Colonoscopy, thoughts?

Jules said:
The flavours of the ‘stuff’ have improved and you don’t start drinking it until later in the day and into the night.
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I thought of mentioning this, too.
They changed the specified and okayed liquids, some years back, and the present ones are not as awfully bad, as the ones they used to use.
 

I had a Colonoscopy done about 7 years ago. Not sure if I will have it done again. As someone else posted, the prep is AWFUL. However, I like the fact that I was cleaned out.. I felt 2 lbs lighter...lol. I have a doctor friend and ask her do she get them, she said no... we leave that for yall to get. However, I do understand why people get them.
 
Ladybj said:
I had a Colonoscopy done about 7 years ago. Not sure if I will have it done again. As someone else posted, the prep is AWFUL. However, I like the fact that I was cleaned out.. I felt 2 lbs lighter...lol. I have a doctor friend and ask her do she get them, she said no... we leave that for yall to get. However, I do understand why people get them.
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There are 2 rather different colonoscopies, the short form, just does the first half of your colon, but if you have a family member who has or had colon cancer you get the full one. Sure the prep is no fun but colon cancer is whole lot less fun!
 

My wife and I have both declined to have the procedure. Neither of us has a family history of colon cancer. Not only does the prep sound like more fun than either of us would like, there is concern about something going wrong like a perforated colon. While it may seem like a small risk to many, where I live there is only 1 person that does the procedure and we know 2 people who came out of it with a perforated colon--anecdotal yes, but we live in a town of 180 people. Don't like those odds. The doctor stated about a 1 in 500 chance. Traveling to a major city and having a specialist do it, someone who does them all the time, would improve the odds, but then there is the out of network thing.
 
My local hospital called just this morning to book my procedure for a few weeks time. This is an appointment made for me by my primary GP, due to abdominal pain I've been suffering for a long time..not just a casual check up...believe me I've had this procedure before, and if I didn't have to have it I wouldn't...

They explained I can opt not to be sedated, which will enable me to drive myself home, instead for the last 18 months they've been using Gas & air (Entinox).. with great success.
 
hollydolly said:
yes that maybe the case in the USA but here our treatment is free..
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I know things work differently in the UK. How are your doctors and clinics paid?

I am on Medicare, our government insurance for retired people. Pretty much anyone over 65 who has worked is on Medicare here. When I go to the doctor Medicare pays most the bills I do not, and the doctor and others are paid out of the insurance. I had private insurance most of my life, it worked the same way, went to the same doctors, most take Medicare the same as private. So I never have paid much directly, bills always paid by some kind of insurance.

However that does not solve the problem of the medial establishment being a business in it for the money. The more services they sell the more they make. How does this all work in the UK? Do your doctors and hospitals benefit financially from doing things for or to you?
 
Alligatorob said:
I know things work differently in the UK. How are your doctors and clinics paid?

I am on Medicare, our government insurance for retired people. Pretty much anyone over 65 who has worked is on Medicare here. When I go to the doctor Medicare pays most the bills I do not, and the doctor and others are paid out of the insurance. I had private insurance most of my life, it worked the same way, went to the same doctors, most take Medicare the same as private. So I never have paid much directly, bills always paid by some kind of insurance.

However that does not solve the problem of the medial establishment being a business in it for the money. The more services they sell the more they make. How does this all work in the UK? Do your doctors and hospitals benefit financially from doing things for or to you?
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Medical staff , doctors , nurses hospitals ..are all paid from the Taxpayers Dollar, therefore everyone gets treated for 'free'' and the same regardless of age, creed, sex, or ability to pay, and even those who've spent their lives on benefits and never worked or new immigrants, are entitled to the same free treatment that others who have paid high taxes all their lives,

I also have private medical Insurance, as do others who can afford it ... not because I can get better treatment, but because it shortens our wait for serious issues to be dealt with.. however this forthcoming procedure has been expedited for me by my GP.. on the NHS so it will be free..
 
