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It seems to be unanimous, but...you won't see any posts from anyone who went for a colonoscopy and got a perforated colon that resulted in fatal sepsis. The number of serious colonoscopy complications rivals the number of colon cancer deaths each year.
This is not an argument against colonoscopies. It is an argument against thinking or believing or promoting the idea that colonoscopies are a risk-free life extender with no significant downside.
It seems to be unanimous, but...you won't see any posts from anyone who went for a colonoscopy and got a perforated colon that resulted in fatal sepsis. The number of serious colonoscopy complications rivals the number of colon cancer deaths each year.
This is not an argument against colonoscopies. It is an argument against thinking or believing or promoting the idea that colonoscopies are a risk-free life extender with no significant downside.
oh do feel free to educate us on the stats. I know I would love for you to provide a link so that I can compare those rival numbers.
It seems to be unanimous, but...you won't see any posts from anyone who went for a colonoscopy and got a perforated colon that resulted in fatal sepsis. The number of serious colonoscopy complications rivals the number of colon cancer deaths each year.
This is not an argument against colonoscopies. It is an argument against thinking or believing or promoting the idea that colonoscopies are a risk-free life extender with no significant downside.
I do agree that there are some risks in having a colonoscopy but almost every type of medical procedure has some type of risk. It's the risks involved if you don't have the procedure that I worry about.
No, I didn't get a perforated colon when I had my colonoscopy/endoscope, but the clamp fell off the site where the polyp was taken off, with the result of a GI bleed, primarily because I take a blood thinner. It was the worse thing to have a GI bleed, but the diagnosis of having cancer was worse for me and perish the thoughts if I had not elected to have those procedures. If I had not had my procedures, the gastro doc told me I would have been dead within 6 months due to the aggressive cancer I had.
I would also be interested in seeing the statistics and the risk association with this, so that I can look these over for persons who have had the fatal sepsis. Thanks for bringing this risk to our attention.
Someone asked how a person diagnosed with colon cancer could have a colonoscopy a couple years prior and still have cancer. Although most colon cancer begins as a raised polyp, there are also colon cancers that are FLAT, and not easily detected even by colonoscopy. For that reason, in addition to colonoscopy, you should have stool checked annually. There is a new stool test that is almost as accurate in identifying colon cancer as the colonoscopy. To be safe, get a colonoscopy but also ask your doctor for the new stool test for colon cancer. That will likely pick up any flat growth tumors not spotted by colonoscopy. And to reiterate what others have said, getting a colonoscopy is not a big deal. The prep the day prior is an annoyance but the procedure itself takes about 20 minutes and you are sedated. Nothing to it. Colon cancer is continuing to rise. Everybody over age 50 should be screened, as well as those under 50 with a family history. One of the easiest ways to prevent cancer.
Pik, I have my fingers crossed for you and a good report in June. I always joke and say that the prep is a pain in the a$$ while the colonoscopy isn't. Of course, I'm the only one who thinks that's funny.
Thank you. I agree, the prep is the worst part of it all.
oh do feel free to educate us on the stats. I know I would love for you to provide a link so that I can compare those rival numbers.
Thanks
Sure.
This first one seems fairly agenda-driven, but not any more so than the colonoscopy cheerleaders who do not mention the risks: Colonoscopy: Is It Worth The Risk?
This first one seems fairly agenda-driven, but not any more so than the colonoscopy cheerleaders who do not mention the risks: Colonoscopy: Is It Worth The Risk?
It is hard to know for sure, but it seems that colonoscopies are recommended for too many people, at intervals that are too frequent.
Those of us who were diagnosed with colon cancer after an in-patient colonoscopy, (my third in several years) don't consider us as "too many people".
To those who believe that the procedure is far too dangerous to undergo, don't have it. Wonderful thing, free choice.
As a thinking person, I realize full-well that there is inherent risk in everything. Drive a car? Ride A bus? Cook with flame? Shower? I once read about a man who went to the barber shop for a haircut and ended up dead after a small cut became infected and the infection traveled to his brain.
While it's true that there could be perforation during a scoping procedure, it's also possible that not having a colonoscopy could hide the fact that there is an insidious cell replicating itself in your colon and no one will know until it's too late to do anything about it.
Pardon me while I put on my cheerleader sweater and shake my pom-poms one more time for people to ask their health care provider if a colonoscopy is recommended.
I was DX'ed with CC July 2012 at the age of 44. No family history and no risk factors. All I can tell you is that something didn't feel right with me - I didn't have any overt symptoms. I had a CAT scan, and was misdiagnosed as having colitis. TG my gastroenterologist recommended a colonoscopy.
After 5 surgeries and 6 months of chemo within a 10 month period, I'm in remission. It was caught at Stage 2 (late stage 2), and I was told I had it for close to 10 years.
