Had my last colonoscopy 3 years ago. (My first one was 10 years before that.) Several polyps were found and removed. I see the GI doctor May 1 to schedule the next scope. Guess I’m on the every 3 years rotation.
September '23 for me. Next time will be in '28 and they said that it would be the last time, if I didn’t get any symptoms. At that time I’ll be 73 and the chances are that I’ll die of something else, before I can develop cancer from a polyp.
I had one in December of 2016, when I was 49 year old. Everything was good. Am wondering if I need to do it again.
Are you high risk? If not, stool sampling is probably as effective with no risk.
I have a couple of happy colonoscopy experiences to relate. 
I’m male, 71 and live in the UK, so the procedures on the NHS are free (paid for by my previous taxes.)
I had a colonoscopy three years ago (purely as precaution because of my age.)
They found two small polyps and removed them. 
Here’s the full details of my recent one (also just a precaution).
My appointment was for Wednesday lunchtime.
I got a prescription medication called Pluvin in the post the week before.
I stopped eating after Tuesday lunchtime and that afternoon I stirred the first dose of Pluvin into half a pint of water. I drank it in small gulps (it had a lemon flavour) and stayed jolly close to a toilet.
The Pluvin worked perfectly and smoothly (I hardly needed to wipe afterwards!)
Next morning I drank the second dose of Pluvin (mango flavoured) and again had a brief (but intense!) visit - clearly my insides had been cleansed. 
Upon arrival at the hospital, I signed consent forms (apparently the risk of perforation was 1 in 2,000.)
I was offered sedation (gas) but declined with confidence.
I could also choose whether or not to watch the screen. I decided I would have a look.
The tube tickled a bit (they were using gas to gently keep my colon open.)
Everything was fine (it looked healthy to me as well) and there was just one small polyp which was painlessly removed for testing.
I chatted a bit during the procedure (apparently the Japanese invented colonoscopies.)
After the tube was removed, I was invited to have a short rest before departing.
I felt so good that I bought the team some chocolate. 
I hope your experiences are as good as mine.
I’ve heard of navel-gazing - but not from the inside!
I watched the screen. I thought it was really interesting. My 60 yo colon looked a lot older and saggier than my 50 yo colon.
I’m sure you know this, but barium GI “studies” are nowhere near as common as they used to be, especially the notorious barium enema. It’s been years since I’ve even heard of anyone having that done, although I don’t think it will ever be fully obsolete.
Results are back, and are happily negative.
I am still fretting over how to get to and from a possible colonscopy appointment. I had a few cousins lined up but they are not available. I tried contacting visiting nurses to inquire about medical transportation. Not sure how people in my situation address this issue. I am going to ask the clinic when I go for my appointment in May to see if they have any suggestions. It’s frustrating.
Ask if they are willing to do it without sedation. (If you are willing, that is.) If you aren’t sedated, you can drive yourself there and back again. I drove myself both times I’ve had it done.
You can take Lyft or uber to the appt. They require you to be in the company of a before they will release you. In my region they don’t require that person be driving you, just accompanying you safely home, so the two of you could take a Lyft or uber from there.
Medical transport tends to be expensive and the driver doesn’t count as your responsible adult, just as a cab or Lyft driver doesn’t.
Your local Area Agency on Aging might have some resources for you. Here’s a locator page:
I have to figure it out for myself next Wednesday. I’m not dragging my daughter out with a new born baby,
My clinic requires someone to be available during the appointment and will not allow Uber. I don’t think I could go without sedation but that’s an option.
I am not in a serious situation just trying to flesh out options.
I guess I will tell the clinic if they need me to get to this appointment they need to help me out with some ways to get there.
I think I accidentally emailed a visiting nurse association in another state about transportation lol!
It may be that they don’t allow you alone in the Uber. Can someone accompany you?
Fwiw, i found it only mildly uncomfortable, with a brief bit of crampy pain as they threaded the scope around a curve. I’ve had it done twice. The first doctor kinda gave me a guided tour. The second had been a friend of my father’s and we chatted about mutual acquaintances as he threaded the scope in (the more uncomfortable part). He mostly commented on what he saw on the way out, which is when they do the exam.
My immediate family are all deceased except for some cousins. The cousins I am closest to live in Virginia but come to Pennsylvania often. However, 2 of them are having some life issues themselves and one is temporarily living in Norway.
The local cousins are also preoccupied, ill or working. I might be able to scrape together a friend from work (or possibly Facebook lol) but not sure.
I’ll figure it out eventually. It’s just frustrating that there isn’t something more accessible for people in my situation.
How can a clinic require you to have an adult who owns their own vehicle? Millions of people in big cities don’t own a car.
Mine won’t allow you to go home in an uber or Lyft alone, but will if a friend rides in the uber or Lyft with you. Double check with that clinic. If you indeed can’t go in a Lyft or uber with a responsible adult accompanying you, get a different provider.
I’ve heard of places that want your friend/relative there the whole time, that one you might not be able to get around. That’s because too many people’s friends didn’t show up to take them home and then the whole clinic ground to a halt because beds weren’t freed up. Now they won’t start your procedure unless that person is there with you when you come in, because of the no shows.
This is it exactly. I have to have someone with me at the appointment.
I have a car and someone else can drive it. It’s finding a person to accompany me that I am struggling with.
The last one I went to in 2020 I let my cousin drive my car. She had some life issues and is now working full time and not available.
On top of the struggle to find someone to accompany me it brings up all the grief of the ones I lost who might have been here had they lived. It just makes me tired and frustrated so I am ignoring it/procrastinating to some degree.
I ended up being driven home by a fellow volunteer from a literacy program who happened to overhear that I wouldn’t be there for class next week because of the procedure. We hadn’t known each other very long but she remembered how tricky it was for her to wrangle that ride home and just offered.
Mentioning it at work or on FB might just work.
Here in the UK I went to my colonoscopies by taxi (there and back.)
The hospital were fine with that, provided I didn’t have sedation.