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Notes on My Colon Cancer

charlieharrington.com

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Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#141

Post by bitwize »

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…

Bracing for a passel of autointoxication links to bubble to the top of Hackernews, accompanied by anecdata of the form "I started giving myself coffee enemas and my chronic headache/gout/acne simply vanished".

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#143

Post by elric »

You can also get "fecal occult blood tests". Which has nothing to do with the devil, but it's a test which can detect blood hidden in your poo. There are at home test kits. These are as simple to use as dabbing a stick in a turd a couple of times and waiting for the result. Similar to a home pregnancy test.

Our local bowel cancer charity recommends these. If positive, get a colo(no)scopy. If negative, retest in another year or two. These are sent out to everyone over 50 IIRC. They're also recommended to anyone who is younger and possibly at risk.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#144

Post by elric »

dehrmann wrote: post #71
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…

People would be horrified what doctors will do with twilight anesthesia or even just local anesthesia.

How so?

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#145

Post by hef19898 »

dis-sys wrote: post #83
cameldrv wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Second this. There is evidence that anesthesia causes brain damage. This shows up in the data most for babies and small children, and the elderly, where you can see it on IQ tests and chance of dementia. It's more pronounced with multiple surgeries. It may be that it's damaging everyone's brains, but it's just not as noticeable for adults. One study with twins showed about a 1.5 point IQ loss from a major surgery. Of…

It takes 10-15 minutes for a regular colonoscopy, for such short time, does the side effect of anesthesia actually comparable to the "major surgery" that can easily last 5-10 hours you mentioned?

I always get the same stuff Michael Jackson was using. You fall deeply asleep for the duration, wake up pretty refreshed, only downside is that I am usually besides myself for the rest of the day. Good thing you aren't allowed to drive for the next 24 hours.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#146

Post by quietbritishjim »

makach wrote: post #116

God damn it! I get upset when reading this article! The doctor mentioned at the beginning of the article is obviously not doing his job! "Don't worry about it?!" "you don't need another physical exam!?" Making assumptions without examination is incredibly unprofessional and carries with it potential critical consequences. If you have an issue and bring it to your doctor and your doctor fails to follow up with an exam…

Also, he wrote:

> Not bright red, more like muddy-red. Poopy-red.

Hemerroids are usually a very bright obviously blood-like red. I appreciate he wrote the above description with the benefit of a lot more knowledge than he had when he first saw a doctor, but they should've asked about the colour even if he didn't offer it, and that should've raised extra suspicion immediately.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#147

Post by hardlianotion »

graeme wrote: post #31
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…

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…

Very good advice. It seems that it is difficult to ensure sufficient oxygen to the brain under anaesthesia, and the effects are more noticeable in older patients.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#148

Post by hef19898 »

schoolornot wrote: post #66
crehn wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Also propofol is fun. :^)

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

Never had this issue, sure, your hand gets warm and then just dose of. Quite pleasant actually, the rest of the day kind of sucks for me, so. But I do get why people take for non-medical reasons, no idea how you will be able to fall asleep without so, if you use it that way to often.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#149

Post by jsmith99 »

graeme wrote: post #31
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…

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 have ulcerative colitis so have had many many colonoscopies. General anaesthetic is never used in UK but twilight sedation is normal. I refuse this as (after an unpleasant gastroscopy) I can't stand having tubes stuck up my orifices while I'm unable to fully intellectualise what's happening. They're usually happy to give a bit of fentanyl instead.

My experience is that GI doctors enjoy chatting during the procedure but specialist nurses (who often perform minor endoscopies) are usually not very communicative.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#150

Post by rob74 »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #127
thaumasiotes wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In fact, I remember I was making HILARIOUS jokes the entire time. I could not remember them afterwards though. This is the primary purpose of the "sedative". I had samples taken from the interior of my stomach via a machine that went down my throat. It was an intensely unpleasant experience; you're trying to vomit for most of the time the cable is there. Anesthesia was not even recommended, but they really wanted m…

If I recall correctly, "general anesthesia" is actually a combination of multiple drugs with different purposes; some that inhibit memory formation, another to put you to sleep, and another to I guess relax the muscles etc?

Not sure about the drugs, but during anesthesia, you will be completely unconscious, and inhibiting memory formation is a side-effect of that. Sedation is when you are still (more or less) conscious, but relaxed. But between these two terms there are several levels: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sedation#Levels_of_sedation
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