, this will get rid of 4-5 of them.

I went in, they had me dress in one of those backless gowns, then lay down sideways on a table. They sedate you - no anaesthesia if done right...sedation does not leave you drowsy. The doc said "how are you doing?" and I said "I'm doing...." gone. The next thing I was aware of, I was laying on my back on the same table in the same gown, the nurse said "he's awake". Doc said "we're done, everything looks fine, come back in ten years."

In my experience, this was far less of a nuisance than a typical dental cleaning, except for the day prior, when I didn't want to be more than ten feet from the bathroom.


FYI - a friend of mine, believing that she had the inside scoop on how to live forever based on an all-natural diet and lots of exercise, will not live to the end of this year. She is 58. Knowing that she had reduced her risks of cancer by her diet and exercise, she waved aside all such tests - no colonoscopy, no mammogram, etc. Her first sign of anything was a lump in a breast, so she got checked out...yes, you have breast cancer, but this one seems to have come from somewhere else, it's not an isolated tumor. An X-ray showed masses in her brain, her lungs...and her intestines were packed full of tumors. They estimate it started in the colon, over ten years earlier.


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

DustyDog said:


> Absolutely, you should get a colonoscopy. It has nothing to do with the prostate, it's not a "male" thing, women need them too.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




I have mine Tuesday. I don't mind the dental cleaning. The hygienists are always cute young girls. I don't expect this to be fun. 

Btw, sorry to hear about your friend.


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## EleGirl (Dec 3, 2011)

blueinbr said:


> I have mine Tuesday. I don't mind the dental cleaning. The hygienists are always cute young girls. I don't expect this to be fun.
> 
> Btw, sorry to here about your friend.


They put you to sleep before they do anything. You won't know whether it was 'fun' or not cause you will be in la la land.


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## tech-novelist (May 15, 2014)

EleGirl said:


> They put you to sleep before they do anything. You won't know whether it was 'fun' or not cause you will be in la la land.


Dave Barry has written the definitive answer to this: Dave Barry: A journey into my colon -- and yours | Miami Herald


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## Yosemite (Aug 23, 2016)

I'm over 50 and I haven't had one and I don't plan to have one.

So if you're taking votes, that's mine.


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## EleGirl (Dec 3, 2011)

Yosemite said:


> I'm over 50 and I haven't had one and I don't plan to have one.
> 
> So if you're taking votes, that's mine.


From experience, that's not a good attitude. Unless dying from an easily avoidable cancer is your goal.


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## wizernow (Dec 31, 2015)

I'm very new to this thread, and haven't read all the way through it. So if this has been covered, my apologies.

I think it's a good idea to have your colon checked out but share your concerns about the procedure. Colon cancer is very preventable if checked and caught early.

An alternative to an invasive colonoscopy is a DNA test of stool sample. I've been following a company and their development of this procedure which is now FDA approved. The test is called "cologuard". You can read about it on the company's website. Company is "exact sciences." They developed the test working with the Mayo clinic.

So ask your doctor, see if your insurance covers this. You'd get a kit sent to you in the mail. Poop in a bucket, seal it up and ship it off to a lab. Non-invasive and detects cancer or pre-cancer. If positive for either then you'd get the "scope". 

It's covered by some insurance but not all. Look at their stock price; it has tracked up recently as the test is getting more use.


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## Wolfman1968 (Jun 9, 2011)

wizernow said:


> I'm very new to this thread, and haven't read all the way through it. So if this has been covered, my apologies.
> 
> I think it's a good idea to have your colon checked out but share your concerns about the procedure. Colon cancer is very preventable if checked and caught early.
> 
> ...


Cologard can detect cancer or pre-cancerous polyps. But just not at 100% rate, and is not considered as good as colonoscopy (although I am unaware of any head-to-head randomized trials).
It appears to miss about 8% of cancers and about 60% of advanced precancerous polyps. So, at this point, it is NOT a equivalent substitute for a colonoscopy. Its role at this point seems to be best for persons who cannot, or will not, have a colonoscopy as a screening exam. Colon cancer screening rates are only just a little above 50% for the eligible population. Cologard may help this.

