BengeBoy 

Just got back from my procedure. My first. No big deal - I got most of the NY Times read during the check-in, wait around, etc. procedure.

All clear; it's a relief because there is some history in my family that suggested a screen was a good idea.

Also very flattered that a couple of times they said my resting pulse rate was so low during the recovery period they thought something might be wrong - they came in and asked if I was a runner. I explained my cycling and they said, "that explains it."

Thanks to this thread as another reminder I needed to get this done; it deserves a bump.

djnzlab1

HI,
Calcium supplements and Vit -D seems to help prevent colon cancer not sure why, best of Luck on beating the beast.
I have had two colonoscopy they are minor irritation better than getting a cold or having a stomach virus, so get it done if you haven't. And pray for those who are trying to recover .
Doug

The Weak Link

Fine, but didn't the Readers Digest just publish an article saying that all cancer screening was a waste of time?

5kdad

Weak Link.....With all the people who die of colon cancer, and the simple tests they have for early detection, I can't imagine a blanket statement like that being true....."all cancer screening was a waste of time"**********
Guess you just have to decide who you are going to believe.

maddmaxx 

Coming from you................the ultimate sarcasm....

BengeBoy 

I don't know about the Readers Digest. But there have been a lot of stories lately about two major studies done on the results of years of screening for prostate cancer. I won't attempt to summarize the findings here, but the studies did *not* say that cancer screening was a waste of time.

JBBOOKS

I turned 50 in December. Had my first Colonoscopy last week. 1 benign polyp removed. Back in 5 years.

The prep is mildly annoying. The full day fast is the first challenge. The liquid I drank wasn't that bad. I asked about the pills, but there was like 30 of them! My Dr. likes do have his patients do 2 doses, says he gets a better "clean out". I had to get up at 4AM to do the second cycle. The worst part was no coffee. Imagine!!

Once at the hospital, they put you to sleep, and you wake up and it's done. Never felt a thing. I did get a certification that my head was not located up there as my wife has alleged for years.

dguest

I work at a hospital and this is just my personal opinion but for me It will never happen.

NOS88

Hell, it would be worth it just for the certificate.

BengeBoy 

Velo Dog

Have your wife get a colonoscopy, too. Mine put it off because most of the publicity hits on men, but finally did it and had several polyps removed (they find some in about half of all tests, so it's not a huge deal).
As somebody else said, the anticipation and the prep are worse than the reality. Just do it.

islandboy

Sunday the 29th will be my 2 year anniversary from surgery for stage 3 rectal cancer. To catch it in time I would have to have had a colonoscopy at age 45 (4+ years ago) or earlier. Still I am one of the lucky ones, the fellow in the hospital bed next to me, same thing, a little older, is not with us any more. Easy to prevent with early detection, hard to beat once it gets out.

Just do it.

Tommyr

I can't remember if I replied to this thread but I had my first last July. I had to drink half lightly. They should shoot the &*^%% that invented that S&*T.

The procedure was a piece of cake. I was a sleep through it. I was clean as a newborn "up there" thank (insert your mythological diety here).

Worth getting done IMHO. You never know.....

MTBLover

Glad to hear you're still with us, Islandboy!

To everyone: yes, the prep is the worst part of getting 'scoped, but it doesn't have be that bad! A couple of suggestions for those who retch at the thought of a weakly fruit-flavored, salty, sort of sweet liquid with a bitter aftertaste-
1. chill the prep solution (Go-Lytely, or whatever...) in the fridge for several hours so it gets nice and cold. You don't taste things as acutely when they're cold.
2. Use a straw, aimed at the back of your tongue so that the stream bypasses most of your taste buds.

These tricks will make it go down ever so much easier. And when it starts to work, well, that's a good time to catch up on the newspaper or other light reading... Just have it handy by the hopper, and everything will come out alright.

Seriously, a colonoscopy is no big deal. Sure, it's a day off from work, you'll probably be pretty hungry by the time they take you in, but it's a good excuse for a nice dinner and an evening's relaxation. Just don't drive or ride your bike until the next day- it takes a while for the sedation to wear off, and you'll feel perfectly OK, but your judgment will probably be clouded.

tntyz

I've had two done. The first, about 10 years ago, was an absolute nightmare. I was tempted to never have one again. Luckily, the procedure has been MUCH improved. Other than the prep, it's no problem.

Early detection is helpful, but I'm also focusing on PREVENTION. Added calcium + D to my supplements and eat broccoli every chance I get.

Anyone have other tips?

islandboy

No offense meant here. Check out my website and you will notice I was/am fairly active/healthy. Supplementary vitamins, broccoli, and healthy living did nothing to prevent my cancer. It caused shock waves through my family as most considered me to have the healthiest of diets.

The problem with the 300+ different cancers is no-one really knows any of the direct causes, so snake oil remedies are rampant. There seems to be an expert that will back just about anything. When you go through treatment everyone has a solution. The problem is where are your remedies coming from? What is the real quality control procedure? What pesticides were used to grow your broccoli? What was in the water/rain/soil that your food existed on.

The one statistic that stands out for me is the number of cancer survivors still breathing directly because of early detection. With this particular cancer there is plenty of living proof of how easy it is to prevent.

DnvrFox

\I just drank the darn stuff. A bit unpleasant, but not a big deal.

MTBLover

Exactly! it's not supposed to be a fine wine, but as you'll see shortly, it... um... gets the job done. Good luck DF!

DnvrFox

What I meant, was when I last had a colonoscopy (last year), at that time, I just drank the stuff without any big fuss. The colonoscopy is over (my very first) and I was clean, and I don't need to get another one for 10 years.

tntyz

Point taken; no offense taken.

Polyps were discovered and removed during my second colonoscopy which puts me on a 3-year cycle and I have no plan to reduce the frequency of them. I still want to take whatever steps I can to avoid worse!

I did not mean to imply that colo-rectal cancer could have been avoided by any specific individual. My understanding (weak at best) is that any "preventative" actions are mostly based on statistical correlation, not necessarily understanding of causation. We "knew" that smoking "caused" lung cancer long before science could describe how simply from the statistics involved.

You make a good point that much of what we are exposed to is outside of our control. For instance, I didn't get much of a say in the selection of my genes, not to mention all of the environmental factors.

MTBLover

Ah, the (loss of) semantics on the Interwebs! I was wondering why you were having a colonscopy tomorrow, a Saturday- I just figured you were willing to pay your gastroenterologist time and a half!

islandboy

Glad I did not offend. D**m, if I could only drink beer!

I think that "preventative" diet, health and lifestyle choices made a huge difference in my recovery. My doctor and specialists were amazed at how quickly I have recovered. While I am functioning at 80% of my former self, I am doing much better than anyone else I have met that went through a similar procedure. I am a firm believer in doing what one can to beat the odds.