Colonoscopy - Page 2

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

Thanks for sharing your story. Glad to hear you acted on your doctors advice. When there is a Gold Standard for possibly saving a person, and their loved ones, from a painful end to their lives. Why would anyone settle for less? A rhetorical question, food for thought.

Maybe only 1 person here will see your story and really hear what you have said. Those sharing their personal experiences with both of these tests, tells what could actually happen.

I have no genetic predisposition for Esophageal cancer, but had I not had my first Endoscopy? I found out that I had Barrett's Esophagus, a pre-cancerous issue. Had I not followed through with the oral prescription and regular followup Endoscopies, and my symptoms? Absolutely zero!

hckynut(john)

AspenGrove · ‎08-27-2013

@hckynut - What a thoughtful reply! Thank you so very much for your kind words.

Like you, I believe in sharing our own stories as a way to help others. My gastro told me I was the "poster child" for why everyone, even without family history, needs a baseline colonoscopy. She urged me to tell all friends and family, which I did. And every single one of them who hadn't had the procedure yet did so because of what happened to me. So proud of them and, quite frankly, of me! You and I are both living proof of why preventative medicine is always the way to go.

3suwm5 · ‎06-15-2016

@LBird Congrats. on your test. Sounds like everything went well. I'm happy that our discussion helped you proceed.

You can rest easy now and maybe help others understand that this test has gotten a bad wrap for years. It was more involved years back, but these days - a breeze.

Enjoy your good news!! Continued good health.

A good friend of ours passed away from colon cancer a fews years back. The protocall that he went through for treatment, was a 1000% harder than any colonoscopies would ever be. Just a thought from a real life fight.

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

Great news. I was scared to death to have my first one based on reading threads here. I put it off a couple years. After I did it, I thought that wasn't that bad. Of course, you don't want to do it more often than you have to. It was a wise decision. I have a friend going through colon cancer treatment now. He postponed his test. It's not a good situation.

Ibby114 · ‎03-10-2010

@hoosieroriginal wrote:
I will never have a colonoscopy - but after I get my Medicare in May, I will ave dr horder a Cologuard which is done by DNA. I have no family history.

@hoosieroriginal

My BIL is a GI doctor, he told me that a very small percentage of colon cancer cases are genetic.

Shelbelle · ‎03-09-2010

I see very little to no value to Cologuard, bite the bullet and go for the gold standard, it is not that bad. Cologuard will not detect and remove polyps which needs to be done, they are what cause cancer in the first place.

Susan in California · ‎06-02-2014

I had a Colonoscopy this morning. So glad the whole procedure/prep is over.

At the same time I had an Endoscopy. Both came out fine, and I am hoping the next will be in ten years.

The procedure was quick and with anesthesia I managed to sleep through it all.

My husband was waiting for me while the doctor came in for a brief evaluation of

how it went.

I was groggy for a few hours, but soon I was back to normal.

I do believe having a colonoscopy is important. My lifelong friend who has never been sick, ended up with colon cancer and is now in hospice care. Her mother is living with her, and she is 100! Her whole family is incredibly healthy, so this was a curve ball for sure.

I asked her if she had had any symptoms. She said she felt tired but thought it was just the aging process. I'm so sad for my dear friend. I love her so much.

hondagirl · ‎07-07-2012

I did Cologuard and I had no family history of cancer. My Cologuard came out positive and had to have a coloboscopy done. 4 polyps were found.. Thank you Cologuard.

SeaMaiden · ‎03-10-2010

@hoosieroriginal wrote:
I will never have a colonoscopy - but after I get my Medicare in May, I will ave dr horder a Cologuard which is done by DNA. I have no family history.

@hoosieroriginal

“I have no family history of colorectal cancer, therefore I am not likely to develop colorectal cancer.”

Although a family history of colorectal cancer does significantly elevate one’s risk, not having a family history does not mean a person is immune to the disease. “Approximately one in 20 Americans will develop colorectal cancer in their lifetime, and the majority of these patients do not have a first-degree relative with this disease,”

hckynut · ‎03-10-2010

hondagirl wrote:

I did Cologuard and I had no family history of cancer. My Cologuard came out positive and had to have a coloboscopy done. 4 polyps were found.. Thank you Cologuard.

And the procedure that you had to remove the source was? While a tourniquet will stop the bleeding, it is not the final step. While it certainly treats the symptom, it does not treat the source. Bleeding you can see, which makes it 100% positive for one to see, and treat. Cologard on the other hand is far from 100% accurate.

If a Cologard came back with a False Negative and was wrong, and that person believed it to be 100%? If it's right, as in this OP's case, great. In other cases when there it comes with a False Negative? Not so much.

@hondagirl, glad that this is what got you to have the Gold Standard procedure that possibly saved you from colon cancer.

I personally believe in taking the best and/or shortest and surest way from point A to point B. If others choose the longer route, my hope is that they don't arrive too late.

hckynut(john)