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

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

#11

Personally I am hesitant to do colonoscopy after a relative had a botched procedure. Just this month two celebrities revealed botched colonoscopies. I hope they figure out ways to make this procedure safer. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/kathy... https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/202...

Nothing you do is risk free.

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

#12

Personally I am hesitant to do colonoscopy after a relative had a botched procedure. Just this month two celebrities revealed botched colonoscopies. I hope they figure out ways to make this procedure safer. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/kathy... https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/202...

My doctor actually doesn't recommend colonoscopy until age 50. But starting at age 40 they have you do the "poop in a box" test instead, and then only have you come in if that shows anything.

The complication rate for colonoscopy is about 3 in 1000, and that is skewed towards people who have polyps, which in and of themselves could be dangerous if not removed.

So it's always a risk tradeoff. You can skip the procedure and risk the effects of the disease it's supposed to detect instead. But if you do the math, you're statistically better off doing the procedure.

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

#13

Personally I am hesitant to do colonoscopy after a relative had a botched procedure. Just this month two celebrities revealed botched colonoscopies. I hope they figure out ways to make this procedure safer. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/kathy... https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/202...

You can do a FIT test instead which can be done at home.

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

#14

Personally I am hesitant to do colonoscopy after a relative had a botched procedure. Just this month two celebrities revealed botched colonoscopies. I hope they figure out ways to make this procedure safer. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/kathy... https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/202...

It is one of the most common procedures and is generally very safe. Even a botched procedure probably just means some temp discomfort after the procedure. Much better than the alternative.

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

#15

Personally I am hesitant to do colonoscopy after a relative had a botched procedure. Just this month two celebrities revealed botched colonoscopies. I hope they figure out ways to make this procedure safer. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/articles/kathy... https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/202...

Those articles don't really say what the "botch" is. Was it the anesthesia? The actual endoscopic examination? Removal of polyps? If its the polyp removal, I can certainly see how that could lead to problems. But you're a little stuck: even if you use another technique to do the scan, you still have to remove any polyps you find, don't you?

yes I've had both a colonoscopy and a sigmoidoscopy (less invasive colonoscopy).

I'm not sure what the botches are here. In the sigmoidoscopy they took out a couple of polyps, in the colonoscopy (more recently than the sigmoidoscopy) they just did a cancer check-up given family history.

I wish those articles discusses the "botches", I'd like to know since from my understanding these are pretty safe procedures

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

#18
> 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

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

#19

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…

> The worst part, by far, was the emptying / prepping.

Protip to those who have it coming up: Ask for the pill prep instead of the "sludge" prep. You end up spending the day on the toilet either way, but at least it doesn't taste as bad with the pills.

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