<p>I had my colonoscopy at 20 years old and we had a problem getting it at first, too. I had to go to a different GI doc, and the insurance refused to cover it even though I was really sick, so I am still making payments four months later and haven’t been able to go back for the follow up appointment because I can’t afford it until I pay off the colonoscopy. I’ve been sick for three years now and I still don’t know what’s wrong-- other than that the colonoscopy apparently looked normal. But the second GI doc was really big on getting the colonoscopy done right away, he said that’s one of the first tests he would have ordered, while the other doc put me through hell doing all different kinds of wacky things and refused to do the colonoscopy and eventually said it was just stress and blew me off. This has not been a pleasant phase of my life.</p>
<p>Scopes here are done by most general surgeons and all the gastroenterologists. Any suggestions on the pros and cons with regard to this? Similarly, would you have strong preferences in regard to having it done in a hospital versus a physician-owned center? It appears some physicians do most of their non-Medicaid patients at their facility and the Medicaid/indigent patients at the community hospital.</p>
<p>^^ I prefer someone with a lot of experience including perhaps having more of an ‘eye’ for recognizing problem areas. Apparently some trouble areas can be missed by those with less experience.</p>
<p>Mine were done by a doctor who’s a specialist in this area at an ‘endoscopy center’ - not a hospital. Since the center specializes in this area I think they were very efficient at handling the patients.</p>
<p>You want someone who does lots and lots of scopes…generally either a Gastroenterologist or a Colo-Rectal Surgeon. Doesn’t really matter where you have it done, though there is a very, very small chance that they can perforate the bowel during the exam and have to rush you into emergency surgery (in which case the hospital is the better place to be). I had mine done at the hospital by a colo-rectal surgeon. But that was largely because I work at the hospital and we employ this particular group of colo-rectal surgeons and these physicians have a reputation among the other physicians as being top-notch.</p>
<p>The reason that so many of these endoscopy centers have sprung up is they are virtual cash cows for the physicians. The reason they send their medicaid and indigent patients to the hospital is medicaid generally doesn’t pay well and it’s a way to shift that cost onto the hospitals. Has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with how much money they make.</p>
<p>Having worked in health care for 20 plus years, I tend to like to have my procedures done at the hospital simply because they are better equipped to handle an emergency. Many health care workers feel that way. But colonoscopies, in general, are considered to be safe and relatively low-risk procedures, particularly in healthy patients.</p>
<p>The particular endoscopy center I went to is across the street from the hospital so if there’s an emergency it’s at least not too far away.</p>
<p>I had my pre-colonoscopy visit this week and I asked the GI doctor if he spent time looking for “flat” polyps. I’d read something about this. He mentioned his rate of finding them and what the range of rates are. So while I’d go with a GI doctor myself, it’s worth asking the rates of finding flat polyps which can eventually become cancerous and where experience counts. I’m not exactly sure how to explain it but he indicated it’s the kind of thing a savvy patient should ask about.</p>
<p>The flat polyps are harder to spot, and if they go undetected, they can become cancerous eventually. That’s my understanding at least.</p>
<p>I had my colonoscopy this morning and I feel good about having done it. I described the horror story that was my last one on the first page of this thread. I’m happy to say that this time was nothing like that. The prep did not make me ill like the last one did. I took four biscodyl followed by a bottle of Miralax in 64 ounces of Gatorade over a period of a few hours. It wasn’t fun, but it wasn’t overly harsh. Because of my experience last time, the doctor chose to have an anesthesiologist present and she gave me propofol and one second I was awake and the next it was over. Other than discovering diverticulosis, which hasn’t bothered me, everything is fine. One other “perk” is that during the visit before the test, my blood pressure was high. I started monitoring it (it was normal at my last physical) and discovered it is a problem which my doctor and I are monitoring and which may need treatment. It might have been many months before I’d have discovered this, time enough for damage to occur. So I feel the test benefited me in an unexpected way. </p>
<p>I can’t urge you enough to do it if you’ve been putting it off. When I was complaining last night about being hungry, my 16 year old son said, “Yes, but you need to do this so you can find out if anything is wrong while it’s early.” That’s the bottom line. Do it. (All grammar mistakes, etc. can be blamed on propofol today!)</p>
<p>My mother died of colon cancer and I had my first colonoscopy at age 44. I go every five years and I will be having one soon. My problem is I tend to gag on the liquid, it is very viscous and difficult to swallow. I drink it and it comes right back up. The second time the Dr. gave me a pill and liquid combo, which was somewhat easier to swallow, but the pill was intense. I hope there is an easier prep this time, but no matter what I am going to get through it. My mother’s death was slow and agonizing and sadly, totally preventable. Please get the test if you haven’t yet done so.</p>
<p>^^</p>
<p>I’m sorry about your mother. I did my colonoscopy last week. I explained it in the post above yours. The powder was mixed into the Gatorade and it was the same consistency and taste of the Gatorade. I have a very sensitive gag reflex. I had a bit of trouble at the end because I felt bloated from so much liquid, but I didn’t have trouble swallowing. The pills were tiny little Ducolax pills.</p>
<p>heartart - see my post #167</p>
<p>A couple of weeks ago, I thought I was having a heart attack and went to the hospital. It turned out that I was having an acute attack of ulcerative gastritis, which I didn’t realize can cause chest pain. It was diagnosed with an endoscopy which was done in the hospital.</p>
<p>In a couple of weeks, I am going in to have my first colonoscopy at the office of the same doctors who did the scope in the hospital.</p>
