Well I am coming up on the big 50 and my doctor wants me to schedule a Colonoscopy. Good news, the place is right next to her office. She provided me with a service to get there and home but....

My mom had a perforated intestine due to having one and I also felt she had other damage that they tried to cover up. My dad never had one. He died at 83 without any colon cancer.

So I looked into it and the adverse events are not fully known but it is only recently (in the last 4 years) that anyone looked into if it was causing issues and, the results weren't great. Like 5% of people who had it (this is a lot of people) ended up going to the ER within one week of the colonoscopy. In my mom's cases both issues slowly festered and she had to go to the ER within a month. I also am suspicious that the prep and the invasion into your body could cause issues that you might never really understand were caused by that.

So I looked into it and found there is a stool / DNA test that it is shockingly accurate. It detects 95% of colon cancer -- that is as good as the colonoscopy. If it comes back positive I will have to get a colonoscopy. It also can be done every three years (and if I want to pay for it myself every year) and thus could be even more accurate.

What are people's experiences with the colonoscopy?

[Yaowen]

Dear Emily,

I have had three colonoscopies and never had any problems although I certainly fretted over them. Since they were performed under general anesthetic I don't actually remember them. I was in a gurney in a pre-op area. It was boring and I feel asleep. When I woke up and I asked the nurse when my colonoscopy was going to be performed, she told me that I already had it. lol.

The prep for the procedure with laxatives was memorable although it wasn't painful or anything. Since I had precancerous polyps the test you mention was not an option for me. Maybe it is right for you though. I am so very, very sorry your mom suffered a perforation as the result of a colonoscopy. That is really sad.

I am due for a follow-up colonoscopy soon and I hope it will go as well as the others. I can certainly identify with your concerns and worries. I wish you only the best.

Sincerely yours, Yao Wen

[Travelinglady]

The prep is worse than the procedure itself. I've had a bunch since colon cancer runs in my family. I've never had any damage with it.

I think you could try the less invasive procedure,

[Skeezyks]

I've had 2 colonoscopies & didn't have any problems with either one. (The surgeon did remove one polyp during the second procedure.) I'm well overdue for a third. (I have a family history as well.) But I've pretty-much decided not to do it again. I have to die of something. And I'm not a person who wants to live to be 80 or 90 years old to say nothing of 100! I'm already too old.

I am under the impression that problems tend to occur more with older people than they do with younger folks. I don't know if it's still the case, but my understanding has been that they don't typically do routine colonoscopies on people over the age of 70 due to the potential for damage. But perhaps that has changed as the way the procedure is done has improved over time. I don't know. I have no experience with home colon cancer screening tests.

[DechanDawa]

When I had my first (and only) colonoscopy I still had excellent insurance from my ex...and I had a procedure that wasn't invasive. It isn't clear to me now because I don't recall the details...but it seems that they expanded everything with AIR and took pictures.

I didn't have anything inserted except for a nozzle for air. It was more like an ultrasound.

When I went to a new health care provider they did the stool sample test. They mail the kit and I mail it back. It always comes up negative. But after a number of years you are supposed to go in for a colonoscopy.

I will say this: my sister, a nurse, died of colon cancer, and she never had a colonoscopy. It is a crazy story. In her late 50's she had some bad signs...some rectal bleeding...but still refused to have a colonoscopy. Our mother died of metastatic cancer that went to her colon. I didn't tell my sister what to do because no one could tell her what to do.


Well, she never had a colonoscopy and ended up with colon cancer and died. When I told my doctor he scheduled a colonoscopy for me the same week.

I am kind of afraid of the the invasive procedure, too...but I will probably have one.


Do it. My sister had...something like a 100 chemotherapy treatments. It was crazy. She had some special treatments. Her life was extended a bit...but not by much. She did not want to die. She wasn't ready.


If I were you I would express my fears to everyone. Even the technicians. Just tell everyone to take special care.


I think you can do the baseline colonoscopy and then the stool sample tests for several years. It will be okay.

