ER Eddie
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2013
- Messages
- 1,792
Here's my own anecdote, to add to the pile.
Six years ago, a colonoscopy showed a benign growth. It was too large to snip, so they recommended surgery. The surgery almost killed me. A leak in the suture caused me to get septic, and it wasn't diagnosed quickly. By the time I got into surgery again, I was in bad shape. It was 50/50 for a while, whether I'd live. I spent 4 weeks in ICU, then 4 in recovery. It was the worst experience of my life, physically. I came out thin, decimated, and with a colostomy. I felt like a freak for a year, until I got it reversed in a third surgery.
Fast forward 5 years, and they are recommending a repeat colonoscopy. Since they "found something" (which was benign, not cancerous) in the first colonoscopy, now the guidelines say I need to get another one. My response: **** off. The recommendations based on your last screening nearly killed me.
I have since read up on colonoscopy outcomes, and I'm not impressed. I'm glad that other people (e.g., dave barnes) have had good results from theirs, and I'm sure plenty of others have as well. Personally, though, I had a horrible experience. I get PTSD-like symptoms when I think of it.
I've lost a lot of faith in the medical system. It wasn't just from that experience, but from other things as well, which I won't go into.
I read that medical errors are the third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer. I was almost one of those statistics, thanks in part to a health screening.
Six years ago, a colonoscopy showed a benign growth. It was too large to snip, so they recommended surgery. The surgery almost killed me. A leak in the suture caused me to get septic, and it wasn't diagnosed quickly. By the time I got into surgery again, I was in bad shape. It was 50/50 for a while, whether I'd live. I spent 4 weeks in ICU, then 4 in recovery. It was the worst experience of my life, physically. I came out thin, decimated, and with a colostomy. I felt like a freak for a year, until I got it reversed in a third surgery.
Fast forward 5 years, and they are recommending a repeat colonoscopy. Since they "found something" (which was benign, not cancerous) in the first colonoscopy, now the guidelines say I need to get another one. My response: **** off. The recommendations based on your last screening nearly killed me.
I have since read up on colonoscopy outcomes, and I'm not impressed. I'm glad that other people (e.g., dave barnes) have had good results from theirs, and I'm sure plenty of others have as well. Personally, though, I had a horrible experience. I get PTSD-like symptoms when I think of it.
I've lost a lot of faith in the medical system. It wasn't just from that experience, but from other things as well, which I won't go into.
I read that medical errors are the third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer. I was almost one of those statistics, thanks in part to a health screening.
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