Notes on My Colon Cancer • Hacker News Board

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#271

Post by narutouzumaki » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:36 PM UTC

ecmascript wrote: post #115

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…

> They are easy and painless. They usually are, for most people. But for me the first time I did it was the most painful experience ever. So painful in fact that they had to abort it and book me for another time and that time I went under. That was before my surgery and when my intestines were all over the place. That being said, after my surgery in which they corrected the placement of my intestines, it was painless…

How was your 'intestines being all over the place' diagnosed if I may ask?

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#272

Post by dreamcompiler » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:39 PM UTC

m463 wrote: post #236

Starwatcher2001 wrote: post #178

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had a colonoscopy five years ago here in the UK without any anesthesia and it was perfectly fine. Walked into the theatre wearing a gown and a pair of shorts with a flap at the back, and hopped up onto the bed. Somewhat embarrassing with a half dozen nurses standing around various bits of kit and more monitors than NASA. They asked me if I wanted to watch, then angled one of the monitors so I could see what they we…

I had one a few years back and it was amazingly painful. Nonetheless I would choose it over getting knocked out. This may sound like a strange sentiment, but years ago I broke a bone on a weekend and they put my arm in a sling at the emergency room. I got to see a doctor on monday and he said - you have to move your arm. "Move it every day, otherwise you will lose your range of motion. Let pain be your guide". Comple…

The doctor's experience matters a lot here. Try to find one who has done several thousand colonoscopies. Going around the corners in your colon is a potential source of pain, and more experienced doctors do this best.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#273

Post by greedo » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:41 PM UTC

sizt wrote: post #241

OMG. How did we survive without colonoscopies in the past. What people miss is that these treatments are invented by out of work surgeons. In this case, out of work surgeons who used to do open heart surgery but were obsoleted by catheters, statins, and blood pressure medicines. They had to find something to do to pay for the wife's Mercedes. Hey. Guess what we found. Colon cancer ! Anyway, by the content of this thr…

As a colorectal cancer survivor, please just don't do this. You're doing a huge dis-service to the HN community.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#274

Post by voxl » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:46 PM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #131

voxl wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So much "high risk" in this thread, yet its used all over the place in United States and not a single shred of evidence to be found anywhere here...

I did some googling; here's some studies on death rate due to anasthesia: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2697561/ and https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3147285/ ; the latter does highlight that the incident rate has dropped a lot since the 1940's. Another one on "anesthetic awareness", or waking up during the procedure / recalling things without being able to respond, which happens 1-2 times…

Its not my responsibility to look for evidence if you're making the claim.

If you want to come into a thread telling people that are already apprehensive about a procedure "please don't do X its dangerous!" when an _actual_ first google will give you a Mayo Clinic saying its perfectly fine, then you need to provide some fucking evidence.

Your evidence is unconvincing, but good job being condescending.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#275

Post by dreamcompiler » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 4:54 PM UTC

nerdbaggy wrote: post #48

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…

While I’ve never had a colonoscopy I’ve had versed. It makes me all relaxed and forgetful. Seems like it’s the much better option that fentanyl

They're different drugs. You'll definitely want the pain relief Fentanyl provides if you're getting cut open, such as for endoscopic surgery.

(Fentanyl gets a bad rap because it's very dangerous as a street drug. In a healthcare setting it's a wonder drug, superior in almost every way to morphine.)

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#276

Post by dreamcompiler » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 5:00 PM UTC

greedo wrote: post #266

dreamcompiler wrote: post #263

"Not bright red, more like muddy-red." That's the giveaway, right there. Bright red blood on your toilet paper is usually just hemorrhoids. Uncomfortable but treatable and not life threatening. Deep red or "muddy red" blood on your toilet paper means the blood came from deeper within your intestine, and it should always be checked out regardless of how young you are. If your doctor refuses to do so, get a new doctor.

This is highly inaccurate. If you have rectal cancer, the blood will be bright red. The bottom line is that if you ever have ANY bleeding from your anus, or in your stool, visit your doctor immediately. (15 year survivor of colorectal stage 3 cancer)

I said "usually" on purpose. Rectal and anal cancer are real things but they're less common than colon cancer in the general population.

I agree with your advice: Any blood in your stool should be checked out. Don't let your doctor talk you out of it.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#277

Post by jac241 » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 7:09 PM UTC

sharru-in wrote: post #254

jac241 wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great point and I see that commenters above are suggesting conscious sedation (benzos) instead of general, which would probably be propofol in this case. Both benzos and propofol act at the same chloride channel...

I’m an emergency physician and we use all of the above medications with the exception of general anesthesia. Benzodiazepines are considerate anxiolytics whereas propofol would be considered moderate sedation. Neither of these require airway control (intubation) because people tend to keep breathing on their own and we really would much prefer that. With general anesthesia, you cannot protect your airway whatsoever an…

Thank you for the knowledge. I'm an M3 who hasn't had surgery, EM, or anesthesia rotations yet. Probably should have thought about the airway though...

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#278

Post by vharuck » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 7:29 PM UTC

dbcurtis wrote: post #47

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…

> Plus if you’re awake you can actually watch the scope going, it’s cool! Not painful at all. For sure! My first colonoscopy I was sedated and enjoyed watching the screen. In fact, I remember I was making HILARIOUS jokes the entire time. I could not remember them afterwards though. My second colonoscopy my doctor sedated me again, but put me further under for reasons that remain a mystery. Also, a year ago we buried…

>Also, a year ago we buried my brother-in-law at age 53. He was diagnosed stage 4 at age 48. DO NOT DELAY your colonoscopy. I think 50 is too late to wait.

The rate of new colorectal cancer diagnoses has been increasing for those under 50 years old, despite the rate falling for the older population. I don't know if they've narrowed down a major cause. My pet theory is obesity.

The usual recommendation to start screening at 50 is for asymptomatic people with no increased risk. If you have symptoms, family history of colorectal cancer, or enough other risk factors[0], bring up screening with your doctor. As somebody else mentioned, you could do fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) or other non-invasive tests if you're worried about colonoscopies.

[0]https://www.cancer.org/cancer/colon-rectal-cancer/causes-ris...

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#279

Post by hef19898 » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 7:41 PM UTC

namenotrequired wrote: post #213

hef19898 wrote: post #159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same here, I was 28. Started to wonder if that could be connected to Tchernobyl, I was in Kindergarten back then. Since t didn't change a thing for me, I never looked for studies around this, so.

Did you live near?

No, luckily. But in a region in Germany that was quite heavily affected. Enough to still have radiated mushrooms and as a result radioactive wild boar, to level that they have to tested on an individual basis. Most cannot be consumed and have to treated as radioactive waste. Again, no idea if that's true, and I honestly don't care that much really. It's just a curious coincidence, if you ask me.

Re: Notes on My Colon Cancer

#280

Post by sharadov » Thu, Oct 22, 2020, 9:09 PM 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…

Absolutely agree. I got one a few weeks back, the colonoscopy itself was painless, the prep is the worst part. They found some benign polyps, which were removed. Yes, people, if you have a history of colon cancer please talk to a gastroenterologist ( my dad was diagnosed with colon cancer in early Feb and I had to get it asap since it's hereditary) Colon cancer is the most common type of cancer and recent guidelines have changed the age of getting a colonoscopy from 50 to 45.