Originally Posted by DechanDawa

I will say this: my sister, a nurse, died of colon cancer, and she never had a colonoscopy. It is a crazy story. In her late 50's she had some bad signs...some rectal bleeding...but still refused to have a colonoscopy.

Yes my grandmother had it and my mom used to tell us how horrible it was. Grandmom was about 400 lbs though and a long time diabetic. But no one in my immediate family has had it. Not parents, uncles, aunts... etc.

I am still pondering. Turns out the insurance has a little scam going on. If you get the fecal DNA test and it is positive (and there are false positives) you can have your follow up colonoscopy but insurance won't pay for it now because the blood test was the screening, not the colonoscopy. Still figuring out if there is anyway to pay for the blood test and do the colonoscopy if it comes back positive on the insurance.

I think I will focus on finding a good doctor who will do this right.

I am under the impression that problems tend to occur more with older people than they do with younger folks.

Yes my mom had problems over 65.

But I've pretty-much decided not to do it again. I have to die of something. And I'm not a person who wants to live to be 80 or 90 years old to say nothing of 100! I'm already too old.

Heck no dude, you have to live, who is going to respond to my posts? There is also the virtual colonoscopy. It is just a ct.

[DechanDawa]

Okay, well the fecal test isn't a blood test. I don't know what you are talking about with the DNA test.

But if the fecal test is positive...then you have a colonoscopy...it seems like the colonoscopy would be for further exploration.


I mean if you get a positive...you would have to go forward.

Finally, early colon cancer is highly curable. It is one of the most curable cancers.


My mental problems prevent me from having as full a life as I would like...but at the same time early testing can save one from suffering. I for one do not want to die of breast cancer or colon cancer...especially when early detection is available.

Originally Posted by DechanDawa

Okay, well the fecal test isn't a blood test. I don't know what you are talking about with the DNA test.

Sorry that was a typo. I meant fecal. There is no blood test.

[DechanDawa]

I am going to ask my doctor for a diazepam before my next colonoscopy. The whole thing is extremely unsettling...but early detection is a miracle.


Please do it. You will be okay.

[wanttoask]

I am 72. I had a colonoscopy at 56 and 62 - no issues. It was quick and aside from the prep work the day before, really effortless. It yielded a polyp or two which were removed & biopsied negative.

For the past 3 yrs my PCP has simply mailed me one of those Fecal Immunochemical Tests (iFOBT). Both my PCP and my GI claim that these do well in lieu of a colonoscopy given that my first two yielded nothing serious. They tell you to get one every 10 yrs so I am due, but both docs are fine with my doing this instead.

I'm sorry you've heard of so many unfortunate circumstances with colonoscopies. I don't know that that is the norm. It is the anesthesia that I hate, even though they don't give you that much for very long.

If your doc is fine with the mail in iFOBT, I'd opt for that. Unless you have family history or some kind of gut issues. You are still very young. Doctors just like to cover their butt and not be remiss by not recommending procedures.

[unaluna]

I told my gp that Im waiting until they certify those dogs who can sniff it out. Dogs are always sniffing crotches anyway, it cant be long now. Or i am quickly approaching 70.

I HAVE done a send-in-your-poop test. There is no colon cancer in my family, knock on wood, but some of us do have sensitive butts ie hemorrhoids. My aunt had a colonoscopy and ended up having to have surgery for a butt repair because the cleanse shredded her butt. Everything else was fine. I dont need that hell to find out im fine.

Plus im fat and i dont think fat people get any respect. Plus we have two teaching hospitals here and i dont care to be somebodys guinea pig. My former landlady had it done at one of the hospitals (altho she is skinny) and they effed her up (altho yeah she is still alive, "just" a little sepsis). So no thanks.

Originally Posted by unaluna

Plus im fat and i dont think fat people get any respect. Plus we have two teaching hospitals here and i dont care to be somebodys guinea pig. My former landlady had it done at one of the hospitals (altho she is skinny) and they effed her up (altho yeah she is still alive, "just" a little sepsis). So no thanks.

I hear you. I am overweight too and I feel like I get treated worse.