At this point, it is best to think of it as a second-tier test which when the better first line cannot, or will not, be used. It's better than the newer generation Fecal Blood testing (FIT). 

Knowing this, I have opted for colonoscopy for myself recently (second one, never any polyps, so that tells you that I'm an old dog).


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## heartbroken50 (Aug 9, 2016)

My H had his first colonoscopy at age 40 as his father & grandfather both had colon cancer. His results were fine. He was advised to get one every 5 years after because of the family history. He put it off. The week before he turned 49 I had to have him ambulancd to the hospital because of sudden constant belly pain. Turns out he had stage 4 colon cancer 

Cancer doesn't always grow slowly, but often it does grow without causing symptoms until it is too late. And I forget the exact numbers but people are being diagnosed with colon cancer at younger and younger ages all the time. It's the second most common cancer.

That was 1.5 years ago. He is still here and fighting, but his prognosis is poor. Believe me that the hell he has been through is way worse than a colonoscopy. Please get one!


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## just got it 55 (Mar 2, 2013)

My first ever experience with anesthesia was unplanned form a hockey head injury (In case some of you had thoughts on my sanity) So it was not prepared.

When I had my Colonoscopy I remember focusing on the exact moment the anesthesia took.

I remember the Dr. saying in his heavy Asian accent "Medicine Coming"......Lights Out

When I came to in recovery the nurse says to me .....Get all the gas out.

I said Yeah.....I'm usually pretty good at that

Get one folks it's harmless

55


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

just got it 55 said:


> My first ever experience with anesthesia was unplanned form a hockey head injury (In case some of you had thoughts on my sanity) So it was not prepared.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




The anesthetic often used is propofol. That is the one the killed Michael Jackson. One colonoscopy clinic gave dozens of patients Hep C because they used the vials for multiple patients. Not always harmless.


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## Herschel (Mar 27, 2016)

I've had it done twice, once at 30 and once at 40. The lead up sucks and the soreass is the worst part, though I dropped a couple pounds. Just go get one man, it could be your life. No dead person ever said, "I am sure glad I didn't get that colonoscopy."


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## just got it 55 (Mar 2, 2013)

just got it 55 said:


> My first ever experience with anesthesia was unplanned form a hockey head injury (In case some of you had thoughts on my sanity) So it was not prepared.
> 
> When I had my Colonoscopy I remember focusing on the exact moment the anesthesia took.
> 
> ...


B while that is true there is risk don't know the exacts odds but....

I would say that it in the range of .01% of either of those happening

But...... I would say that would be close to your survival rate if cancer does occur and realized far too late. It would have been 99.09 % avoidable.

55


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## KillerClown (Jul 20, 2016)

Yep. Had it done couple of years ago. Procedure was cake walk. Sure there's possibility of anesthesia complication. But how is that different from getting laser eye surgery? (Got that done too)

I do understand the hesitation. It seems way too much like Kang and Kodos anal probe.


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## VermisciousKnid (Dec 27, 2011)

Invasive?! What's more invasive, a camera up your butt while you're sedated and dreaming warm happy dreams or a surgeon hacking out a section of your bowel while you're under general anesthesia? 

I'll gladly choose the first type of invasive if it lets me avoid the second type. And by the way, yes, I had my colonoscopy a year ago and it was easy. The prep was no fun, though.


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## EleGirl (Dec 3, 2011)

For the purpose of being truthful, I had a colonoscopy in Feb 2016. They removed a 2cm polyp which turned out to be precancerous. The procedure was a cake walk. I was given the drugs and was out almost immediately. When I woke up there was no way for me to know that anything had happened. I felt great. Went home.

