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Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

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Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#111
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My doctor recommended a combination FIT+DNA test instead of colonoscopy (brand name "Cologuard"). She said it's not quite as good as the "gold standard" colonoscopy, but it also doesn't have the risks of colonoscopy. And the FIT+DNA test is so cheap and easy, you can do it every year or three instead of every 10 years with the colonoscopy. She still recommends colonoscopies for high-risk patients, but she thinks the…

Risks? The risks of a colonoscopy are crazy low though.

They are until they aren't. My grandmother had a puncture and almost died

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#112
TLDR from the post itself.

No:

Colorectal cancer is going up in young people.

Yes:

Various kinds of cancer are going up in later generations. (Definitely at younger ages, possibly at all ages.)

Reminder

This blog endorses colorectal cancer screening. We don’t yet know if colonoscopies are better than other methods of screening (sigmoidoscopy, stool tests), but we do know that screening is better than not screening. When caught early, CRC is highly treatable, often with only surgery (no chemotherapy or radiation) and a return to normal activities within a couple weeks.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#113

Seeing young adults around me going through this made me change my dietary habits 1 year ago. I went to the extreme by modern food industry standards, but now: - I take 100g proteins, 30g fibers daily - Red meat once a week but never fried - Most of the protein comes from eggs, yoggurt, chicken and various plant based sources - No white bread - No added sugars, no deserts except fruits - Nothing fried - No added salt…

How do you get enough calories while avoiding fats? What do you usually eat in a day?

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#114
post #17

People should be reminded that colonoscopy is not just a screening, it is also preventative. They often find growths that may develop into cancer, and remove them during the procedure.

Does insurance see it this way? I've had a couple precancerous moles (melanoma in situ) removed, which seems similar, and my health insurance provider billed me more than I was expecting because they didn't categorize it as preventive care.

I did a colonoscopy at 38, because I saw something in the toilet that looked like the lingonberries at Ikea. Everyone was like "Man that seems early" but when I woke up, the doctor expressed some surprise when he told me they removed a couple of polyps.

A week or two later, I got a bill for several thousand dollars, and I just had to roll with it. I believe that in the US, there is a certain age, after which, they're covered.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#115
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m doing it this year. Does the pill work as effectively as the drink?

> Oral sodium sulfate in a single dose has been found to cause increased gastrointestinal (GI) events > Sodium phosphate is no longer recommended as a bowel preparation regimen due to its serious side effects Essentially, put in the effort and do the liquid bowel prep. Consider adding flavour drops to your drink, icing it or turn it into a slushie to make it slightly more interesting to drink. The PEG will make the i…

Essentially, put in the effort and do the liquid bowel prep.

It's not just about effort. I must do the liquid prep due to my Crohn's disease. And while I am able to get the liquid down (as you note, it helps to make it as cold as possible; also, suck on an ice cube before drinking to numb the taste buds), I can't keep it down. Within an hour it has me evacuating from both ends.

For my last test, I barely slept at all the night before on account of the vomiting, and even once I got to the hospital I was lying on the wonderfully cold tile of the floor between rolling over to vomit in a trash can.

They know it affects me badly, but still assess that it's necessary due to my risk factors. And because I'm losing much of the drug due to the vomiting, the prep is poor, so I have to start fasting a day early to ensure that I get sufficiently cleaned out. It's torture all around.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#116
post #85

> We don’t yet know if colonoscopies are better than other methods of screening My Gastroentrologist told me just recently that the stool test (Cologuard) is very accurate but must be repeated every 3 years as opposed to getting a Colonoscopy which should be repeated every 7 to 10 years

What is better? If the stool test can find something that isn't in the colon but isn't as good for things that are in the colon which is better? The important part is both are good, so get one.

What is better? My colonoscopy came with a dose of propofol that made me understand why Michael Jackson went out the way he did. Best sleep I've ever had.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#117
post #36

Had my first colonoscopy 4 months ago, after going for a couple of years with every red flag symptom under the sun. The procedure was a piece of cake. As the standard is where I'm from (Norway), I was only administered some sedatives - but honestly I couldn't feel much difference. I watched the procedure on the screen, which was quite fascinating. The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping. A month prior to…

I didn't actually mind the prepping too much personally. Just to be safe I started early to go on the long end of what they suggested with the diet and basically just ate baked, unseasoned chicken for 10 days. Then did the bowel prep; a lot of people hate the drink, but idk. I thought it was fine. Maybe better to assume it will suck though, that way you at least can't be disappointed. > In the end they nothing was fo…

I overshot their requirements as well. I wanted them to have a clear view.

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#119

Seeing young adults around me going through this made me change my dietary habits 1 year ago. I went to the extreme by modern food industry standards, but now: - I take 100g proteins, 30g fibers daily - Red meat once a week but never fried - Most of the protein comes from eggs, yoggurt, chicken and various plant based sources - No white bread - No added sugars, no deserts except fruits - Nothing fried - No added salt…

> No added salt

Is life even worth living anymore?

Re: Is "colorectal cancer" rising in "young people"?

#120

Had my first colonoscopy 4 months ago, after going for a couple of years with every red flag symptom under the sun. The procedure was a piece of cake. As the standard is where I'm from (Norway), I was only administered some sedatives - but honestly I couldn't feel much difference. I watched the procedure on the screen, which was quite fascinating. The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping. A month prior to…

Yeh if you want to improve the screening rate then someone needs to figure out how to make the prep easier.

There are slow-acting laxatives that you have to drink a lot of and tastes wile but is soft on the intestines, and then there is quick-acting laxative that is easier to get down. The former tends to be prescribed by default, obviously.

If you have no prior intestinal diseases and are in for a routine check, ask for the quick-acting one. You will have to drink the same total amount of liquid, but at least most of it will not be drinks of your choosing.

Also get anal cream, and apply it once before going to the toilet.

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