Kurt Erlenbach

It's kind of a running joke around here, but it is a deadly serious matter. A new study reported today in the NYT shows that colonoscopies reduce the death rate from colon cancer by a whopping 53%. It further points out that colon cancer, unlike most cancers, is entirely preventable by getting a colonscopy and removing pre-cancerous polyps.

I was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 47, resulting in the removal of the lower quarter of my colon. It came back a year later in my liver, resulting in more surgery and brutal chemo. That ended 5 1/2 years ago, and I'm likely cured, but the digestive consequences are with me daily.

Don't be me. Make it a goal to get your test this spring. But beyond that, make it a goal to get your family and friends to get their test as well. Most of us aren't in much danger of colon cancer, because an active lifestyle helps prevent the disease. But we all have plenty of friends and family that do not emulate our virtuous selves. If each of us made it a goal of getting five friends to get the test, I know we can save some lives.

Colon cancer is a vicious, worthless way to die. A colonoscopy is as close to a guarantee that it won't happen to you as you can get.

billydonn

+1 to that. I had been putting it off but, inspired in part by discussions here, finally had mine about a month ago. Three non-cancerous polyps were removed (very common) and I go back in five years. There's definitely some peace of mind in being given a clear bill of health for the colon!

Brew1

A teammates Mother on my Son's high-school basketball team died last week at 53 from colon cancer. Don't know if she had a Colonoscopy at 50 or not but this summer she was complaining of pain in her shoulder upper arm area. The cancer was so advanced at that stage and had metastasized throughout her body, it was too late for treatment but they tried anyway.

Bikey Mikey

I put off mine until last year, after I had turned 53. They found two polyps, both non-cancerous nor pre-cancerous. But, they were the type that can become pre-cancerous and cancer. So, I go back in 3 years. Good advice, don't put off colonoscopies.

qcpmsame 

+1 to this thread in its entirety.

With my family's cancer history and my health problems in the abdomen I firmly believe in a regular colonoscopy. We kid here but it seems each thread on the subject contains anecdotes from a member that survived or has lost a loved one to this insidious disease. Hope we keep this topic fresh in future posts.

Bill

shelbyfv

I'll just add that the prep and procedure is so much less annoying now than it was just a few years ago. No reason to put it off.

gevad 

This. I finally had my first one at age 53, but it took a few years of pestering from my wife and my doctor to get me in there. Good thing, because I also had a couple of noncancerous polyps that could easily have turned malignant if left alone. Had my followup colonoscopy three years later and I was clean (bad joke). And yes, the prep and the procedure are much better than they used to be.

Do it.

SuncoastChad

I started having them at about 40 due to some complaints while still on active duty. I, of course, got one upon retirement from the USAF. Doc followed up a couple of years later - all of mine were clean.
I just had another this past year (I'm 59) and it, too was clean. So I am truly blessed. Not checking and dying of colon cancer would be a very stupid way to die! Pay attention to your bodily functions (a little man joke there! ) and get tested at least once around 50 or earlier if there is a family history!!

bigbadwullf

Had my first a few months ago. Squeaky clean. Don't remember a thing other than drinking that &^&*!

vic303

DH & I have a friend who is like the OP, colon cancer that was removed but turned up in the liver soon after. He is still fighting the liver cancers. On the basis of his experience, I had my first scoping done almost 4 yrs ago. 2 polyps removed, and one or both (don't remember) were pre-C. I had my second scoping done this past summer. (on the 3yr cycle). It was clear! YAY! Now I am on the 5yr plan.

DH was finally convinced to get scoped this past Dec. He was having other gastric issues, and we wanted to know if anything else was going on. Turns out he had a mess of polyps (like 7 or 10?), some were pre-C too. He gets to go back this coming Dec for a rescreen based on the sheer number of polyps removed.

While I hope & pray our friend will ultimately survive his cancers, I am grateful that his experiences have been the impetus for myself and my husband to get checked out.