I was looking at the center that my doctor recommended yesterday and I came upon the doctor I blame for my mother's death (and all her botched colonoscopies) but I blame him because he gave my trusting mom PPI drugs (totally not necessary) which say right on the label they can cause stomach cancer -- and that is what she got. I also blame him because I feel like the moment she got sick he had no intent on saving her, just setting up expensive treatments for his friends that imho were the thing that killed her. I think she died of radiation not cancer.

So I just can't be another guinea pig to that jerk or people who you let him have privileges there. Not to mention if he should walk in front of me in the waiting room I could jump up and strangle him.

I will continue to look and ponder. I am under 50 so I do have a little time.

[unaluna]

That PPI drugs cause cancer is a relatively new discovery. EVERYBODY was taking "the little purple pill" twenty, thirty years ago. I take tagamet generic name cimetidine - so far no callbacks, altho there are some contraindications. If i watch the late eating and the fatty foods and the overeating, i dont get heartburn.

Originally Posted by unaluna

That PPI drugs cause cancer is a relatively new discovery. EVERYBODY was taking "the little purple pill" twenty, thirty years ago. I take tagamet generic name cimetidine - so far no callbacks, altho there are some contraindications. If i watch the late eating and the fatty foods and the overeating, i dont get heartburn.

No about a month after she passed I read the label... it was right there. (10 years) Right there. And there was no need for her to be on them just more money for the doctor from his pharma reps.

Emily don't do the colonoscopy. Do not let doctors talk you into it either. Yes, for most people it is a harmless procedure but there's a high risk of tearing the colon and it's why I refuse to do it. I'm 49 and get harassed regularly by my doctor to have it done. I won't.

I have a negative bias towards most medical invasive procedures. Unless I have symptoms, no doctor is inserting anything into me. Plus, doctors get financial incentives when they perform invasive procedures like colonoscopies. They make money on every patient they do a colonoscopy. Now, while I appreciate doctors, the last thing I want to do is be their cash cow for them, willingly. No thanks.

There are alternative ways to test your colon for colon cancer. These are non-invasive ways and much safer. It's what I plan to do if I ever need to. If colon cancer doesn't run in your family, then you are low-risk. Then, if I were you, I'd view the colonoscopy as an unnecessary procedure on you -- especially if you have zero symptoms of colon cancer.

1. Fecal immunochemical testing
2. Fecal occult blood testing
3. Stool DNA
4. Sigmoidoscopy
5. CT colonography
6. Double-contrast barium enema
7. A single-specimen gFOBT

Colonoscopy alternatives: 7 other tests for colon cancer

Seriously think about why you need a colonoscopy. Do you? Are you at risk? Do you have symptoms? If the answer is "no" to those questions, then I think you should not go through with it. Just because you turn 50 doesn't mean you automatically need to be poked and prodded. But if you feel it will set your mind at east, then have the procedure done and hope for the best.

Originally Posted by Emily Fox Seaton

I hear you. I am overweight too and I feel like I get treated worse.

I was looking at the center that my doctor recommended yesterday and I came upon the doctor I blame for my mother's death (and all her botched colonoscopies) but I blame him because he gave my trusting mom PPI drugs (totally not necessary) which say right on the label they can cause stomach cancer -- and that is what she got. I also blame him because I feel like the moment she got sick he had no intent on saving her, just setting up expensive treatments for his friends that imho were the thing that killed her. I think she died of radiation not cancer.

So I just can't be another guinea pig to that jerk or people who you let him have privileges there. Not to mention if he should walk in front of me in the waiting room I could jump up and strangle him.

I will continue to look and ponder. I am under 50 so I do have a little time.

I resonated with this post. The same thing happened to my dad.

Re: my dad. He was "diagnosed" with multiple myeloma when he was 35. Supposedly, the x-ray on his fractured hip showed bone marrow cancer when he factured his hip from cross country skiing.