Then about midnight I woke in horrible pain. Went the emergency room where I waited 4 hours in crying in pain. They ended up hospitalizing me for the pain where I stayed for 7 days on morphine and Percocet while they argued over why I had so much pain. Well duh... they had cut out a big polyp and burned the incision area. After 7 days of being over medicated with morphine and Percocet they finally gave me an anti-inflammatory med and the pain was gone within an hour. But by then I could not go home because days of laying in bed on drugs that slow down my breathing and blood flow.. I had blood clots in my lungs. The story gets worse after that, but I won't bore you.. basically I spent a month in the hospital had all kinds of complications and am now on oxygen 24/7. They tell me I should be off it by the end of the year.. who knows.

I think that most of the problems I had AFTER going into the hospital were caused by the hospital. It's a big, brand new beautiful building being run like a 3rd world flop hospital.

My point... is not to scare anyone. It's to point out that while most colonoscopies are harmless and do a lot of good, they are to be taken seriously because they can cause complications. I am however glad that I had it done because the alternative was for me to end up with full blow colon cancer. As bad as what I've been through is, colon cancer is 1000 times worse.

I think that a lot of people, especially men, will not get them due to embarrassment. You are out cold so there is nothing to be embarrassed about.


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

EleGirl said:


> For the purpose of being truthful, I had a colonoscopy in Feb 2016. They removed a 2cm polyp which turned out to be precancerous. The procedure was a cake walk. I was given the drugs and was out almost immediately. When I woke up there was no way for me to know that anything had happened. I felt great. Went home.
> 
> Then about midnight I woke in horrible pain. Went the emergency room where I waited 4 hours in crying in pain. They ended up hospitalizing me for the pain where I stayed for 7 days on morphine and Percocet while they argued over why I had so much pain. Well duh... they had cut out a big polyp and burned the incision area. After 7 days of being over medicated with morphine and Percocet they finally gave me an anti-inflammatory med and the pain was gone within an hour. But by then I could not go home because days of laying in bed on drugs that slow down my breathing and blood flow.. I had blood clots in my lungs. The story gets worse after that, but I won't bore you.. basically I spent a month in the hospital had all kinds of complications and am now on oxygen 24/7. They tell me I should be off it by the end of the year.. who knows.
> 
> ...


I remember you being gone for a while. Were you on anti-coagulants for the clotting? 

My wife woke up during the time they were burning off a polyp. The worst pain she ever felt. 

I have to go on Tuesday. I know the doctor well since he has been treating my wife for 8 years, including for the liver disease. There is risk of perforated colon, but I would accept that. 

I wish I had not read your thread until Wed, but thanks for sharing.


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## just got it 55 (Mar 2, 2013)

After reading Ele's and Blueinbr's last post

Any chance I can give my colonoscopy back ?? 

Sorry you went through that Ele but the fact that you still endorse the procedure speaks volumes.

55

55


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## VermisciousKnid (Dec 27, 2011)

EleGirl said:


> For the purpose of being truthful, I had a colonoscopy in Feb 2016. They removed a 2cm polyp which turned out to be precancerous. The procedure was a cake walk. I was given the drugs and was out almost immediately. When I woke up there was no way for me to know that anything had happened. I felt great. Went home.
> 
> Then about midnight I woke in horrible pain. Went the emergency room where I waited 4 hours in crying in pain. They ended up hospitalizing me for the pain where I stayed for 7 days on morphine and Percocet while they argued over why I had so much pain. Well duh... they had cut out a big polyp and burned the incision area. After 7 days of being over medicated with morphine and Percocet they finally gave me an anti-inflammatory med and the pain was gone within an hour. But by then I could not go home because days of laying in bed on drugs that slow down my breathing and blood flow.. I had blood clots in my lungs. The story gets worse after that, but I won't bore you.. basically I spent a month in the hospital had all kinds of complications and am now on oxygen 24/7. They tell me I should be off it by the end of the year.. who knows.
> 
> ...


That's awful Ele. Glad you're still here!

