First-hand account, with a few things to watch out for. Nothing bad, just be informed so you are not surprised. I'll will mark those things with a "
***". I will provide links to the Cologuard website at the end.
Please, my purpose of this thread is to inform. The choice of doing this screening test, or doing a colonoscopy, or doing nothing, is each person's individual choice. If you feel a need to convince others that your particular choice is the best, and everyone should do as you do, please start another thread. Thank you.
Medicare covers a Cologuard once every three years as a preventative measure.
I told my PCP I wanted to go this route. They prescribed it by communicating with Cologuard. About a week later I received via UPS the white cube box. Rest assured, it does NOT scream "poop test" on it!
The box opens a certain way, so it will be re-used for return shipment. Inside is a zip-lock bag that stays attached to the box. The kit includes instructions and return labels, a white plastic toilet bracket, a white plastic round collection canister, a bottle of preservative, and a small tube with a probe and integral preservative for another part of the test. Don't worry about "probe"
An issue ***. Check your toilet ring's underside to see if there will be a problem with the bracket location. The white plastic toilet bracket unfolds, and is to be placed with its wings left and right, over the porcelain toilet
rim itself, then the toilet
ring lowers down around it. The collection canister then is put into the bracket, want it towards the back of the toilet ring opening.
Checking this bracket out the night before, I found that the bumpers on the underside of the toilet ring hit the bracket, the toilet ring would NOT sit flat, it rested on the bracket no matter where I moved the bracket. As one's whole weight will be on the toilet ring, that will not work. This toilet ring had 4 bumpers, one each in the 10, 2, 4, and 8 O'clock positions. The minimum space between the 10 and 2 pair of bumpers, and the 4 and 8 pair of bumpers, was about 5 1/2" on this ring, not enough for the bracket to clear the bumpers. Uh-oh!
I checked other toilets, the bumper situation on their rings was different. They had bumpers at 10 and 2, but the bumpers closest to the back were integral with the hinges, like at 5:30 and 6:30, so there was a lot of front to back space available to position the bracket. Whew!
Remember, I'm talking about the bumpers on the underside of the RING, not the bumpers on the underside of the LID!
*** One needs to plan their "collection event" a bit so that the sample can be sent UPS next-day air back to their lab by Madison WI. Think of weekends possibly in the way. I "collected" on a Thursday morning, took it to a UPS store by mid-morning. It is return pre-paid, pre-addressed, and UPS knows how to handle them. UPS gives a shipping sheet with a tracking number. My sample arrived at ColoGuard's lab at 10:30 AM the next morning. The test kit itself has a long shelf life, the sample inside, not so much!
I should mention the "probe" so no one worries... it is used to stroke over the sample to fill the grooves on the side of the probe, then it is put back in its tube and screwed tight. It just sits in the return box, outside of the collection canister, but inside the zip lock bag.
*** The last "watch it" issue - If you are alone, and have hands riddled with arthritis, or very small hands, you may have some difficulty screwing the lid down tight enough on the collection canister. Both lid and canister are large diameter, much bigger than a pickle jar, and you need one hand on each part to give a real good twist to fully compress the lip seal on the canister. The directions tell you what to look for to insure that it is properly sealed. And you are doing this on a flat surface, to keep it upright (don't make a mess
). If another person is present to help, so you could use both of your problem hands on either the lid, or holding the canister from turning, no problem.
Communication of Results - You can create a MyChart account on the Cologuard website after you get the kit, so you can get the results directly from Cologuard, besides your doctor's route. They sent me an email to let me know that result was up on MyChart on their website. I did not do any linking with that MyChart to anywhere else, so only me and Doc know the result. Mine was Negative, the result was up on chart 2 days short of two weeks from their getting my sample. My PCP eventually sent me a one word message days later. Cologuard also sent me a letter, telling me that my PCP has been informed of the results, but not what the result was.
Cologuard also does automated phone calls, to let you know that they are sending you the kit as requested, and then later as a reminder to use it. The auto-voice asks if you have already used it, and if you say Yes, it says they will be looking for it. It may have asked what day, I don't remember. There is an 1-800 number staffed 24/7 plastered all over, any questions to call them. It went well, I have no complaints.
Website home page:
https://www.cologuard.com/
Website "how to use kit":
https://www.cologuard.com/using-and-...-cologuard-kit
Website video link:
https://www.cologuard.com/using-and-...-cologuard-kit
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