I've had 3 colonoscopies since July 2012. It's NO BIG DEAL and certainly better than the alternative. Every 10 years with a clean scope and no family history. Every 5 years with a clean scope and a family history (I've already apologized to my kids and brother ). That is NOT intervals that are "too frequent". GET CHECKED PEOPLE.
Once again, it's March and that means it's colorectal cancer awareness month. If you're over 50 and haven't done so, please contact your health care provider and find out if you need to be scoped. If you're 40 and have a family history of colorectal cancer, you should speak to your HCP and ask for his/her recommendation.
I'm a colon cancer survivor. Five years ago, I had surgery and chemo for cancer in my ascending colon. They took out the tumor and a third of my plumbing. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary to have a colostomy. Today, I do everything I did prior to the diagnosis and surgery. Wait. What?...Oh, well, I can do everything I did prior. I just don't do it all.
My cancer wasn't diagnosed by colonoscopy. I had my first, and polyps were removed. Three years later, after having some - ahem - digestive problems, I had my second. No abnormalities noted. But my problems persisted and a year and a bit later, when I reached the point where I couldn't walk from the living room to the kitchen without sitting down to rest, I had blood work and a stool culture done. I was admitted that day, another scope was done, and the tumor biopsied.
Since colorectal cancer is one of the easiest to be cured, early diagnosis is key. If you are in the age group that should be looked at, please get looked at.
Where I live, Luzerne County PA, the incidence of colon cancer is 20% higher than the state average and 24% higher than the national average. If you live here, go, now, get scoped.
Wherever you live, you can be sure that someone in your circle - family, friends, co-workers, neighbors - someone will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Try not to let it be you.
The 24 hour clear liquid diet followed by a laxative is really a minor annoyance compared to the annoyance caused by major surgery and chemo. The procedure itself is nothing. They'll sedate you and while you're "not there", they'll poke around and look for anything that seems suspicious. When you get back from "not there", they'll give you a cup of coffee and a snack and send you home where you'll eat a meal and take a nap. Other than dozing off and on, you'll never know anything happened.
Don't do it for me, do it for you and all the people you love.
Cheers fellow survivor and thank you for the important reminder.
Location: El Segundo/All of South Bay up to Palos Verdes
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I was diagnosed almost 5 months ago (Exactly on my birthday). Stage 3, and don't have history of colon cancer in the family. I had symptoms like how some of you mentioned, you feel really weakened and light headed wanting to lay down all the time. I thought it was dehydration or my bad dieting, also thought I was a bad person and being lazy. Boy was I so wrong. I knew this was not the normal for me and had my husband take me to the ER. 3 days of all kinds of testing, till they saw a mass and scheduled me for a colonoscopy. I wasn't sedated by the way, there is also a newer test and one that Gastroenterologist had performed on me, I was awake the whole time. Uncomfortable, YES! Unbearable, not really, it goes fast, although at the time it didn't feel like it, it really did. He saw it immediately and didn't hesitate to tell me right away and told me that I have to have surgery immediately. After surgery they told me it appears they got it all out, and reconstructed my colon, however, we had to wait for the Pathology report a week later. When I talked to the surgeon, he told me/us that he had hoped it would have been better news, but the fact of the matter is they found small deposits outside my colon, that apparently the tumor in my colon perforated and hence the two tiny tumors found outside. So I had to do Chemo. (which I'm still undergoing, although I had a severe allergic reaction to one of the treatments and they stopped it- the Infusion treatments and I'm am only taking the pill regimen for the remainder of the 6 months, not the number one aggressive, but it's all I got at this point. I am under 50 (46 yrs old) and have Kaiser. They don't give colonoscopies to patients under 50. But I agree w/you, nurider2002, there is a new stool test for colon cancer, and because of my experience and rapid crash course the husband and I have had, as far as information from all sources (Onc, survivors & online resources - legitimate ones), I'm trying to spread awareness to all those around me and my coworkers with out hesitation and because of what happened to me, had their colonoscopy screening or scheduled it and one person my age checking into the stool test.
The thing is, I was totally clueless to anything that had to do with Cancer. I truly thought I was inevitable, until I got diagnosed. And I've already informed my daughters they will need to get colonoscopies when they turn 35. And now I'm informing others and trying to spread awareness.
So far I'm doing allright, feeling allright except for the extreme fatigue taking the pills (Xeloda by the way) but I don't even feel sick. However, I know the reality of what I've got and I take it one day at a time. I know there are so many stories out there, I tell mine and I listen to others. I remain positive and have turned to my faith.
Bottom line, I want my girls to get checked out and I can imagine there are others who feel the same, to have their loved one checked out or yourself. Whether it is a colonoscopy or the new colon cancer stool test, one should get checked out.
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). That is NOT intervals that are "too frequent". GET CHECKED PEOPLE.