VertigoFlyer

I've been battling diverticulitis for several years. I had 12 inches of my colon removed. I've had 8 colonoscopies so far. Number nine is soon to be scheduled. Diverticulitis is truly an evil affliction!! So eat yer damn fiber people!! It is a low fiber diet (aka typical american diet) that causes diverticulitis!!

And yes the latest prep/process for a colonoscopy is a minor event in one's life.

rydabent

During a routine checkup, I had a colonoscopy, and a couple of non cancerous polyps were removed. And yes it does give me some piece of mind. I recommend one for anyone over 50!!!

bud16415

Just had my third one a week ago. And don’t have to go back for four years. I won’t say it’s fun by any means but the prep is the worst part and over the years that has improved a lot to the point I don’t even think about it till 5:00 pm the night before. It is one evening spent and a few hours the next morning having the test done for years of peace of mind and enjoying life. Well worth the effort. Plus after the test food never tasted better followed by the best 7 hour nap in the recliner I ever had.

Someone out there is on the fence reading this, JUST GO GET IT DONE!

Bikey Mikey

Don't know if this is typical for all procedures now, but all I remember was about 30 secs in the procedure room counting down(done at the doctors own facility, not the hospital)--I don't think I reached 97 from 100--don't remember a thing. My wife said it was like trying to wake the dead when I was in the recovery room/cubicle. Just remember, when you take the flushing liquid, don't stray far from a restroom for a while. I made myself a big batch of sugar free(I'm diabetic) Jello and could eat that to my heart's content the day before. I did ride the day before as I was permitted some yogart. And yes, lunch was just wonderful after not eating for more than a day.

icyclist 

"colonoscopies reduce the death rate from colon cancer by a whopping 53%"

Do they? I'm not saying we shouldn't have colonoscopies, however:

"The new study did not compare colonoscopy with other ways of screening for colorectal cancer and so does not fully resolve a long-standing medical debate about which method is best. "

However, in another study reported in the same New England Journal of Medicine, as reported in the Washington Post:

"About 53,000 participants were given a colonoscopy or a stool blood test. Both tests found similar numbers of colon cancer cases — about 30 in each group."

So .001 percent of 53,000 had cancer, and the stool blood test worked as well as the colonoscopy. Personally, the blood stool test seems like the one I want to take in the future. However, the colonoscopy was magnitudes better at finding growths in the intestine - they just weren't necessarily cancerous growths.

Also from the Washington Post:

"The study was not a randomized trial that’s the gold standard in medical research."

And there's this, from the NYT article:

Dr. Harold C. Sox, an emeritus professor of medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and former editor of a leading medical journal, Annals of Internal Medicine, said that because all of the patients in the study had adenomatous polyps, it is not certain that the findings would apply exactly to the general population.

In fact, the type of polyp researched in the study is only found in about 15 percent of women and 25 percent of men.

Dr. Sox also said, "the people with polyps were part of a study that provided high-quality colonoscopy, so they may not have been comparable to the general population."

Sox does think, though, that removing polyps will lower mortality rates.

And there was this:

"certain types of polyps are hard to detect and...colonoscopy is better at finding polyps in the lower part of the intestine than in its upper reaches."

So a colonoscopy is better than no test. However, it won't guarantee that we won't get or don't already have colon cancer, it may be no better than the stool sample test, and the results of this study may not pertain to the general population.

qcpmsame 

Probably why my family/primary care physician does both for me. Regardless of what a journal or study says with my family history I'll continue to have the colonoscopy regularly. If the insurance provider does not want to cover it I will be out the cost. Just not worth the risk. A colonoscopy is what found my mother's cancerous tumors and precancerous polyps. I had precancerous polyps every single time I had one.

Bill

Bob Ross

I just had my...let's see, this is either my 5th or my 6th...colonoscopy yesterday. Three very tiny polyps removed, awaiting the biopsy to find out if they are pre-cancerous, or just non-cancerous anomalies like the few that were removed last time. I gotta say, while it might not be the most fun you can have with a video camera and a greased sphincter, it's definitely the least time- and quality-of-life-consuming medical procedure I've ever been subject to: ~24 hours of annoying discomfort, 1 hour of excellent drug-induced sleep, a few minutes signing discharge paperwork, and you're back in business for another 2-5 years.

