It's *almost* that time... colonoscopy, or Cologuard?

October 27, 2018, 11:30 AM

Mark in Michigan

I voted colonoscopy.
Get in there, find the polyp, kill the polyp. Done.

I have had 3 so far and they find and remove something every time. And you get copies of the pictures, too!

October 29, 2018, 06:10 PM

vthoky

quote:
Originally posted by smlsig:
vthoky you don't mention how old you are and if your family has any history of colon cancer.

I have a very good friend who is head of internal medicine at Carilion Hospital in Roanoke. We used to race our Porsche's at VIR regularly. Between one of the sessions several years ago he got all of our group together after the days festivities and asked each of us if we've had our first colonoscopy yet. Myself and another guy had not, the rest had. He sat us down and explained the importance of getting the procedure. I was 55 at the time and agreed to do it. The prep was not as bad as people make it out to be and the drugs they give you during the procedure mean you don't remember anything or have any issues afterwards.

They did find some precancerous polyps and removed them and told me to come back in 10 years.
My GP has me take the Colongaurd stool sample every two years (in fact just did it last week).

Just do it!

Thanks, Eddie! I'm just a few months from 50, with no [known] history of colon cancer.
I'd say you've got a very good friend there, for sure.
I'm going to set up the "roto-rooter" trip; I just have to wait until after the 50th birthday to do it. No sweat.

I took one of my best friends for his last winter; I guess he's going to get a chance to return the favor this coming winter.

October 30, 2018, 11:39 AM

p226gsd

I guess I would also say go for the colonoscopy (I just got home from having one, so please forgive any mispellings or random thoughts). They did find some polyps and removed them, so that’s good. The prep is much easier than it used to be, just a small amount of crap to drink instead of a lot of crap to drink, and has been mentioned, a really nice power nap.

November 02, 2018, 03:17 PM

Harleysbluff

Just got done - all clear. Super easy, prep included.

MDS

November 02, 2018, 04:47 PM

Woodman

There is no "poo for a day" if you do it right. Fasting is a great feeling. Liberating. Start a day early. Amazing to really appreciate a bowl of beef gravy with a few crackers. It is a transcendent experience.

By the time you take the final elixir, there is nothing to come out. Literally. You will, though, be thirsty. Schedule the exam for dawn.

November 02, 2018, 05:03 PM

MikeinNC

quote:
The prep isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. I only needed one day off work. The "fun" part of the prep doesn't start until about 6:00 PM the night before.

I want what you got...when I did it, I took two pills, then an hour later two more....and then the most incredible cramps I have ever had and it went on for hours...until I finally took two pills and passed two undigested pills....and drank two gallons of water.....

It was not fun or even “not bad”....it sucked balls.

"Violence, naked force, has settled more issues in history than has any other factor.” Robert A. Heinlein

“You may beat me, but you will never win.” sigmonkey-2020

“A single round of buckshot to the torso almost always results in an immediate change of behavior.” Chris Baker

November 02, 2018, 07:19 PM

BurtonRW

Per Mrs.BurtonRW, RN, you should most definitely suck it up and go for the real thing. Also, she opines that you should... find a new doctor. (She didn’t put it that politely.)

The thinking goes that if you don’t have risk factors sufficient to justify a nearly definitive test, why bother with a crap-shoot against the possibility of a false negative at all - just because you’d rather poo in a box?

Doctors who tell you to poo in the box will also likely tell you that a nuclear stress test is useful. (Which they’re apparently not.). It’s happy talk.

-Rob

November 02, 2018, 08:10 PM

vthoky

quote:
Originally posted by BurtonRW:
Per Mrs.BurtonRW, RN, you should most definitely suck it up and go for the real thing. Also, she opines that you should... find a new doctor. (She didn’t put it that politely.)

Please thank Mrs. BurtonRW for me. (And I'm way curious about her "real" statement on things....)

quote:
Originally posted by BurtonRW:
crap-shoot

November 02, 2018, 09:02 PM

CharlieSW

Which ever you do, DON'T neglect to get your check-up. I waited too long in between, and the Dr. found a suspicious spot that required some pretty scary surgery. The procedure went perfectly and the findings were so good even the Dr. was surprised, but I experienced inflammation complications that have taken a couple of months to work themselves out. Trust me on this one - if you get your check-up, you have a good chance of avoiding the scars that look like you lost a knife fight!

November 02, 2018, 09:42 PM

SigSentry

On Tuesday I had the 3 year follow up. He only found one "mild pre-cancerous" spot so I'm on the 5 year vs the 10 year plan. Good thing I've already been on a clean diet for over a year. Your gut health is probably the most important determinant of healthspan and longevity. Perhaps in 5 yrs the cologuard screen will be the way to go.

November 03, 2018, 07:14 AM

Harleysbluff

Here’s a FYI about prepping ....

This past Wednesday, I had 2 hard boiled eggs and a bag of tuna for lunch. Dinner was a cup of white rice and a chicken breast.

Thursday morning, I had a normal BM, and at 9:00 AM, took 20 mg of Dulcolax.

At noon, had 2 cans of chicken broth, and immediately was in the bathroom going “pee” out of my shitter.

At 6:00 PM, had 1/2 a jug of Miralax powder (119 grams) and Gatorade. Had a few more “pee” BM’s.

Got up Friday, did another Gatorade mix by 8:00 AM, few more BM’s, and had a colonoscopy at 1:00 PM.

All I remember is signing my name and rolling on my side - walked out at 2:15.

Partied last night ....

Do it if you need one. Very simple.

MDS

November 03, 2018, 07:21 AM

kz1000

^^^^^^^^^

------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Yidn, shreibt un fershreibt"

"The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind."
-Bomber Harris

November 03, 2018, 07:29 AM

Harleysbluff

LOL

November 03, 2018, 07:29 AM

Oz_Shadow

^^^^ Some of us married nurses. Pretty sure there's no such thing as TMI. You should hear the dinner conversations.

November 03, 2018, 07:41 AM

Gene Hillman

quote:
Originally posted by MikeinNC:
quote:
The prep isn't nearly as bad as it used to be. I only needed one day off work. The "fun" part of the prep doesn't start until about 6:00 PM the night before.

I want what you got...when I did it, I took two pills, then an hour later two more....and then the most incredible cramps I have ever had and it went on for hours...until I finally took two pills and passed two undigested pills....and drank two gallons of water.....

It was not fun or even “not bad”....it sucked balls.

I don't consider myself a rugged tough guy but I've had three of these over the years and they are a relative piece of cake as most have said. I would look for a different doctor or a different prep procedure next time because that one didn't work correctly for you. Most of these preps involve drinking liquids starting early afternoon the day before the procedure. The liquid gets mixed in with 7-Up or Gatorade. I've never had cramps or any kind of "explosive reaction". I guess we don't all react the same. I did have a sister-in-law who slept on the bathroom floor the night before because she couldn't be that far away from the stool if she was in bed.

November 03, 2018, 09:04 AM

vthoky

quote:
Originally posted by MikeinNC:
It was not fun or even “not bad”....it sucked balls.

I mentioned this whole thing to a female friend of mine who had to have a colonoscopy done when she was in her 20s. They didn't put you to sleep back then. Her stories are amusing now, but she definitely did not have a good time of it.