Thanks for sharing that. If nothing else I might even mention it to the people I end up talking to. They might even be willing to start something similar?
I’m in Pittsburgh & willing to help if I’m free. If I remember correctly the general area you’re in, it’s within a reasonable distance. Please send me a PM.
You are very generous. Thank you.
PM sent.
And there you go!
And @Ellecram, old_wench is renowned among Mumpers for being a venerable conversationalist, so you’ve struck gold.
I love a good conversation!
Thank you all for your help and kindness.
Thank you!
Before my Mom was diagnosed, I was on the 5 year plan based on her father’s colon cancer. I did my first in 2020. Mom was diagnosed at the end of 2023, and I had my second colonoscopy in early 2024. I’m on the three year plan until further notice, likely as long as mine come back clean.
My GP is opting to do the fecal tests in the “off” years.
Mom’s cancer was very aggressive - she diagnosed based on symptoms less than three years after her most recent colonoscopy. I’m happy to do all the screening anyone thinks is appropriate.
My experience is that it is surprisingly common for medical facilities to hand down instructions with zero care for any difficulties that might be imposed.
Not all places do this, but too many.
Exactly.
Statements I have faced:
“Have one of your kids take time off work”. Um… never had kids
“You really don’t have any family around here?” No, I really don’t.
Those are the two that stand out. I’m a childless widow who lives alone and has no family closer than 750 miles since my sister moved even further away to be near her kids and grandkids.
“Why can’t your sister come out here to help you? Maybe she’d like the trip?” My sister is on a heart transplant list so travel is problematic, from her frail health to, oh yes, not wanting to miss out on an organ by being most of a thousand miles away from her home base.
Fortunately, I have friends and am part of a community that has, so far, somehow managed to have someone free when necessary. And, for my most recent thing, I’m OK with having surgery under just local without sedation so I could drive myself to and from but that’s not possible for everything, just some things. Not that driving oneself home just after surgery is in any way fun, it’s much better to have a chauffeur.
They can also usually get the information they need from a colonoscopy. The last time I heard of someone having a barium enema, they were there to have a scope, and when that was over, they were going to be awakened and taken a large dose of chalk, ahem, the OTHER way.
I had a barium enema a couple of years ago specifically because I couldn’t have a colonoscopy (plavix) and my insurance wouldn’t pay for a virtual colonoscopy
Huh. I guess that could be a major issue. If they’d found something, I wonder what they’d have done? Say “Looks like cancer, but too bad, we can’t cut it out because of the Plavix” (joking, mostly, I’m sure there are protocols).
Makes me extra glad I got mine out of the way last month. I’ve got unrelated surgery in a week, and I wanted the scope done before the surgery. I’ll have, at a minimum, heparin at the time of surgery and possibly additional anticoagulants to take at home after - all of which would have potentially delayed the colonoscopy;.
My guess is that if something was found, either the cardiologist would have let me come off the Plavix for the week or so that’s recommended or the gastro would have done it even while I was taking Plavix , depending on the risk of a cardiac even vs the risk of cancer.