<p>When my H turned 50, I bought him a colonoscopy for his birthday. We had a high deductible plan that year and I had to pay about $300 out of pocket for it. All of his friends made fun of him, but I heard through the grapevine that a couple of his friends got the same present for their birthdays.</p>
<p>I had my colonoscopy last week. Third one in fourteen years I think (+family hx). I prepped with generic colyte liquid, as the pills didn’t seem to work as well five years ago. I had the Propofol general anesthesia too with anesthesiologist there; this was different from the Versed five years ago and explained as preferred so one doesn’t rouse during the procedure and have to have more Versed , etc. The Propofol knocked me out for quite a while afterward though, so definitely it is general anesthesia and needs more post procedure care by family.</p>
<p>A few tips I discovered for those taking the generic colyte ($5 vs $55 for me):
-mix it up, shake it well and refrigerate it! the salty flavor dramatically lessens and makes it much more palatable (didn’t do this with the first half )
-add crystal lite package for flavoring or gatorade (regretted I didn’t think of this)
-suck on a lime in between drinking it. </p>
<p>Regarding the pills, which the OP said are biscodyl. My GI said he’s moved away from the pills because of rare instances of serious kidney problems. You may wish to ask.</p>
<p>I noticed the permit said a 4% risk of missing a colon cancer. That seems high, but of course I signed it.</p>
<p>Be brave: it’s doable and I prefer it much to sigmoidoscopy which only checks some of transverse and descending colon.</p>
<p>Emaheevul07,
You sound like me about thirty years ago. I’m sorry you are having such a hard time getting to the bottom of your stomach issues. I really don’t understand why your insurance won’t cover the colonoscopy if you have symptoms. I have found that persistence can pay off with insurance companies. If you want to know more details on that PM me.</p>
<p>I don’t know what your symptoms are but when I was in my late teens and twenties, I had terrible problems with a spastic colon. Some foods would make me terribly sick and it really inhibited my desire for a social life. I couldn’t go out to dinner without worrying that I would end up in the ladies room for an hour. I made a great date! lol. I went to the doctor and he set me up for all kinds of torturous tests. Sigmoidoscopy, upper GI, Barium enema (a true delight), etc. They showed nothing. Nor did the eventual colonoscopy that I had. When i got into my thirties the problem cleared up on it’s own. My Gastrointerologist thought it was Irritable bowel and said that sometimes a colonoscopy will actually help relax the colon. That might be what helped me. I’ll never know but it is much better now.</p>
<p>
I hope you at least baked him a cake or something in addition.</p>
<p>I got mine last Dec. I told my doc that she only gets to see where-the-sun-doesn’t-shine, in 5 years. She said no, I don’t need to see her for 10 years for that particular procedure. She sure knows how to deflate the innards. :)</p>
<p>I asked her what about all the colon cancer deaths? Isn’t better to have more screenings?
Apparently the cancer, is slow growing, and there is enough screening now, that the only colon deaths are from those who never do any screening. She said that I’d better be more concerned about my prostate, and see her in two months or go to a specialist. :(</p>
<p>I was told ten years as well.</p>
<p>I have a family history of colon cancer on both sides: My Mother’s Father died of it just shy of his 54th birthday, and my Father’s Mother died of it at 72. It’s been almost five years since my last colonoscopy, so it’s almost time for me to repeat this procedure. I am not looking forward to it! My problems start with the prep solution, which I can never keep down, even when they prescribe a smaller amount, like the infamous “Movieprep”. I also do not tolerate any laxative with a stimulant component, so anything like Dolcolax pills are out of the question. They make me extremely nauseous, and cause me to pass out (I recently was diagnosed with vasovagal syncope, and apparently this reaction is not uncommon in people prone to it.). You have no idea of the panic that grips you as, sitting on the toilet with runny stool, you realize that you are about to both throw up and pass out at the same time.:eek: I’m not kidding on this. (please forgive me the somewhat graphic description.)</p>
<p>My second dilemma is the fact that I have what’s been called “an extremely redundant colon”, which means it has both added length (mine has at least two feet more than the average colon. Oh joy.) and lots more twists and kinks. This also means the scope they use during the colonoscopy only goes so far before encountering a kink it can’t get past. They found two small non-cancerous polyps in that section the last time they did the procedure. .The rest of my colon has to be examined via the old fashioned, and extremely uncomfortable barium enema, which is not nearly as accurate in finding abnormalities as the colonoscopy. The last time I underwent this procedure, the radiologist kept marveling at the redundancy of my colon, and told me it should be a visual reference in a medical text. He kept saying things like, “Wow, even the barium solution is having a hard time navigating the twists in your colon!” “See?”, he’d say, as he pointed out to me the image of my tortured bowel on a monitor on the wall. Then he’d periodically turn to the nurse and say, “Can you believe that?!”:rolleyes:</p>
<p>Also, because my colon is so redundant, and in an attempt to be “thorough”, he kept making me turn over and move around on the table while he tried to take pictures of areas he thought he might have missed. That little balloon they place in the opening of the rectum in order to keep the cannula from slipping out during the procedure makes doing this extremely uncomfortable.</p>
<p>I had to undergo two preps in three days, so they could perform both colon procedures, and the day before the colonoscopy, they’d preformed an endoscopy, which required that I not eat the day before they threaded that lighted scope down my gullet and into my stomach. By the time all three procedures were done, I’d eaten virtually nothing over a five day period. The endoscopy determined that I have both GERD and a hiatal hernia (just like my Dad). I almost passed out from hunger. Given that I’m a diabetic, that might not be the best way to go about these tests…</p>
<p>Well, at least this time, they don’t need to do the endoscopy.:o</p>
<p>^^ Wow PH - mine was easy compared to yours - I hope your next one goes much smoother.</p>
<p>PH,
Someone should have bought you dinner after all that.</p>