Cologuard vs Colonoscopy

[Lienlord]

Timely thread...been on clear liquids all day today and prepared to drink the "cocktail" tonight for my test @ 6AM tomorrow! First time at 53. Fingers crossed!

 

[Ian S]

Because I have a history of polyps, cologuard is specifically ruled out. I'm not sure that makes sense to me unless the current thinking is that it's better to get rid of the polyps early before they turn cancerous than to wait for the cancer to be detected by cologuard. If it were me and my first colonoscopy was negative for polyps then I would do cologuard every couple of years until the ten year repeat colonoscopy was due. I would also watch for new developments in the whole detection area.

 

[sturbridge]

For an average risk patient, at least Cologard has no possibility of killing you, deleting a good portion of your immune system/nutrition assimilation (from the prep/removal of the good bacteria in your system) , and infection (because the instrument is hard to sterilize). If you're high risk/family history, it may be worth it to do the colonoscopy.

 

[harley]

My ER provided health insurance wouldn't cover the Cologuard - processing is ~$500. Colonoscopy is free, as of right now.

My insurance won't cover Cologuard unless you've previously had a full colonoscopy. So I guess that's on my agenda somewhere soon. I had a Sigmoidoscopy at age 50, but that's not good enough.

After the age 50, go.for the colonoscopy every 5 years. The penalty to do such a procedure can be death. This is no joke.

My family has a close friend that just died from colon cancer. He was a superstar general surgeon that had done hundreds and hundreds colon cancer surgeries. Too bad he hadn't been tested periodically.

I think that statement can be just as true for any medical test. I'm sure that there are plenty of people who died from not getting tested for whatever. Just as I'm sure there are a ton more who didn't. My FIL died of undetected brain cancer, but I don't recommend everyone run out and get tested for it. I suspect that for most people (not all) the Cologuard test is more than enough. Only 4.2% of people ever get diagnosed with colon cancer , and I suspect many of them get diagnosed via Cologuard or occult blood samples. And only 14.5 per 100,000 people die of colon cancer, so people aren't dropping like flies from it.

I do suggest people get tested, and I understand how it can seem important when it happens to someone you know. Personally I want to go up to every smoker I see and shake them. But saying the penalty for not doing a test is possibly death is a bit over the top, IMO.

 

[mountainsoft]

I've been doing the stool sample every year on my birthday. I can do it at home and it's free with my insurance. They only schedule a colonoscopy if the stool test shows a positive. So far mine has always come out negative.

On the other hand my wife's family has a bit of history so she got the colonoscopy. Her mom had colon cancer and the doctors perforated her colon a few years later doing a routine colonoscopy. Her oldest sister was just diagnosed with colon cancer despite negative stool tests. They only did the colonoscopy after she started having health issues.

There are risks either way. I don't have any family history of colon cancer so I'm comfortable with the annual stool sample.

 

[robertf57]

I think people are way over estimating the risk from colonoscopy. A study from the SEER program using data that is a bit old (late 1990's) from Medicare patients reported 4 death out of 39,000 colonoscopies and this included lots of people who were older than 70 and were getting colonoscopy for reasons other than simple screening.

 

[lucky penny]

With no family history of colon cancer & 2 previous colonoscopies with no polyps, my last one (at age 68) found 2 polyps. I'm having another when the time comes.

 

[Livefree]

Another plus for the colonoscopy, I think, is that they can see Diverticula forming which can result in Diverticulitis. This happened to me.

 

[Lienlord]

Success! Made it through the test unscathed (except maybe my dignity! haha).

The test was very simple and painless, if you don't count the IV.

The real bugger was the prep drink that roared through me like a freight train!
To quote Jeff Foxworthy, "an hour later, what was coming out of me could be legally declared mountain spring water!"

But in all seriousness, the Dr removed a small polyp to biopsy, but doesn't appear anything to worry about.

So glad I had it done...but glad it's over! We'll dance again in 5-10 years.

Timely thread...been on clear liquids all day today and prepared to drink the "cocktail" tonight for my test @ 6AM tomorrow! First time at 53. Fingers crossed!

 

[Dtail]

Success! Made it through the test unscathed (except maybe my dignity! haha).

The test was very simple and painless, if you don't count the IV.

The real bugger was the prep drink that roared through me like a freight train!
To quote Jeff Foxworthy, "an hour later, what was coming out of me could be legally declared mountain spring water!"

But in all seriousness, the Dr removed a small polyp to biopsy, but doesn't appear anything to worry about.

So glad I had it done...but glad it's over! We'll dance again in 5-10 years.

Congrats - not so bad. Surprised you had an IV. I was put into a light sleep.

 

[Lienlord]

Congrats - not so bad. Surprised you had an IV. I was put into a light sleep.

Well, they also used the IV port to squirt in the sleepy juice.

 

[38Chevy454]

Good to have it completed and now know the results.

The IV is how they administered the medication to put you out, at least in my case.

The nuclear strength preparation is the worst part. But I have had lots worse things to deal with vs the preparation.

 

[redduck]

There is no prep necessary for Cologuard. You just collect a stool sample.

Collecting a stool sample is so much fun. If I ask nicely, I find that some neighbor will always let me have one of hers. When I'm lucky, the neighbor will tell me the history of that particular stool sample. I see it as a bonding experience.

 

[MRG]

Collecting a stool sample is so much fun. If I ask nicely, I find that some neighbor will always let me have one of hers. When I'm lucky, the neighbor will tell me the history of that particular stool sample. I see it as a bonding experience.