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hollydolly said:
Medical staff , doctors , nurses hospitals ..are all paid from the Taxpayers Dollar
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Ours are also, those doing Medicare work anyway. However they are only paid for procedures and services they provide, so they have the same profit motive as when paid by individuals or private insurance. My recent medical work has been mostly "free" to me at the time. My colonoscopy cost several thousand dollars, Medicare paid all but a small amount, less than $100.
hollydolly said:
I also have private medical Insurance, as do others who can afford it ... not because I can get better treatment, but because it shortens our wait for serious issues to be dealt with..
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For the most part those of us on Medicare are not treated differently from others. However our doctors and hospitals are free to decide if they will accept Medicare or any other form of insurance. In this area most accept Medicare, but not all. I have rarely had to wait long for an appointment, but I don't think being on Medicare was the reason.

My understanding from the medical providers I know is that Medicare pays less for some procedures than others, however being government it requires a lot more paperwork. I am told that providers who do not take Medicare are often more concerned about the paper work than the pay.
 
Our private Insurance cover gets us the best consultants available... quicker.. but many of those same consultants work for the NHS...so if we can afford to wait long enough we can get those Docs without using any of our private Medical Insurance...
No hospital will turn a patient away because they have no insurance or cannot pay for a procedure..
 
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I had my first in 2014. Was pronounced clean as a whistle so I don’t have to have another one till 2024. I didn’t enjoy the prep, but I prefer that to being treated for colon cancer so it was a fair trade off.

I was sedated for the procedure (pretty sure it was Versed) and my son drove me there and then home. I even got a picture of my nice clean colon! 😂💩

My personal health philosophy is one of pro-activity and prevention, so I’m ok with any test I can get (mammography, bone density, skin checks, hearing and eye tests etc) to detect an anomaly before it becomes a health condition.
 
Funny you should ask. I had my colonoscopy the day you posted this thread. the prep wasn't as bad as I expected and certainly better than having to drink a gallon of that chalky stuff they gave years ago. My prep was Suprep, a clear liquid mixed with water. I'm always more scared of having the IV started than the procedure itself. Too often they stick me more than once trying to find a good vein, even after I tell them where a good one is and that annoys the hell out of me. I kind of yelled at a nurse who did that when I went in for my cardiac ablation. Anyway...I digress. Everyone in the colonoscopy unit was wonderful including the first nurse who put me at ease immediately and was helpful when I was changing. She told the IV tech to follow my lead as to which vein to use (Yaaay!). I hurt a bit when the tech stuck me to start the IV but I was happy she got it on the first try. Then the anesthesiologist (Dr. K) came and introduced himself, pleasant man.

My gastroenterologist is excellent...a gentle, caring man. He and Dr. K made sure I was lying comfortably before they got started. The solution he put in the IV to put me to sleep burned a little but I expected that and was out in 3 - 5 seconds. Dr. K woke me up gently about two minutes before the procedure was done. I could see what was being done on the big monitor and that was cool. I felt no pain or discomfort at all. The doctor had found and removed two very small polyps that were not concerning and said everything else looked fine. Someone from his office called the next day to see how I was doing. I was told to call the office this coming Monday.
 
I avoided it like the plague - always turned it down and joked while doing so. Then two years ago my younger sister was diagnosed with rectal cancer. Surgery and chemo... so far she seems ok.

Scared me straight. I called the doctor and scheduled the appointment. It was no big deal. Yeah, you have to drink a bunch of liquid and spend some serious time in the bathroom. Big deal. I need to repeat the test every 3-5 years because of family history.

They way I look at it, if a few stomach cramps and remaining close to a bathroom for several hours is the worst I have to face in order to know I'm clear of what she's gone through, my life is well and truly blessed.
 
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Jules said:
Same in Canada.

Exactly.

The flavours of the ‘stuff’ have improved and you don’t start drinking it until later in the day and into the night. The hell is not as prolonged as it used to be. A few hints - soft toilet paper, baby bottom cream, tasty drinks and jello in the permitted colours.

@charry What are you saying that your husband hasn’t seen from doctors or nurses in years. Doesn’t he go to a doctor?
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No he doesn’t go to the doctors ! He’s a stroke survivor , drs should come to him...
He doesn’t need more suffering !!
 
Jules said:
Same in Canada.

Exactly.

The flavours of the ‘stuff’ have improved and you don’t start drinking it until later in the day and into the night. The hell is not as prolonged as it used to be. A few hints - soft toilet paper, baby bottom cream, tasty drinks and jello in the permitted colours.