RedC

Just a word from your friendly local pharmacist. 1. If you're taking Golytely, Colyte, Nulytely or whatever PEG solution the Dr orders GET IT IN THE FRIG THE NIGHT BEFORE the flavoring doesn't matter nearly as much as how cold it is. DON'T TRY TO CHEAT if they can't get a clear picture they will send you for a barium enema and there is no dignity in that (they put you on a metal table and shove a hose up your rectum) Just get the stuff cold and drink it all!

ModeratedUser150120149

Timely subject as I'm just now finished with my first liter of the 4 liter Golytely prep. I was told to throw away the flavor packets and use Crystal Light instead. Also to refrigerate. I did both and the stuff is still barely tolerable. Plus, 4 liters in a short time is a LOT of liquid.

That said I put a colonoscopy in the same category as a PSA test and some others for that matter. People will be arguing about their value forever. Each will have valid points from their point of view. But all that doesn't matter to me. I want all the information I can get so I can make the best decsions about the most important machine I own, my body.

Without information all the arguments are pointless.

Dudelsack 

Sorry, but the head to head comparisons of colonoscopy and stool hemoccults is settled science and has been for at least ten years.

In a university setting, colonoscopy has also been shown to be superior to other screening modalities, even CT colography. CMS was impressed enough with the figures to pay for preventive colonoscopies but not CT colographies. Anyone who has dealt with Medicare knows that they almost never pay for preventive services, so the colonoscopy data was that dramatic.

Studies questioning detection rates of right colon cancer were seriously flawed by substandard cecal intubation rates.

There are many areas that one may reasonably quibble with colonoscopy, such as age of screening initiation, interval between studies, age to terminate screening, quality of examiners, and so forth. But the utility of screening colonoscopy is so settled that voices to the contrary are best considered deniers.

ctyler

Had my second one this past summer. Gotta love the drugs they give you! ;-)

ModeratedUser150120149

Yep, the amnesia inducing drug sure does help. Unfortunately, from what I'm told, that drug is in short supply and I probably won't be getting it tomorrow. But, if the anesthesia is done well it should still be very tolerable.

Even if I do experience some discomfort and remember it, in the grand scheme of things it is minor compared to the potential benefits. For most of the people on this forum who routinely conquer all kinds of pain and strain in pursuit of their hobby this should be a piece of cake.

mprelaw

I actually woke up in the middle of my first one. It wasn't bad at all. Just some rectal pressure, and not a lot of pain. Don't worry about it. The scope goes in a lot more easily if the patient is relaxed, and the drugs help on that end. If you go out completely (the drug they gave me was more of a sedative than real anesthesia), you should have no pain. There's no lingering post-procedure rectal pain--at least there wasn't in my case. Treat yourself to a nice big breakfast after it's done.

teachme

I had my first one this past summer at 53 yrs old. three years late but only had a couple non-cancerous polyps they removed. A big +1 on getting it done on time! I have another one in five years... I won't be late for this one!

ModeratedUser150120149

Yep, usually they use concious sedation rather than fully rendering the patient unconcious. My personal problem is the combinatiion of cramping when the colon is inflated and my genetic sensitivity. I used to think I was a wuss until I discovered that some percentage of the population is just more sensitive to things than others. That has its' pluses and minuses. I can smell and taste things the average person can't. I can take my pulse just by counting beats in my ears. And other weird things. At the same time it is a real pain when it comes to pain.

Even with all that the procedure is very tolerable. I even had one done years ago with no sedative. It wasn't fun. But, it was no worse than the soreness the day after a long ride.

During the course of this exchange I've finished my Golytely and am now going to sign off to take care of the consequences. But, as Kurt said and as has been reinforced by most of the posts, a colonoscopy is a valuable tool and should not be ignored because a person fears the procedure. At its' worst it is tolerable even by a sensitive person and can save a life.