I avoided mine for a couple years due to denial. Logically, I knew it was the right and mature thing to do, but getting older and not having my body work as well as it used to and requiring medication for HBP is something I find depressing. I know, I know, it's normal, but I still don't like it. 

So avoiding my colonoscopy was part of avoiding my feelings on aging in general.


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

I hope OP does not mind me posting here. 

I made the mistake of scheduling a 2:30 pm test It is tomorrow. So i cannot eat any solid food until then. It it 6 am the day before and i am already hungry. I am limited to broth, jello and clear drinks. 

Tip: schedule your test for early morning, not in the afternoon.


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## katiecrna (Jan 29, 2016)

Just get it done and get it over with. You will feel much better when you do instead of putting it off till next year. Your 5 years late anyway. Stop making excuses and just do it. 

Btw did he put you on BPH medication for your prostate?


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

katiecrna said:


> Just get it done and get it over with. You will feel much better when you do instead of putting it off till next year. Your 5 years late anyway. Stop making excuses and just do it.
> 
> Btw did he put you on BPH medication for your prostate?




OP is now @higgsb 

Steve, did you get your checkup?


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## VermisciousKnid (Dec 27, 2011)

blueinbr said:


> I hope OP does not mind me posting here.
> 
> I made the mistake of scheduling a 2:30 pm test It is tomorrow. So i cannot eat any solid food until then. It it 6 am the day before and i am already hungry. I am limited to broth, jello and clear drinks.
> 
> Tip: schedule your test for early morning, not in the afternoon.


Tip #2: when you get home plan on falling asleep wherever you sit down. I was home by 11 AM, sat on the couch, and then woke up stretched out on the couch at 4 PM. No doubt that was because of a combination of the sedatives in my system, the lack of food in me, and the loss of sleep the night before. It was a nice deep sleep!

If your house tends to be noisy or your kids bring their friends round after school, the bedroom might be a better place to set yourself when you get home.


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## EleGirl (Dec 3, 2011)

blueinbr said:


> I remember you being gone for a while. Were you on anti-coagulants for the clotting?
> 
> My wife woke up during the time they were burning off a polyp. The worst pain she ever felt.


Oh, your poor wife. That’s horrible. Hopefully they gave her a lot of feel good drugs quickly after that.



blueinbr said:


> I have to go on Tuesday. I know the doctor well since he has been treating my wife for 8 years, including for the liver disease. There is risk of perforated colon, but I would accept that.
> 
> I wish I had not read your thread until Wed, but thanks for sharing.


Hopefully it will go well for you.


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

Well everyone said the prep is the worst part. My prep went a lot better than i was expecting. Maybe it is the newer meds they have us drink. 

My fear now is learning if have cancer. We will find out in a few hours if that is a worry.


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## EleGirl (Dec 3, 2011)

Did they remove polyps? What makes them think you might have cancer?

I sure hope you don't.


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## Blondilocks (Jul 4, 2013)

blueinbr said:


> OP is now @higgsb
> 
> Steve, did you get your checkup?


Why does he have two user names?


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

Blondilocks said:


> Why does he have two user names?




The password fiasco. He could not log in as Steve.


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## 225985 (Dec 29, 2015)

EleGirl said:


> Did they remove polyps? What makes them think you might have cancer?
> 
> 
> 
> I sure hope you don't.




One polyp. Will get results later. Just general worry about cancer. Early stage diverticulosis which i inherited from mother. 

Tip to all: never schedule afternoon procedure. I had a 2 pm, did not go in until 5 pm. 

400 milliliters of propofol makes it go fast


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## Adelais (Oct 23, 2013)

I had one several years ago and they found a couple of polyps. They didn't give me enough meds to keep me asleep and I remember waking up in pain because someone (the nurse) was pressing down on my stomach...I was pushing her arms away. Then I don't remember anything more.

Get the procedure. Dying of colon cancer is worse than the procedure.


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## Betrayedone (Jan 1, 2014)

You don't need one if you are already a perfect azzhole.......I couldn't resist.......


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