I agree with you completely Linda, it is just a screening. But it is one I would prefer to put off as long as I can. Since I have no family history my primary care doctor has been ok with me deferring it. When she does become insistent I will get it done, but for now I am not getting it done.
I may need to talk with GP about this ; have done regularly stool kit tests over the last few years ...I am very regular with my bowel habits and have not observed any changes in my bowel habits ( flax seed in my Greek Yoghurt daily :)) .
To add to the discussion re mammograms back to 1984 ...the then mammogram did not pick up , that I had breast cancer ; self examination did , initially followed by biopsy , followed by surgery !
I don't mean to be such an alarmist about all this. My mother had no symptoms at all. The cancer had grown in her colon for years and spread to her liver. It was after spreading to her liver that the labs showed abnormality. A colonoscopy would have caught this before it had time to spread and she would still be alive today. I just want to share information so everyone can be educated about what they call a "silent killer".
I had one done recently. It wasnāt a big dealā¦ Iād recommend getting it done the potential benefits far outweigh the potential risks in my estimationā¦
My cancer was found during a normal screening...
I have had this type of procedure done many times, I'm a Cancer survivor. I have never fasted for 24 hours. Clear diet one day before prep day, then on prep day at 6pm drink the prep solution fallowing the instructions and I sometimes reduce my basal. Procedure is set for the next morning 6 or 7 am. As others have said you will only be out for a few min, it's only a twilight sedation. My doctors always do my procedure in the first time slot so I can get back to taking care of my BG as soon as possible.
JMHO, Everyone should fast for a day or so, they can see what is going to happen...Test Test Test, my BG is not perfect during a fast but it does not drop uncontrollably low, especially if I cut back on my basal insulin.
That's so great to hear. One more saved life!!! thanks for sharing.
I agree with you Linda, colon cancer is often a silent killer and often goes undetected until it is too late to treat it. If you do a colonoscopy it can be caught early. My mom had one done and they found a non cancerous polyp. I plan to have one done soon. Mammograms are much better now and it is recommended to do ultrasound as well if you have dense breast tissue.
Spock, you can have a clear liquid diet which can include things like jello, popsicles, and also some gastroenterologist even let you do up to 4 cans of Boost or Ensure. Yes your bg MIGHT not be perfect during a prep, but its not exactly like you are being deprived of all sources of nutrition either. I had mine as a type 1 and did perfectly fine. There are MANY types of preps available now for colonoscopies as well. All the GI doctors I know no longer use Fleets Phosophus Soda for prep, as that particular one,especially with Type 2 diabetes and those on Metformin did cause some problems in a small percentage of people. Overall its one day of some potentially funky bg that MIGHT run a little higher than you personally would like to be versus doing it hopefully once every 10 years. Seems to me a very small price to pay to avoid having colon cancer.
I agree Linda, I worked in gastroenterology and saw many patients come in for just "screenings" with NO symptoms only to find a decent size mass in their colon. Lucky for them they came in when they did and only a small section of colon had to be resected but there is a reason why they say colon cancer is a SILENT killer... because by the times most people develop symptoms the cancer is pretty advanced and aggressive.
OK OK all. I will get it done this fall, since I have met my 2013 deductible, it should have minimal costs. I just had a myriad of heart test done, due to my brother's; unexpected sudden demise fro ma cardiac arrest in March. I had no problem doing that, as I wanted to know if I had any thing to be concerned about Results:My heart is just fine. I was told to take the low dose aspirin every day and keep doing what I am doing( good diet, exercise, maintain stable blood glucoses in range) No statins needed. So if I did this for my heart, I might as well test my intestines , too. I will try to set up an appointment in late September or in October
I have been convinced</strong> that such testing is a proactive venture with much to gain from the effort.
God bless
Brunetta
Glad to hear your heart is healthy, Brunetta! I will get my yearly heart tests in November as I will then have Medicare combined with my CalPers which means no more deductible to pay....yay!
Good for you Brunetta glad to know your heart is healthy.
I am still unconvinced a colonoscopy is something I need to have done just because I have reached the magic age of 50. But I will get it done eventually.
Good for you Brunetta!!!
"I too am over 50 and every year when I see my primary care doctor she asks "are we doing a colonoscopy this year ?" and I always reply no not this year thanks. I don't have any bad experiences with cancer screenings, I get a yearly mammogram because both my mom and grandmother have had breast cancer. My mom had the brac tests done and does not have the gene thankfully. But nobody in my entire family history has had colo-rectal cancer so I can't see the point yet. I'll get it done eventually but so far nobody has pressured me in to doing it just because "every does it".
Clare...That was my mother's reason for not having mammograms...because no one in our family, despite lots of cancer on her side of the family, had ever had breast cancer. Meanwhile, she was diagnosed at age 62 with metastatic 3rd stage breast cancer. Had she had a mammogram, it would have been discovered before it metastasised and she probably could have been cured.
And as far as colonoscopies go, they definitely catch many cases of pre-cancerous polyps which can be easily removed during the colonoscopy, thus preventing many cases of colon cancer. One of my cousins just had a routine colonoscopy last year and they discovered a very large "polyp". They actually thought it was just a polyp, but it was so large it was close to blocking a portion of his colon. They put him in for surgery and thank goodness they did because part of the "polyp" had already turned cancerous.
But because they caught it that early, he needed no other treatment (just close follow-up.)
I myself have had 5 colonoscopies already, with polyps removed every single time. I'd much rather go through the one-to-two day bother of the prep and procedure than to have to deal with colon cancer. And as others have mentioned, you can drink clear liquids and eat jello (just no red or orange)right up to midnight on the night before the test.
Ruth
Thanks Ruth for the insight. I will take your advice to heart. I'm so sorry about your mom. I had a baseline mammogram done when I was 40 and have had yearly ones since. Nothing has ever shown up but who knows ?
Clare
My younger sister died from Colon Cancer in 2011. I have had 4 of these lovely procedures. I want everyone to know that you do not have to drink the "Gatorade" stuff. The last time my doctor gave me pills!!!!
You have to take a bunch of pills and drink lots of clear fluids. I used both diet and regular 7-up, depending on where my BG was. It was so easy, compared to the other times.
ASK FOR PILLS!!!!
Kim, I'm very sorry to hear about your sister! Glad to know you're being proactive in your own healthcare. I'm supposed to have a colonoscopy and endoscopy, rescheduled it for October. Did you have both, if so, can 'pills be used for both procedures? THANKS for this info.
Yes they can do both at the same time. Endoscopy only requires fasting for about 6 hours there is no drugs or prep needed.
sally, did they make you stay over the day/night of prep or the day/night after procedure. i was thinking about this too, i'm really nervous about fasting and all this stuff..ugh! nothing is simple with type 1 diabetes sometimes.
wow.. I could never do either of these without sedation, nor would I ever want to, lol. but each to their own. I was vomiting and gagging for my last endoscopy as well as pulling out the tube.. I had damage to my vocal chords for months afterwards.. I never want to endure anything like that again. that doc should have been sued.. he was swearing at me because the sedation didn't work and said I was resisting the meds!