Notes on My Colon Cancer • Hacker News Board

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#61

Post by deepspace » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:34 AM UTC

mkuklik wrote: post #51

graeme wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recommend anyone considering this to ask your doctor about using a sedative instead of general anesthesias. As best I can tell general anesthesia for colonoscopy for low risk appears to be a cultural custom especially prevalent in the northeastern USA. Anesthesia has many more possible side effects than sedatives and ought to be avoided unless needed (this applies to any unneeded treatment). Plus if you’re awake you…

I've got it done without sedatives 10 years. It was quite a ride. They went only half way and I had enough. It was literally a gut-wrenching experience.

Funny, I am considered high risk and have had it done annually for about 15 years. None of my doctors ever mentioned a sedative as an option, let alone anesthesia. And it has never been a big deal. The risk associated with anesthesia is way too high to justify it for this kind of procedure.

Once every few years they find a suspicious polyp and snip it of / cauterize the wound, all with just local numbing. Still nothing worse than stubbing a toe, and certainly not worth the risk of using sedatives.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#62

Post by geerlingguy » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:39 AM UTC

Colonoscopies are both terrible and awesome at the same time, but you can make it go a lot smoother (pun intended) by avoiding tons of hard to digest food in the two days leading up to the prep, and being very hydrated on prep day.

Alas, I don't have a colon any more, but when I did, I wrote: https://www.jeffgeerling.com/blog/2017/colonoscopy-or-mount-...

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#63

Post by knz » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:42 AM UTC

flowerlad wrote: post #39

Nots on da Vinci robot: High-tech surgical robots aren’t an improvement over traditional operations. [1] For some patients, the robots may be worse. [2] and [3]. [1] https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/11/health/robotic-surgery-ca... [2] https://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/09/new-concerns-on-ro... [3] https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/health/salesmen-in-the-su...

Not to discredit the potentially valid concerns of these articles but it's not quite accurate to say these aren't an improvement.

I'm a few weeks out from a robotic assisted surgery related to kidney cancer and the recovery time is significantly shorter in duration (6 weeks instead of 3-6 months) than the non robotic surgery. My understanding is that the DaVinci surgical robot also allowed them to be more precise with how much tissue they removed as well.

Hopefully the medical community can get a better sense of when it's appropriate to use such technology but it would be a mistake to dismiss the benefits because of misuse by some surgeons.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#64

Post by diebir » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:42 AM UTC

Something to note. You do not have to be "sedated" for colonoscopy. I have had two and requested no sedation for the last one. It is mildly uncomfortable, but not painful.

The "sedation" is not really anesthesia, but rather a drug that messes with your short term memory (and makes you goofy). If you don't like the idea of somebody messing with your brain circuitry, ask not to be sedated.

Do get the anesthetic though.

As a cancer survivor, paranoia saves lives. If something seems out of order, go see a doc.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#65

Post by cableshaft » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:42 AM UTC

I've had the blood bit off and on (mostly off lately, but it happened again recently for a day), but I've always been told by doctors that it's just hemorrhoids, I'm too young to get cancer.

Then Chadwick died, and I'm like, man, he got diagnosed with Stage 3 the same age I am now, and I'm in terrible shape compared to him.

I'm thinking I should probably get a colonoscopy next summer, after this wave of Covid dies down again. Wouldn't be surprised if I at least have some pre-cancerous polyps.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#66

Post by schoolornot » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:43 AM UTC

crehn wrote: post #43

stevecalifornia wrote: post #5

Fellow readers: Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy. Do not avoid it-- in fact, look forward to it. They are easy and painless. Waking up from the anesthesia I felt more relaxed than I ever have in my life. Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system and you'll feel like a new person. I think the prep cleared out whatever it was that was causing us to investigate my digestive system in the f…

Also propofol is fun. :^)

Burned my hand bad when it went in. Felt like someone took a jackhammer to it, repeatedly.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#67

Post by httpsterio » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:45 AM UTC

JMTQp8lwXL wrote: post #23

stevecalifornia wrote: post #5

Fellow readers: Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy. Do not avoid it-- in fact, look forward to it. They are easy and painless. Waking up from the anesthesia I felt more relaxed than I ever have in my life. Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system and you'll feel like a new person. I think the prep cleared out whatever it was that was causing us to investigate my digestive system in the f…

I didn't know it was painful enough to require anesthetic. Consider me mildly more relieved.

It's uncomfortable but not painful really. I've had a few as I have celiac disease. Let's say that you don't have to worry about choking like with a gastroscopy, which I "luckily" had booked for the same day as the colonoscopy. I've never been sedated or had any anesthesia for either, it's really only the air afterwards that's painful, but that's not worse than when your stomach is upset during a flu or something.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#68

Post by charliebrownau » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:51 AM UTC

Look into Juice Diet, Grape 40 day Diet and Weed cure for Cancer, 3 alt solutions away from Big Phama

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#69

Post by gautamp8 » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:54 AM UTC

Thank you for writing this experience so wonderfully. I can really relate to this journey. Lost my brother to Colorectal cancer 2.5 years back, he was 27 at the time. What happened with Boseman happened with us 15 years earlier(Stage III transitioning to IV). We didn't have any family history of cancer. He was wild type for all kind of known mutations (KRAS, NRAS and BRAF) for the cancer. In simple terms, doctors didn't know what exactly caused his cancer.

I'm also at a good risk of getting it at some point probably. I'm 23 rn, last colonoscopy didn't show any polyps fortunately. Trying to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle. Every cancer writeup is kinda scary for me.

At the time of diagnosis, my brother was going through stressful situations(his startup, personal life), not able to focus much on physical and mental health. I'd like to know if Chris thinks there was something else that triggered/fueled his cancer apart from genetics.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#70

Post by dehrmann » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 5:02 AM UTC

stevecalifornia wrote: post #5

Fellow readers: Do not be afraid of a colonoscopy. Do not avoid it-- in fact, look forward to it. They are easy and painless. Waking up from the anesthesia I felt more relaxed than I ever have in my life. Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system and you'll feel like a new person. I think the prep cleared out whatever it was that was causing us to investigate my digestive system in the f…

> Also, the prep of clearing your system will reset your digestive system

[citation needed], especially because gut flora isn't something you necessarily want to reset.