@charry What are you saying that your husband hasn’t seen from doctors or nurses in years. Doesn’t he go to a doctor?
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Sorry I don't agree, the stuff is disgusting, I gagged. Talking to another both having had this procedure our doctors treated the prep differently. she is on the mainland, and I am here. Glad it is over, I'm a baby and worried about it for weeks.
 
I’ve had three colonoscopies, and am on a three-year schedule as I apparently tend to grow polyps. My parents never had colonoscopies done, but back then I think lots of folks were buried full of polyps or in undiagnosed early stage colon cancer. The prep is no fun, but at least you’re blissfully unconscious during the procedure. It was nowhere near as nasty as the prostate biopsy I had done. Nature should put stuff in more dignified locations... 🙀
 
I probably would have lost my son if not for the routine colonoscopy he had about 6-7 years ago. He was then about 50, active and in perfect health, as far as we knew.

The colonoscopy showed a polyp, which turned out to be stage 3 colon cancer. No symptoms at all. Thank God, after surgery, chemo and radiation, his 5-year test came up cancer-free. But of course, with cancer you can never be sure it will not return.

He had to have a colonoscopy every year for a few years, but is now on an every-5-years schedule, I'm pretty sure. I always hated colonoscopies like many people and tended to avoid them. But I became a "believer!"
 
I've had a couple of colonoscopies, maybe 3, all told. But I remember my second one especially well as I'm sure some of the nurses did as well. This was the logo on the shirt I wore that day. It was a hit with the nurses but the doctor was less than pleased. Ya just can't please everyone, every time, or so has my experience been.

I-POOPED-TODAY-thumb.jpg
 
I've had quite a few colonscopies to the point I don't worry about them. Usually have a good chat with the surgeon and procedure nurse about this and that. Prep can be annoying but even that I've been able to get through it ok. Taste is not the greatest but way better than the Inka Cola I had in Peru which was not a prep but achieved the same result. first found the stage 3 cancers and a number afterwards to find out where the colon was kinking off and on from radiation. Great diagnostic tool that is life saving and I prefer having this done now then going to the dentist
 
I've had 3 colonoscopies so far. I get them every 5 years because of polyps. My next one is the first quarter of 2022. Except for the first one, I have no problem with the prep. I don't recall the name but the taste isn't that bad.

I have a friend who swears off doctors. Well, as she told me, she was using the toilet one day and she saw blood which scared her. Got checked out and yes, it was rectal cancer. She did chemo and it is in remission for the time being.

Some people just don't like doctors or they don't want to know. I recall my first boss who was a jolly Irish guy. He told me his wife would get on him to see a primary doctor for routine check ups. He ignored her. Well, at the age of 55, he got sick and finally gave in. Was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was a goner in less than 6 months. Obstinate, yes! Preventable, yes!
 
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win231 said:
Which of them were cancerous?
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Actually none they take about ten years to become tumors but he had a heart attack a few months later and as a result lost 80 lbs. So he had a heart attack causing a eight loss that could have given him a heart attack. Irony at it's best.
 
Nosy Bee-54 said:
I've had 3 colonoscopies so far. I get them every 5 years because of polyps. My next one is the first quarter of 2022. Except for the first one, I have no problem with the prep. I don't recall the name but the taste isn't that bad.

I have a friend who swears off doctors. Well, as she told me, she was using the toilet one day and she saw blood which scared her. Got checked out and yes, she it was rectal cancer. She did chemo and it is in remission for the time being.

Some people just don't like doctors or they don't want to know. I recall my first boss who was a jolly Irish guy. He told me his wife would get on him to see a primary doctor for routine check ups. He ignored her. Well, at the age of 55, he got sick and finally gave in. Was diagnosed with prostate cancer. He was a goner in less than 6 months. Obstinate, yes! Preventable, yes!
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I had to buddies die of colon cancer and neither ever had a colonoscopy. One was 50 the other 72
 
charry said:
I have to butt in fmdog .....excusing the pun ......but the hospitals are NOT full up with people refusing to wear masks , some people just cannot wear them, ! And nobody asked for covid , bless their souls .......my husband is a stroke survivor , and in a lot of pain, but not heard from any drs or nurses for a few years now.........but life goes on !!
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OK, but I have yet to seen anything that is the stat on the number of people that cannot wear masks. I'll wager the ratio is 10,000 to 0.001
 

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