Sounds like maybe a good option
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/canc...-be-effective-colonoscopy-study-finds-n975871
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/canc...-be-effective-colonoscopy-study-finds-n975871
+1The only but part, no pun intended, is if they find something, you have to have a colonoscopy anyway.
In 2008 I reluctantly had my first colonoscopy at age 59. No family history of cancer, previous stool tests negative. The result was two large polyps, too large to remove during the procedure.
I had 4 inches of my intestines removed to get rid of the polyps. They were described as pre-cancerous.
Bottom line, if I hadn't had the colonoscopy I most likely would have had to deal with colon cancer. I will always remember the young intern who was training with my regular doctor who pressured me into having the procedure.
In 2008 I reluctantly had my first colonoscopy at age 59. No family history of cancer, previous stool tests negative. The result was two large polyps, too large to remove during the procedure.
I had 4 inches of my intestines removed to get rid of the polyps. They were described as pre-cancerous.
Bottom line, if I hadn't had the colonoscopy I most likely would have had to deal with colon cancer. I will always remember the young intern who was training with my regular doctor who pressured me into having the procedure.
The question I have is how much more benefit one would get from using the regular colonoscopy vs alternative methods. Perhaps if other options are more advocated, more people will be willing to do them and it will reduce the overall cancer rate.
I am 52 vegetarian and do not have any family history that I know of. I have been reluctant to do the regular colonoscopy in the past. If the risk of cancer using the alternative is low or very low, I am willing to live with it. One can not test every possible health issue. For example, my insurance does not cover skin cancer screening. So I would like to see the risk of cancer using alternatives vs regular method.
The question I have is how much more benefit one would get from using the regular colonoscopy vs alternative methods. Perhaps if other options are more advocated, more people will be willing to do them and it will reduce the overall cancer rate.
I am 52 vegetarian and do not have any family history that I know of. I have been reluctant to do the regular colonoscopy in the past. If the risk of cancer using the alternative is low or very low, I am willing to live with it. One can not test every possible health issue. For example, my insurance does not cover skin cancer screening. So I would like to see the risk of cancer using alternatives vs regular method.
I am 61, been vegetarian/pescatarian since 1976 and vegan for the last six years. There is no history of colon cancer in my family.
I reluctantly had my first colonoscopy when I was 51. They found 13 polyps. The second colonoscopy detected 3 more. The last one found two polyps, one of which was on my appendix. I had my appendix removed in December. I don't know why my body likes to grow polyps, but I'm not going mess around with this stuff. They won't have to remind me twice the next time I am due for a colonoscopy.
My advice is to get tested. Routine colonoscopies would be a walk in the park compared to the treatments and follow ups of colon cancer.
Thanks for the advice. I will look in to getting one this year. Do benign polyps cause any danger? If they eventual turn cancerous would other testing methods not be able to detect them? I am also worried that there might be risk from doing routine colonoscopies. Like unintentional tear or potential others. The problem I have with advice from doctors is how much I can trust them if they will directly benefit from the work. And I don't know how much of anything is true. For example a simple search found this website:
https://www.gutsense.org/colonoscopy/is-colonoscopy-worth-the-risk.html
The problem I have with advice from doctors is how much I can trust them if they will directly benefit from the work. And I don't know how much of anything is true. For example a simple search found this website:
https://www.gutsense.org/colonoscopy/is-colonoscopy-worth-the-risk.html
I was curious, so just spent about 15 minutes reading through some of the stuff on this GutSense.org website. The author makes many, many strident, unorthodox claims about the risks and dangers of colonoscopies (e.g. "Over 85,000 people die annually from kidney failure—that is almost 50% more than from colorectal cancer. Many of these deaths have been precipitated by a careless and damaging colonoscopy prep."). Then he goes on to make many other odd, remarkable claims about how dietary fiber is actually bad for your health and is addictive and contributes to various illnesses. The author of the site earned a "pharmacy degree" in 1977 from a university in Ukraine, and seems to have no other professional or academic medical training or experience. Seems he has written two books on these subjects (Gut Sense and Fiber Menace) which he is peddling on this website. Hmmm...
They're selling supplements directly from that site. I fear that the site caters to people that wanted to find "proof" that a colonoscopy isn't needed or is too risky and just buy their products instead.Yes, I agree. Some of those stuff sound made up or misused. It is hard to find unbiased opinions from those who are not trying to sell you stuff or benefit somehow.
The CDC chart goes from 56 per 100,000 to 38 per 100,000 over 15 years ending 2015. No need to look at THAT site any more!Dramatic increase in the incidence of colorectal cancer
I was curious, so just spent about 15 minutes reading through some of the stuff on this GutSense.org website. The author makes many, many strident, unorthodox claims about the risks and dangers of colonoscopies (e.g. "Over 85,000 people die annually from kidney failure—that is almost 50% more than from colorectal cancer. Many of these deaths have been precipitated by a careless and damaging colonoscopy prep."). Then he goes on to make many other odd, remarkable claims about how dietary fiber is actually bad for your health and is addictive and contributes to various illnesses. The author of the site earned a "pharmacy degree" in 1977 from a university in Ukraine, and seems to have no other professional or academic medical training or experience. Seems he has written two books on these subjects (Gut Sense and Fiber Menace) which he is peddling on this website. Hmmm...