Colonoscopy 101

The first couple of times I had a colonoscopy I had to drink that horrible jug of “goquickly”. The pharmacist told me to drink it cold because it goes down better. My surgeon also said I could suck on some candy with the drink as long as it wasn’t red or purple. The liquid was very hard to get down, especially the last two glasses. Then the last two colonoscopies that I have had, he said I could take a bottle of MiraLAX; mix it with two, 1 quart bottles of Gatorade. That worked so much better for me. I would pour me a cold glass of the mix then drink it with a straw to get it down quickly.

Thankfully, I have never had any polyps. My dad died of colon cancer and his colon rectal surgeon recommended that we be checked. I was 43 when I had my first colonoscopy.

 

Do you remember what the pills are called, Thomas? My gastro doc always says he only prescribes that nasty "Go-Litely" stuff.

 

For years I believed that my dad had died of colon cancer, but it turned out that he had a metastasis of melanoma to his colon. So even though it was cancer in the colon, it was not "colon cancer." I didn't even know that was possible until a couple of years ago.

And I suppose this is a good place for this info... I recently read on another forum that a poster had used the "Cologuard" at home test and it came back positive. So then they had to have a colonoscopy after all. Their insurance refused to pay for the colonoscopy because they had paid for the Cologuard test. Apparently they only pay for one colon cancer screening annually and if a patient uses the at home test then the insurance company won't pay for the followup colonoscopy if needed.

I suppose the Cologuard test is really kind of a waste (so to speak.)

 

That sounds like bad insurance. The Cologuard is supposed to save the insurance companies money by avoiding unnecessary colonoscopies, but if the DNA test comes up positive, colonoscopies are needed to confirm and do biopsies. There ARE false positive Cologuard results. Otherwise, make the insurance pay for the colonoscopies every time.

 

I do not know why they call that nasty stuff Go-litely. No strolling to the bathroom or going light about it. That is why we dubbed it go-quickly.

When I asked about taking pills for the colonoscopy, my gastro surgeon said the pills are big and there are a lot of them. You have to drink lots of water, more than normal. And after a while, it gets hard to swallow the big pills. But I think no matter which a person chooses, it all gets hard to swallow after a while.

 

I suppose it is bad insurance, but it happened this way. I'm not sure anyone can "make" the insurance pay for anything that they deny coverage. According to their website, Cologuard results are only 92% accurate at best.

 

I can swallow just about any size pill, but I have a terrible gag reflex with that slimy liquid. My doctor refused to order pills so I refused to have the colonoscopy. I had one about 12 years ago and had no polyps or anything, so I don't know if I'll ever have another one.

 

The LESS medical world touches me, the better. I believe I do good with what I TAKE for prevention and for good health.

My dear Mom, I believe, was given a ton of cancer drugs and radiated the hell out of her bottom, as she said she had blood in her stools...I've been thinking for some time, many have blood in stools and it's a constipation issue, she had constipation most of her life....poor woman in early 80's I BELIEVE was lied to and deceived...and Pharma made some bucks on what they did.....


I over my life had some "red" blood in my stools and no more since I've worked to eliminate constipation issues and dry stools.....Mom did not know what she had to do and neither did I for many yrs.

 

I’m pretty sure it is this stuff.
https://www.ccalliance.org/blog/prevention/new-colonoscopy-prep-tablet-approved-fda

 

I'm 70, which is 25 years past the time we're told to start getting colonoscopies. I've never had one & it's unlikely I ever would.
My parents never had them, either. My dad died of a fall at 88. My mom at 85.
I also read an article from a retired doctor who said polyps are a normal part of aging & it's best to leave them alone.
Of course, everyone should do whatever gives them confidence.

 

There is what they call a [fit test] which Is a home test for hidden blood in the stool [EZ Detect] This will tell you if there is any blood in the stool which is an indication of a problem. So you do not need a garden hose shoved up you ass looking for a problem you do not have and possibly getting killed in the process. These are Do It Yourself tests. Take control of your health

 

I remember reading somewhere recently that home test kits have a high degree of false positives. The person saying it implied that manufacturers prefer to error on the side of “detecting” something that isn’t there rather than missing something that is. Makes sense with all the liability issues in medical care now.

 

I've put off doing one, because they require someone to go with you and stay with you while you are there. There are some places (few) that will do one without putting you under anesthesia. Then they don't require a babysitter. I'm past the age now where it's recommended. No family history.

I asked my GP about the home test, and he sort of muttered something to the effect.... "then you'd just have to get a regular colonoscopy done anyway." I didn't press him, but got the impression there are a lot of false positives with the home kit.

Both of these issues involve liability concerns. What do they call it, CYA?

I think I'll start a business taking people to colonoscopies. It might save lives. But then I'd have to CMA, in case something went wrong.

 

The home tests (non-prescription) that I know about are just tests for blood, which can be triggered by hemorrhoids and bloody meat in the diet. The more sophisticated stool tests look for DNA associated with tumors. Both tests have false results both ways. If you have a family history or a high risk for other reasons, neither of these tests are much good. If you are low risk with no history of hemorrhoids, either one may be useful.