Colonoscopy, Guess What - Page 2

Mr._johngalt · 11-21-2006, 05:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 73ss454

Hey if you guys don't want to have it at least go for the new virtual colonoscopy. Not as good but better than nothing.

It's good to remember that many of us here will have to cover a large
portion of the cost of these tests. That is one reason I am very selective about
those I sign on for.

JG

11-21-2006, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa

Sorry, CT. You're off by a factor of 10.

Yes I was! There was a decimal point in front of the 2% - I feel 10 times better myself!

Watching my friend go through his (Cee-Def) infection last year - Can't get that out of mind!

**Rich_in_Tampa** · 11-21-2006, 08:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cut-Throat

Yes I was! There was a decimal point in front of the 2% - I feel 10 times better myself!

Watching my friend go through his (Cee-Def) infection last year - Can't get that out of mind!

Oy, CT. Whattamygonnado with you?

It's c. dif. (not Cee-Def).

It's unrelated to colonoscopy (it's usually associated withi prior antibiotic use).

He probably had the colonoscopy as part of the workup for the c. dif.

Other than that and the factor of 10 thing, you got your post just right

.

Your reluctance to have the procedure is not unusual, quite understandable. But failure to do so is like not including stocks in your portfolio so you can play it "safe."

11-21-2006, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa

Oy, CT. Whattamygonnado with you?

It's c. dif. (not Cee-Def).

It's unrelated to colonoscopy (it's usually associated withi prior antibiotic use).

He probably had the colonoscopy as part of the workup for the c. dif.

Other than that and the factor of 10 thing, you got your post just right

.

Your reluctance to have the procedure is not unusual, quite understandable. But failure to do so is like not including stocks in your portfolio so you can play it "safe."

Well C. Diff or Cee-Def - Same difference to me.

But a friend of our who is also his Internist is the one that called 911 after his blood pressure dropped. Said that a 'dirty tool' caused the infection during the colonoscopy. So I am going by what his doctor said. He was on antibiotics for 4 months to get rid of it. Believe it or not, I have seen doctors disagree with one another! He had the colonoscopy as a part of a regular physical. He did not have c. dif. before it!

Dawg54 · 11-21-2006, 09:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cut-Throat

Well C. Diff or Cee-Def - Same difference to me.

But a friend of our who is also his Internist is the one that called 911 after his blood pressure dropped. Said that a 'dirty tool' caused the infection during the colonoscopy. So I am going by what his doctor said. He was on antibiotics for 4 months to get rid of it. Believe it or not, I have seen doctors disagree with one another! He had the colonoscopy as a part of a regular physical. He did not have c. dif. before it!

I'm sorry about your buddy. Unfortunately things can go wrong in surgery or just from being put to sleep. But it is a small risk. Have a doctor buddy recommend someone he trust for you to go to. You will be glad you did. My test turned out good so they told me to come back sometime in the next 5-10 years. I told them I will take the 10 year option.

MikeD · 11-21-2006, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ed_The_Gypsy

Brother woke up in the middle of his. Demanded more drugs RIGHT NOW!

I sorta woke up during a procedure on my foot. I was on a drug that made me not care if something hurt, which was very important to me. I stated to the orthopedic guy who was chiseling away at my infected heel bone "Wow, that really hurts alot!" I remember not caring that it hurt though. The anesthesia Dr. said "I'll just turn this up a bit." That's all I can remember. Went to work after and was sent home for being useless.

Mike D.

HelpMeRhonda · 11-21-2006, 12:37 PM

I'm 5 weeks post-op on full-blown shoulder surgery. Surgery went well, but I had major issues with pain meds. After 2 days, I decided to get off them. But took another week to flush from my system.

I was all worked up over possible complications of the surgery, never thought pain meds could be an issue.

Nords · 11-21-2006, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poboy

I put it off and put it off, finally my family doctor took control. I am now four weeks post-op and the cancer was removed by a procedure called TEMS.

What started the whole thing, poboy? Was a colonoscopy done for family history or just because it was overdue? Any other symptoms?

Sigh... my father has a polyp history too. I thought showing up early for PSAs & DREs was bad enough, let alone colonoscopies.

So, Rich, are colonoscopies backed up by evidence-based medicine, or is there a "better" way? It's not as if we're just tweaking an already painless & effortless procedure...

**Rich_in_Tampa** · 11-21-2006, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords

So, Rich, are colonoscopies backed up by evidence-based medicine, or is there a "better" way? It's not as if we're just tweaking an already painless & effortless procedure...

Alas, yes. They work to save lives for this disease (colorectal cancer) and nothing else really does that very well.

They are a bit invasive for a "screening" procedure which is why you wait for age 50 or so. Fecal occult blood testing is a poor second place procedure: misses quite a few cancers and polyps, and if you have a positive test under controlled conditions there are a vast number of false positives, leading to... too many colonoscopies. Virtual colonoscopies are a) not quite as sensitive or specific and b) don't allow all-in-one management -- when you find a polyp by colonoscopy you usually just remove it at that time. With virtual studies or barium enemas, you have to be rescheduled for a colonoscopy.