He was treated with interferon and other dangerous, toxic treatments that gave him leukemia and the leukemia killed him. So, I blame his doctors for giving him cancer, making him worse with his cancer treatment, and the leukemia that his drugs gave him as a serious side effect. He'd be alive today if he'd rejected his cancer diagnosis and got a second opinion (which he had not done at the time).

There's a gazillion articles and blogs from people online, who were perfectly healthy, and who discovered they were given a "fake" diagnosis of cancer etc. by their doctor, for financial reasons (i.e. their doctor got a reward for diagnosing cancer).

To this day, I am convinced he was one of those victims of the medical community. He was athletic and ate healthy. I just do not trust doctors...at all. I think the US is over-medicated and people are essentially taking drugs prescribed to them, that they don't even need, but were brainwashed or bullied into taking, by their doctors.

Originally Posted by Motts

Re: my dad. He was "diagnosed" with multiple myeloma when he was 35. Supposedly, the x-ray on his fractured hip showed bone marrow cancer when he factured his hip from cross country skiing. .

Sorry about your dad.

Ack, don't tell me that. I have just been diagnosed with MGUS... the precursor to Myeloma.

I am with you though... I have reason to doubt them too on it. First, the complexity of the tests they run and their willingness to explain them to you is not good. Secondly my numbers are insanely low and every time I say "can I make it go away" they tell me no, or translation, I REFUSE TO HELP YOU. So I am doing it on my own. My numbers went down to almost normal this last time. My doctor was very dismissive. But I am working hard on making it go away.

Emily, can you get a 2nd and even 3rd opinion about your MGUS?

Sorry to hear that you were diagnosed with that but do NOT let your oncologist (if you were assigned to one) bully you into being given scary interferon. Just don't do it.

There's a lot of evidence based studies that nutrition can fight many diseases. Not saying nutrition can cure cancer. But diagnosing cancer is the problem, b/c I'm a skeptic that cancer diagnoses are even authentic.

Doctors do refuse to help their patients on their health journeys. Ugh. I could start a thread about that (and should).

Don't get the colonscopy. You can just send your poop in and have it analyzed. Much safer and just as accurate. Just my strong (haha) opinion.

Originally Posted by Motts

Emily, can you get a 2nd and even 3rd opinion about your MGUS? .

I have just decided to stop listening to them. IMHO, so far everyone I have dealt with has been IMHO, a freaking moron. I even get my own blood tests to check up on them (because they ares to stingy) and I go to a top cancer center. Dana Farber. I am my own best doctor.

One good thing about Mgus is there is no treatment until you start having other problems -- so your regular blood tests starts coming back wrong. This could be 20 years. Right now the only thing that isn't right is my mspike. And that is as low as I can get. 0 is normal and mine is .1 and .2. I suspect that if I make my immune system as strong as possible it might take care of this m-spike completely.

My tool kit.
- Keto diet.
- Intermittent fasting / fasting.
- Vitamin D
- Proper Protein
- Proper Vitamins.
- Ip6 and Intosol.

I was hanging out on a MGUS support board but every time I asked if I could get rid of it, they said it wasn't possible. Then I discovered a study out of Germany that said it was possible, --particularly when you had low numbers and had nothing else wrong -- exactly my situation. I let the support group because they were bringing me down. I KNOW it can do it.. and I will.

Back to the Colonoscopy... still thinking about it. I am going to continue to research.

I like the list of tools you're using, in your tool kit.

I have the intermittent fasting chart hanging on my refrigerator. I followed that for 2 years and lost 75 pounds by eating on a schedule. I even cheated with candy and STILL dropped the pounds. It has stopped me from over-eating which was a trigger to my anxiety and depression esp. around my PMS week before my periods. I don't even diet. And I take Vit D, Iron, Vit B, K, A, E (all separately, not in one vitamin).

Also, I eat salads for lunch w/different proteins (mix of seeds w/a tomato, chicken strips w/shredded cheese, hardboiled egg sliced up with ham chunks). I love salads. And soups. I also only eat rice, veggies, and chicken for dinner and rotate the combinations. No red meat, no fish.

