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Are colonoscopies worth it?

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Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#61

Post by matheusmoreira »

all2 wrote: post #43
woleium wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If only Semmelweis wasn’t such a strange chap, we’d have been much more further forward now.

I don't know what this means. Can you expand on your statement? Who is this person? What would we be farther forward to ?

Doctors used to perform procedures with their bare hands, sometimes immediately after performing necropsies on dead bodies. This guy made the connection that such contamination was causing post-birth complications such as infections. He had his medical students wash their hands in an antiseptic solution, compiled statistics which showed lower mortality rates, was ignored, started publicly denouncing the negligence of the other doctors and ended up interned in some sanatorium and killed for his trouble.

Doctors used to believe they were such gentlemen their hands could not possibly be dirty and contaminated.

Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#63

Post by woleium »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #61
all2 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know what this means. Can you expand on your statement? Who is this person? What would we be farther forward to ?

Doctors used to perform procedures with their bare hands, sometimes immediately after performing necropsies on dead bodies. This guy made the connection that such contamination was causing post-birth complications such as infections. He had his medical students wash their hands in an antiseptic solution, compiled statistics which showed lower mortality rates, was ignored, started publicly denouncing the negligence of…

It wasn’t just doctors, “a gentleman never washes his hands because a gentleman’s hands are never dirty.” Was the common thought.

NB, not all men were considered gentlemen.

See also surgeons cuffs on coats (blazers), so as to avoid getting blood on one’s clothes when operating, which are still called the same thing today.

Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#64

Post by hackandthink »

This is about people between 55 and 64 years old at the start of the study.

After 10 years:

The risk of getting colorectal cancer is about 1%.

The risk of dying because of colorectal cancer is about 0.3%.

Getting an invitation the study does not change much. Actually getting a colonoscopy helps more (37% reduction in getting the cancer, no data for dying).

Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#65

Post by dehrmann »

atlgator wrote: post #53

My father died of colon cancer at 52, so I've been getting colonoscopies every 3-5 years since I was 22. Yes, that's really early, but in the span between age 30-33, I grew a large polyp. My doctor removed it and it turned out non-cancerous, but if I waited until 40+ to start who knows?

The article theorized that some of the acceptors in the study likely looked at their family history when making the decision. They might not be especially helpful on average, but because of your father, they're much more helpful for you.

Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#66

Post by mikercampbell »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #58

It’s time to share something personal again. When I was 20, I vividly remember being in the bathroom at my workplace when a large amount of blood started coming out. I did what any smart, effective 20yo would do: ignored it because I was embarrassed. Fast forward 10 years, and I’d been ignoring it for a decade. It had continued to happen every few months. Sometimes the blood was so bad I’d have to wait up to 20 minut…

Jesus Christ, next time start with the fact that you’re not one thoracic tumor .

I’m a dude that had GERD but got both ends checked and they found polyps, so I randomly got incredibly lucky.

I was 26, and had less of a fight because of history, but it’s way worth it.

Also, ask about the Miralax option!

Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#67

Post by D13Fd »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #58

It’s time to share something personal again. When I was 20, I vividly remember being in the bathroom at my workplace when a large amount of blood started coming out. I did what any smart, effective 20yo would do: ignored it because I was embarrassed. Fast forward 10 years, and I’d been ignoring it for a decade. It had continued to happen every few months. Sometimes the blood was so bad I’d have to wait up to 20 minut…

> worth the small unpleasantness and major logistical annoyance.

I’ve gone through it twice now. Both times, the most annoying part was the 2 or so hours they make you sit there in a hospital gown with no phone or electronics and nothing to do, while you are starving and uncomfortable and waiting to have the procedure.

I don’t know if it’s like that everywhere. But would it really be that bad to let people hang on to their phones? Why make this more difficult than it needs to be?

Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#68

Post by amrocha »

raverbashing wrote: post #46
nwellinghoff wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Colonoscopy has a big advantage in that they are already in there. If they see anything forming that is pre-cancerous they can take it out before it turns into a problem that would show up on a Cologuard test.

And the big disadvantage that to get there your need to book 2 professionals (?) and take pretty much one day off, and there are risks associated with anesthesia and the procedure itself I don't think it scales (Not to mention the interests of doctors of suggesting things that make them more money) Edit: now I see TFA mentions risk of perforation and that the risk is smaller without anesthesia

In Japan, everyone over 40 gets yearly colonoscopies as part of a general health check up.

That should be a really good source of data, someone should take a look at that.

But what I was getting at is that it can scale.

Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#69

Post by dehrmann »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #58

It’s time to share something personal again. When I was 20, I vividly remember being in the bathroom at my workplace when a large amount of blood started coming out. I did what any smart, effective 20yo would do: ignored it because I was embarrassed. Fast forward 10 years, and I’d been ignoring it for a decade. It had continued to happen every few months. Sometimes the blood was so bad I’d have to wait up to 20 minut…

> The most unexpected thing is that when I actually wanted one, the process took over two years.

The doctors probably thought it sounded more like hemorrhoids, but weren't going to stop you from getting the colonoscopy. Hopefully they at least did a digital exam and gave you recommendations.

When the symptoms first happen, absolutely go to the doctor. Where it gets tricky is when it's probably nothing, but it might be something, and there's a disagreement on if more tests are worth it.

Re: Are colonoscopies worth it?

#70

Post by maxbond »

sillysaurusx wrote: post #58

It’s time to share something personal again. When I was 20, I vividly remember being in the bathroom at my workplace when a large amount of blood started coming out. I did what any smart, effective 20yo would do: ignored it because I was embarrassed. Fast forward 10 years, and I’d been ignoring it for a decade. It had continued to happen every few months. Sometimes the blood was so bad I’d have to wait up to 20 minut…

Thank you for sharing.

I'll share a story to help destigmatize. A few months ago I was taken completely out of commission by GI symptoms, just hours and hours of pain and vomiting. It turned out I had an infection, but the infection caused there to be shapes on my intestine that apparently looked vaguely like Crohn's disease on the MRI (or something, I'm not a radiologist, my understanding is pretty vague. There were bubbles in my intestine from bacterial respiration).

So I got a colonoscopy. And it turns out I'm fine. Drinking the prep isn't my favorite thing, but it's a task that gets done.

If two gallons of salt water and a trip to the doctor is all that stands between you and seeing your daughter's wedding, make it happen and you have nothing to be embarrassed about. Everybody poops and everybody gets a colonoscopy.

I got hemorrhoids afterwards too. Cutting corn kernels (if you know, you know) out of my diet made them go away. Afterwards I could eat them again. Life is strange.

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