Had one of those a few years ago and the only bad part was the night before, with all the nasty-tasting stuff you have to drink, pooping all night, and of course not being able to eat, or even drink anything except clear liquids. Procedure itself was under light anaesthesia, I remember nothing of it. Took the rest of the day off, but that was just to be sure I was fully recovered from the anaesthesia before driving. No big deal IMHO. FWIW, the “virtual” kind shares the exact same prep, and has the disadvantage that if anything’s found, they have to start over for the real one to deal with it. With the real kind, if they see something fixable, like a polyp, they just take care of it right away while they’re “in the neighborhood” already.
Been through two, and I agree with A.R. Cane. The prep is the worst. The prep for the last one left me pretty feeble for the day of the procedure, but I was fine the next day.
FWIW, I’ve woken up a little during each procedure. I had some cramping, but it’s more like having bad gas than anything else.
They found polyps that needed to be removed both times for me. (My mom died of colon cancer.) It’s a bad death.
Get the procedure done. It’s not that bad.
Along with the Turtle Wax and Rice-A-Roni. I didn’t take the home game, though.
Ah yes, nothing else in the procedure quite so astounding as the resultant butthole filibuster.
They’re a piece of cake. Don’t drink the gallon of salty crap if they give that for your prep. The phospho soda works well enough and is a lot more tolerable. Going without solids for a day is a bit of a nuisance but if you keep yourself busy it isn’t a big deal.
I stayed alert all through mine, watched it on tv and saw them clip off a polyp, drop it, and then go looking for it. I thought it was kind of neat to see my own insides live on television. And when you’re done, you fart and they don’t smell. What’s not to love about that?
What’s the recommended age for your first one?
Some years ago I was scheduled to get one, but I cancelled it figuring I’d rather die ('cause ya gotta die anyway one day) rather than have someone stick something up there and look around.
Dignity matters.
Sorry you see it that way. My mother died of colon cancer, and there was nothing in the least bit dignified about it.
But what they don’t seem to grasp is: yes, it’s more expensive up front, but it does a better job and detects more, thereby allowing you to head diseases off at the pass instead of letting them get settled in. Once the disease is in place, it costs them a helluva lot more in the long run.
According to the Preventive Services Task Force, for screening for colon cancer, people should begin having them at 50: Clinical Guidelines and Recommendations | Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
I consider this the way I regard Pap tests and mammograms; it’s uncomfortable and undignified to put up with, but preferrable to dying much more unpleasantly of a type of cancer that can be treated if it’s caught early on.
I hope that’s a bad joke. Dead is dead and dignity doesn’t matter after that.
I must say, that’s a very immature statement to make. I surely hope you have no family dependent on you. You’d rather risk cancer than go through a common medical procedure? Jeez, man, it’s not like the doctors have never looked inside a colon before. Yours, as much as it may be hard to admit, is nothing special.
I’m with kunilou. I watched my mom die of colon cancer, and it’s a BAD death. Took 3 years to kill her completely.
I’m sorry All; I didn’t mean to sound flippant. I’m not a brave guy by any means, and so I’m sure I’d wished like hell that I’d gotten one if I do come down with the disease. But in all honesty I’ve never liked this world ever since the first week I was in it and realized what a big lie it was/is.
Sounds like a missed colonoscopy is the least of your problems, then.