I would add that up to a quarter of small polyps are missed on colonoscopy -- repeat colonoscopy later that same day identifies them. Glad I didn't volunteer for that study. Fortunately, the small ones usually progress so slowly that you would likely pick them up next time around.

The good news is that you only need it once every 10 years if normal, and the procedure is proceeded by a DRE anyhow. Trust me, advanced colorectal cancer is ugly.

Wish there was an easier way. Most likely to succeed in my opinion: tumor marker DNA testing of fecal samples. Another 5-10 years off, perhaps.

JohnEyles · 11-21-2006, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa

Sorry, CT. You're off by a factor of 10.

The rate of major complications (perforation and major bleeding) is about 1 to 2 [i]per 1000 procedures.

Plus, I suspect that this 0.1-0.2% statistic comes from a sample that does not exclude
high-risk individuals. So if you are low-risk your rate of complication is probably far lower.
I'm not sure what would be high-risk in this context (I'm not a doctor) but probably
symptoms that would suggest something is wrong with your colon in the first place -
in other words, the colonoscopy is something other than routine screening.

Nords · 11-21-2006, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rich_in_Tampa

The good news is that you only need it once every 10 years if normal, and the procedure is proceeded by a DRE anyhow.

If I'm going to feel good about anything in this thread, it's the fact that the periodicity is decennial. I thought it was annual, right after the PSA/DRE.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnEyles

Plus, I suspect that this 0.1-0.2% statistic comes from a sample that does not exclude high-risk individuals. So if you are low-risk your rate of complication is probably far lower.

I think that the 0.1-0.2% comes from crappy (so to speak) technique, including improper sanitization and operator error...

Suddenly I feel an urge to eat five helpings of high-fiber fruit!

donheff · 11-21-2006, 02:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords

If I'm going to feel good about anything in this thread, it's the fact that the periodicity is decennial. I thought it was annual, right after the PSA/DRE.
I think that the 0.1-0.2% comes from crappy (so to speak) technique, including improper sanitization and operator error...

Suddenly I feel an urge to eat five helpings of high-fiber fruit!

I have a scope every five years - some colon cancer in the family. At least you are out cold for it.

HFWR · 11-21-2006, 02:22 PM

Doc told me to come back in three...

Nords · 11-21-2006, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HFWR

Doc told me to come back in three...

Three what-- boat payments?

HFWR · 11-21-2006, 02:25 PM

No, Dad had colon cancer surgery, and I had a couple of polyps, so...

Three boat payments it is...

MikeD · 11-21-2006, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nords

Three what-- boat payments?

I love that stuff. My orthopedic surgeon told me I was a gold mine: a diabetic with insurance.

Mike D.

HelpMeRhonda · 11-21-2006, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeD

I love that stuff. My orthopedic surgeon told me I was a gold mine: a diabetic with insurance.

Mike D.

MikeD are you self insured. If so, can you shed any light on being diabetic and the issues of getting insurance. I am still working primarily because I have no insurance plan after ER and I'm a 48 yr old diabetic, with spouse, 17 and 14 yrs old.

thanks for any reply

astromeria · 11-21-2006, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HelpMeRhonda

with spouse, 17 and 14 yrs old

She must have split personality--and they're awfully young

**Martha** · 11-21-2006, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HelpMeRhonda

MikeD are you self insured. If so, can you shed any light on being diabetic and the issues of getting insurance. I am still working primarily because I have no insurance plan after ER and I'm a 48 yr old diabetic, with spouse, 17 and 14 yrs old.

thanks for any reply

Look at the Georgetown University site for information on rights you have in your state: www.healthinsuranceinfo.net

You will see when reading the guide for your state that you have the most rights if you are HIPAA eligible. If you are currently covered by a group plan and your employer has more than about 20 employees, you are probably HIPAA eligible. The complete requirements for HIPAA eligibility are found here: http://early-retirement.org/forums/i...6148#msg186148

If you are HIPAA eligible there should be an insurance product for you to buy. It may be one or more policies offered by individual insurance companies, it may be through a risk pool, or it may be a conversion policy. A big problem though is cost. Federal law doesn't regulate cost and states are all over the board with what they do regarding cost. Another problem is the scope of coverage available to you--some states offer coverage with pretty low coverage limits.

Whatever you do, stay away from temporary insurance. Once the policy expires you have no rights to further coverage.

11-21-2006, 12:37 PM	#27
HelpMeRhonda Recycles dryer sheets Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 78	Re: Colonoscopy, Guess What I'm 5 weeks post-op on full-blown shoulder surgery. Surgery went well, but I had major issues with pain meds. After 2 days, I decided to get off them. But took another week to flush from my system. I was all worked up over possible complications of the surgery, never thought pain meds could be an issue.

11-21-2006, 02:22 PM	#33
HFWR Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: May 2005 Location: DFW Posts: 5,406	Re: Colonoscopy, Guess What Doc told me to come back in three... __________________ Have Funds, Will Retire Two turntables and a microphone...

11-21-2006, 02:25 PM	#35
HFWR Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ... Join Date: May 2005 Location: DFW Posts: 5,406	Re: Colonoscopy, Guess What No, Dad had colon cancer surgery, and I had a couple of polyps, so... Three boat payments it is... __________________ Have Funds, Will Retire Two turntables and a microphone...