somemom

I agree with Helenbeck- a likely very expensive screening test (so the chances of anything being wrong are probably slim for most of us) versus paying that tuition,, or the wisdom tooth extraction that must be done, or ever the mortgage makes it likely that many people will put off colonoscopies and other screening exams

missypie

Does anyone know if researchers are working on a much less expensive screening tool? Compare it with the puff of air in the eye for glaucoma...quick, no prep and part of every visit. Again, the mamogram, quick and relatively inexpensive. Lots of things can be caught with blood tests. They've just got to come up with a screening method for colon cancer that is not so expensive and time consuming. (But I guess we should be grateful that there IS a screening test at all.)

Here'a a question: On House, Dr. House will order a colonoscopy and you'll see them doing it in the next scene, supposedly minutes later. Are hospital patients somehow able to avoid the prep, or are medical folks who watch that screaming at the TV because there's no way they could do one that quickly?

BalletMom

Hoping for a good outcome for your MIL, waiting for biopsies etc is stressful. But please don't be too mad at her.....colonoscopies are a screening tool......that does not mean that just by having one every 10 years you will not develop colon cancer! For one thing, not all polyps that are removed by colonoscopies would ever be cancerous (there is a chance, but most are benign). People can do everything (preventively) that their doctors tell them, and still get cancer. And then there are those (like some lifelong smokers) who do not. It is not necessarily someone's fault that they get sick, but it is really sad if the person thinks that it is.

frazzled1

I don't know about colonoscopies specifically, but my h, an MD for 30 years, can't watch any medical shows on TV without yelling at the television. Certainly anything that happens almost instantaneously is a figment of the screenwriter's imagination. H has never seen a medical show he thinks even approaches reality. Then again, why would we tune in to watch people collecting dust waiting for their appointments?

Virtual colonoscopy is now an option in many locations, with these drawbacks: MD can't remove a polyp or take tissue samples, so if he sees something you have to go through the real deal anyway. The smaller polyps are more difficult to see. And you still have to prep.

missypie

I know a lot more people who have had breast cancer than colon cancer, so I worry a lot more about that. After every mamogram I think "so what if the breast cancer starts growing tomorrow?" (I know there is self-exam, but you know what I mean.) A woman I know who thank the Lord survived a very aggresive form of breast cancer was diagonosed three months after her annual mamogram.

BunsenBurner

"Does anyone know if researchers are working on a much less expensive screening tool?"

Not sure if this is less expensive, but at least it seems to be less invasive (still will need the prep!):

Capsule endoscopy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Capsuleny - Capsule Colonoscopy

Olympus - Image Quality

Unfortunately, in their current state, capsule colonoscopies did not compare favorably to the traditional ones:

http://fightcolorectalcancer.org/unc...ow_sensitivity

ucsd_ucla_dad

BulletandPima:

I could have used you to whack me with that bat since I waited longer than I should have to have the test done due to family history as well as age. Luckily, the test turned out okay. I was reluctant for the same reason most people are but as other posters stated, it wasn't as bad as I thought it'd be. Not eating much for a while doesn't bother me so I prepped for the prep by eatiing lightly leading up to the prep. The prep wasn't the most pleasant experience in the world but it wasn't anywhere near as bad as I expected it to be. The procedure itself was essentially a non-event since I was out during it.

Speaking of the bat - make sure you and especially Bullet, now that he has a family history of it (and there are genetic tendencies with this disease) have it done as well.

I think if they need to do it on an emergency basis they resort to the use of enemas to clean out the bowels.

I'm sure it's being worked on. There's now a virtual colonoscopy available but that also requires the prep, I've heard it can be less comfortable since they don't sedate but still fill you with air, and if they find a polyp need to go in with the colonoscope anyway to snip it out.

In addition there's an occult stool test to detect blood that could be an indicator but the presence of blood could also be the result of other causes and if it's due to colon cancer, could well be detected later than ideal.

I've read the reports on the 'camera pill' swallowed which can photograph it's travels which could eventually prove useful.

The good news is that colon cancer is almost 100% avoidable with proper screening and polyp snipping and is generally a slow growing cancer that if caught early has a high success rate of being cured. The bad news is when one waits too long for the detection.

downtoearth

I got a huge headache after colonoscopy, I think from the dehydration of cleaning out process. i hated the prep dont remember the procedure. it is hard to have all these procedures especially undesirable and easy to put them off for another day. Especailly if you feel fine. Hoping the news is better than you expect.

Mom2M

I hope the news for your MIL is good...it can be exhausting waiting for results.

I have a colonoscopy every two years....the new prep is so much easier than the old, much less stuff to drink, etc. All in all, it's a long day and a half, but managable. Stock up on Gatorade, eat something light when you first get home (I prefer homeade chicken soup with orzo), and sleep/rest as much as possible. My situation is complicated by unusual reactions to every sedation my doctor has tried--it's coming up on attempt number 11 to get through the "after procedure" part of the day without being sick. But really, it's very managable.