I'm with you. If we use nutrition and vitamins and minerals to strengthen our immune system, we can avoid getting sick.

Ugh. I avoid online message boards for health b/c everyone on them is an "expert" and you can't challenge them (or they get mad at you and ban you, haha). I only rely on peer reviewed articles now and I read those ALOT online. I trust peer reviewed medical journal articles more than message boards for health related discussions. I mean, it's good to have a support system. But, when your support system just wants to argue all day online with you, then its not helpful.

You're funny. I get my own blood work done too. I will order the tests online, then go to the assigned blood lab and pay the fee to get them done. I hate doctors.

Good luck with your decision for the colonoscopy.

Originally Posted by Motts

You're funny. I get my own blood work done too. I will order the tests online, then go to the assigned blood lab and pay the fee to get them done. I hate doctors.

Oh dear lord, have I found my twin? 100% in agreement with you and I am also 49 years of age. Get that twilight music in the background.

So it is looking like the fit blood test at least for while.
- the fit blood test is about 80% sensitive and importantly 90% accurate not giving you false positives.
- I actually forgot I have had one already in 2017 and it was negative.
- The test is so cheap you can get one every year (and since you don't have to buy it through your doctor I feel like may be I can do it on my own)
- I saw a tid bit that gastro doctors prefer this one (if you aren't going to do a colonoscopy) because it can be done every year. Which they think is a much better way to test.
- I can do my own purchased test in June and then do the "insurance paid for" test in December. That way if the december test shows something up and I have to have a colonoscopy -- the colonoscopy will be the next year and I will be eligible for a screening test. (so insurance can't try to stick me with the bill). If the June one comes up positive -- no one will know it exists so the colonoscopy will be my "screening" test for the year.
- The cologuard test has an unfortunately high positive rate. 16 % and if I get that one I will be stuck with the bill for any colonoscopy.
- I do take mass quantities of Vitamin D which has been shown to reduce incidence of colon cancer by 30%. I actually found a 2018 study that said its as particularly more protective in women than men but didn't the exact number of protection.
- I am devoted to Keto / fasting which glucose has been shown to increase the risk of colon cancer (diabetics are more at risk and my grand mom who had it was a diabetic). There was a study done recently showing a switch to diet drinks cut colon cancer patients mortality rates by 50%.
-Some companies are working on a blood test for screening... hopefully that will be ready within the next 5 years.

The problems with the colonoscopy are.
- It is well known not to be able to get to the ascending area of the colon (the right side) no matter how skilled this area is difficult for doctors to really clean out and observe. So you are leaving an area unexamined or poorly examined and then heading off for 10 years without any other testing. The stool test would give you some heads up on right sided polyps or cancer.
- There are risks from the colonoscopy that are just not acceptable for me: for a screening test.
- I have been worried about the alleged increases in younger people getting colon cancer but I found details on that and the vast majority of these younger people getting it are in area's with poverty and no insurance.

We probably are Twins! Haha!

I will do that FIT test through a local lab (not my doctor's office) too. I have no intention of ever getting a colonoscopy done, especially since its not a complete test (no access to the ascending right side). So, makes zero sense to have something that invasive done that won't even be a complete test. I'd rather get an MRI, PET, or CT scan of my colon with dye. And the dye also comes with risks but it won't rip my colon tissue.
And, I see that incomplete test as a money maker anyway. Aren't all medical tests? (I have enough problems in my life as it is. Why add another unnecessary problem like a colonoscopy. But if you decide to get one, I hope it is a positive experience for you. Don't let my negative bias distract you. )

[unaluna]

I dont have a butt-sniffing dog twin? Fine, stay in the 21st century!

[Patsfan]

I did the Cologard because the colonoscopy prep takes a long time to work for me. The last time was a two day prep. On the first day, they nad me drink magnesium citrate. That didnÂ’t work til the following day. On the second day, I drank the 2 liters of prep at 5 pm as instructed, I didnÂ’t go until 7:30 the following morning. There was no way that my bowels would be clean.

The Cologard did come back negative so I donÂ’t have to do a colonoscopy