I used the dog's. No questions asked

 

[NoMoreJob]

Just because one colonoscopy came out clear doesn't mean the next one will. The older you get the more likely you'll develop polyps. Personally I'll go through the inconvenience and (slight) unpleasantness to make certain that I'm screened in the manner most likely to detect a problem before it becomes a serious one.

I marvel at those who will cut corners with their health. I've had cancer (not colon) and have gone through extensive and various unpleasant treatments. Trust me, having a colonoscopy to prevent having to go through cancer treatment is a very small price to pay.

 

[Teacher Terry]

Unless you are one of the people who die from it.

 

[harley]

I marvel at those who will cut corners with their health. I've had cancer (not colon) and have gone through extensive and various unpleasant treatments. Trust me, having a colonoscopy to prevent having to go through cancer treatment is a very small price to pay.

Re-reading the thread, I don't think anyone here is recommending not getting tested in some way. I certainly didn't. It's more the over emphasis on the "don't get tested and you're going to die" approach that I was commenting on. Personally, if I had already had any form of cancer I suspect I'd be doing every test known to man. But without that background I think normal testing/prevention is appropriate.

Unless you are one of the people who die from it.

Nobody gets out alive.

 

[athena53]

I'm guessing that with my history of polyps (one found the first time, two the next), I'm not a candidate for Cologuard. A former HS classmate died fairly young after a bowel perforation during a colonoscopy. I haven't mentioned it before in discussions on the subject because I don't want to scare people away from colonoscopies- colon cancer is an ugly way to die. I'll continue with colonoscopies as long as they're recommended.

 

[mountainsoft]

I look at it as a risk vs reward situation. If my doctors say the annual stool test provides a reasonable detection rate that's good enough for me. Yeah, a colonoscopy may discover more issues than the stool test, but where do you stop? If you look hard enough you're gonna find SOMETHING wrong somewhere. Do I get blood tests for every possible disease or health condition? Do I get a CT scan to make sure I don't have a tumor on my brain. Do I get an MRI to make sure something isn't lurking in my body? Do I get an ultrasound on my heart or arteries to make sure I don't have a blockage developing somewhere? Do I get DNA testing to see if I'm likely to get a genetic health condition?

Obviously any of these may be valid tests in certain situations. But I'm not one to go looking for trouble if it's not impacting my life in some way. I could have a squeaky clean colon and still die from some other cancer I didn't screen for. Be cautious but enjoy life. We all die from something.

 

[MRG]

I'm guessing that with my history of polyps (one found the first time, two the next), I'm not a candidate for Cologuard. A former HS classmate died fairly young after a bowel perforation during a colonoscopy. I haven't mentioned it before in discussions on the subject because I don't want to scare people away from colonoscopies- colon cancer is an ugly way to die. I'll continue with colonoscopies as long as they're recommended.

Yes! My oldest sister waited till she was past 70 and was diagnosed with colon cancer. Surgery and I'm sure she's have more tests..

 

[redduck]

I used the dog's. No questions asked

But, maybe the next time you use the dog's and it shows up positive. What do you do then? Guess you could go in and have the colonoscopy and get dewormed at the same time. I imagine that the insurance would pay for the deworming portion of the procedure.

 

[omni550]

When I was in for an office visit for another issue last October, as it had been a while since my last colonoscopy ,my doctor suggested Cologuard.

We discussed Cologuard a bit as I was unfamiliar with it.

My doctor (in her late 50s) says Cologuard testing is what she is planning to do for the rest of her life, providing she keeps getting "no cancer detected" results. I figured if it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me.

omni

 

[zinger1457]

How's your Vitamin D levels?


https://www.npr.org/sections/health...in-d-really-protect-against-colorectal-cancer

It's been clear for many years that vitamin D helps keep bones strong, but studies have been inconclusive and conflicting about the vitamin's value in protecting against certain cancers, including colorectal cancer.
Now a large international study provides the strongest evidence yet that vitamin D may indeed be protective against colorectal cancer and that a deficiency may increase the risk of this cancer. The findings appear Thursday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

"For both men and women, deficient levels of vitamin D were associated with a 30 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer," says Marji McCullough, a nutritional epidemiologist with the American Cancer Society and study co-author. People who had higher circulating blood levels of vitamin D, above the range deemed "sufficient," had a 22 percent lower risk, she says.

 

[Potstickers]

I'm wondering if Cologuard would be an appropriate test after age 70 when the colonoscopy is no longer recommended for screening.

(I, too, know a gentleman in his 80's who came close to dying after a perforated colon during a colonoscopy. While he didn't die, he wasn't ever his previously hale and hearty self. I think I get one more colonoscopy and then it is looking for other options, just due to age.)

 

[Rianne]

I'm wondering if Cologuard would be an appropriate test after age 70 when the colonoscopy is no longer recommended for screening.

(I, too, know a gentleman in his 80's who came close to dying after a perforated colon during a colonoscopy. While he didn't die, he wasn't ever his previously hale and hearty self. I think I get one more colonoscopy and then it is looking for other options, just due to age.)

I am 60, never had a colonoscopy. Did Cologuard in 2016 and will do it again in 2019. My insurance did not cover it in 2016, but it does now. My mantra is avoid surgery at all costs. June 3, 2018 an international study concluded that chemotherapy is unnecessary for early stage breast cancer. 70,000 women had chemo unnecessarily because the science was not conclusive yet. I turned down chemo in 2011 for BC. I believe the science has not caught up with the value of Cologuard. IMHO