AnudduhMom

Huh, well, I don't think I will ever do one of these tests, I also don't do mammos or self-exams. Just cancelled a second appointment to have "suspicious" moles removed, after the first one was cancelled. And I have pretty good health insurance.

You know what, we all have to go sometime. I am not a big fan of living to age 100. When I worked in a "health-care facility" (but nobody ever "recovered") I thought this is a fate worse than death. I don't think death is the end anyway.

Life. It's 100% fatal. Your Results May Not Vary.

mimk6

The camera capsule procedure still requires a cleansing process which is what most people dislike. And it can't be used for people with illnesses such as IBD due to the risk of it becoming obstructed in a narrow passageway. I need to go in and am planning to do so. I had an awful experience last time -- some kind of bad reaction to the solution for the cleansing. I felt like I was dying that night -- my body hurt, my head felt like it was going to explode and in the a.m. when I got there, my blood pressure was dangerously low and they had to pump fluids into me. So I'm a little bit nervous about how I'm going to go through the process. I don't think I can take the same stuff -- the doctor said a small percentage of people react as if they have been poisoned and I was one of them. Plus, he medicated me lightly because he was nervous after the whole BP thing and I woke up in the middle of it and felt like I was being stabbed and freaked them out because I started moving.

swimcatsmom

Trouble is you may not die as quick as you think and you may suffer. My FIL had the same attitude and when he did develop colon cancer had symptoms but did not tell anyone, thinking he would die from it, until the pain got so unbearable that he had to. He did not die but has had an ostomy bag for the last decade plus a few years. That along with some other health problems (stroke being one of them) makes his life pretty miserable.

anneroku

Colonoscopy without sedation is common in Europe and Asia:
AMNews: Jan. 12, 2009. Study supports use of no-sedation colonoscopy ... American Medical News

I have not had one yet but when I told my doctor I was reluctant to be put to sleep for this, she recommended just being awake. I didn't know that was an option, but later learned that a friend in another state and her doctor husband always have it done like this.

mimk6

Well, what woke me up was the worst pain I've ever felt. It happened when he "turned a corner" so to speak in the intestine. It can be painful.

poetsheart

I had a similar rude awakening the first time I had a colonoscopy. But that's because I have what my Gastros have always told me was "an extremely redundant colon". The last one told me I must have at least two more feet of colon than the average person, and it all has to fit in there somehow, ergo, all the added twists and turns. Lovely.

As a result of my colon redundancy, they've never been able to snake the tubing all the way through. (I've had 3 so far, due to a family history of colon cancer on both sides---Mother's father and father's mother). During my first procedure, I was in a happy drug induced La-La Land until the scope hit an extremely tight hair-pin curve, and tried to poke it's way through. You'd better believe I woke up then---LOL! Since then, I always take great pains to let the Gastro know that they've never yet been able to scope my entire colon, and that he's/she's (last one was a she) not likely to do so either. The problem with them not being able to scope the whole colon is, they then have to fall back on viewing the rest of it with the old fashioned, and less accurate, barium enema procedure. God, that's uncomfortable!

They removed three small polyps last time from the sections to which the scope had access. Since then, I really worry about what would happen if there were polyps in the section they can only image via the barium procedure---suppose the barium test misses them? Last time, I went almost 5 days eating virtually nothing, because of the 24 hour prep required for each procedure, which were scheduled 48 hrs. apart. That was fun. I was weak near unto passing out.

I think I'll do what someone else here suggested: start to pre-prep for the prep. I'll restrict my calories to a few high fiber, low fat foods for the most part, and purge as much as I can naturally. That way, I might not have so much to get rid of when it's time to drink the nasty stuff. I have to be screened every 3 years, instead of every 5.: ( But, I'll do it! Next month, my H has his first one, so I'll get to be his coach and moral support for a change.

Pima, I'm so sorry to hear about your MIL. I do understand the urge to whack her one because of how much pain it's causing Bullet. He'll be in my prayers, as well as you and the MIL. Bullet is such a good son, father and husband. I hope his mother has the best possible outcome from all of this. Hang in there and keep us updated.

I don't handle the prep very well. Last time, I was prescribed the prep that requires that you only drink half the amount of the traditional solution. But, I couldn't even keep all that down. Threw up about half that amount, and was given fleets to finish the job. It's almost time to schedule another colonoscopy, and I'm not looking forward to it in the least. Beats colon cancer, though. My Mom's dad suffered terribly from it before succumbing at age 54. I'll never forget the horror of seeing, at age eleven, the colostomy bag he had to wear.