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The problem with colon cancer is that it has to get VERY large before you get the bloating & constipation from obstruction of the bowels. By then, you're in real trouble...And it's so easy to ignore blood in the stools because benign hemorroids are so common.
The shame is that complicated colon ca can be avoided by regular screening colonoscopy, and that's really so easy to do.
But they do not screen you until you are 50 so. . .
Nothing is stopping someone from requesting a colonoscopy before 50. The degree to which their insurance might cover the cost would obviously be a consideration, but if the person has legitimate reasons for concern and wants the procedure (as followup for positive Cologuard tests for example) their doctor could step in on their behalf. If not, sometimes you just need to open your wallet.
Last edited by Parnassia; 03-22-2023 at 02:08 PM..
Nothing is stopping someone from requesting a colonoscopy before 50. The degree to which their insurance might cover the cost would obviously be a consideration, but if the person has legitimate reasons for concern and wants the procedure (as followup for positive Cologuard tests for example) their doctor could step in on their behalf. If not, sometimes you just need to open your wallet.
I'd hope insurance would cover a colonoscopy for anyone, regardless of age who is showing signs and symptoms of possible colon cancer or inflammatory bowel disease. Insurance might well be reluctant to cover a screening colonoscopy on a person under age 45-50 who is showing no such symptoms, unless that person has a strong family history ( ie, like Lynch syndrome) of colon cancer.
Screening is routine testing on a schedule for pts without symptoms- for colon ca, it starts at age 50, but earlier for those with strong family history of colon ca.
Once you get symptoms-- change in BMs (color, timing, consistancy), pain, bloating, change in taste of food/appetite or bleeding is an indication for colonoscopy as a diagnostic test. Insurance should cover that.
It's been said that colonic ca is occurring more frequently in younger people, but it may be that it's only being found more frequently in the young because we're doing colonoscpy more frequerntly because we're more attuned to the problem.
We've discussed stool guaic and Cologuard before-- good when they're positive to scare you into a colonoscopy, but they miss too many cancers to be really usefull.
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Once you get symptoms-- change in BMs (color, timing, consistancy), pain, bloating, change in taste of food/appetite or bleeding is an indication for colonoscopy as a diagnostic test. Insurance should cover that.
It's been said that colonic ca is occurring more frequently in younger people, but it may be that it's only being found more frequently in the young because we're doing colonoscpy more frequerntly because we're more attuned to the problem..
The young man did get a colonoscopy because of his symptoms. I doubt many people under 50 are getting them unless they're in the same situation as he was.
"A recently published report from the American Cancer Society shows that the rates of colon cancer in young people are increasing. The reason for the increase remains a mystery."
The problem with colon cancer is that it has to get VERY large before you get the bloating & constipation from obstruction of the bowels. By then, you're in real trouble...And it's so easy to ignore blood in the stools because benign hemorroids are so common.
The shame is that complicated colon ca can be avoided by regular screening colonoscopy, and that's really so easy to do.
Easy aw nuts not to me. That crud I had to drink is about 2 gallons in size. I threw it up. Plus I was starving when I went to bed. The first time I got one I did both at the same time Endoscopy and Colonoscopy and let me tell you the gas pains were horrible. I was lucky I had a ride from a relative to get there and home.
The next one that taxi driver nearly killed me. He flug me all over the back seat that was absolutely filthy. There wasn't a seat belt and he drove like a maniac from NYC. I wanted to choke him when I finally got home.
Now I really don't want to go through all that again. So I though I could get out of it not having a ride and the crud (formaldehyde I call it, barf).
I am leery of taking a uber since the last time I used Uber to get home from the hospital the guy had no clue what the 4 digit pin was for and the idiot was taking me to the wrong address. I insisted he show me his phone to be sure I was right and he wasn't just driving a different route. Sure enough after arguing with that idiot I showed him he had the wrong address.
So it's either don't go or wrestle with the Uber driver who has no clue what he is doing, pay for a deadly taxi driver in a filthy taxi or don't get it done.
Then my Doctor comes up with after my last attempt was well maybe my town or the hospital or somewhere will have a service I could pay for pick up and drive home. The last place didn't have that. I figured I would get out of it this way. Nope My Doctor said he knows a service a NY or Bayonne Hospital has. Aw crap so I used the other excuse about the formaldehyde drink. Come to find my new pharmacy has this stuff with two small bottles to drink and then 5 cups of water. It's along process I dread. It takes so long to drink and get it all out and I drink to fast which probably doesn't help. Plus I no longer trust my hospital anymore but when in an emergency I don't have any other choice because it is the only one in my area.
^^^ You remind me of the moil on the circumcision episode of Seinfeld....Posts like yours describing the horrors of bowel prep are costing many lives because the naive are made afraid of getting a colonsocopy.
For the overwhelming majority of people there is no big deal about bowel prep.
Drink the Mag citrate a little at a time over the course of an hour or two. That prevents the uncomfortable bloating of trying to chug a gallon of fluid all at once. You can also split the dose-- half the day before and half four hours before the procedure https://health.clevelandclinic.org/f...er-to-swallow/
colon cancer is getting younger and younger. imo, because gut health is getting worse and worse. gut dysbiosis is a/the cause of colon cancer. this dovetails perfectly with younger/fatter/diabeticer/anxiety/panicer --- our collective guts are fried, and the evidence is plain as day
colon cancer is in good company - many/most chronic diseases have the same source, bad gut. i've done extensive research on this topic, as a near/dear family member died at 42 from cc. i found what i was looking for -- gut as the cause. used to get regular colonoscopies, starting at age 40. with this new knowledge and my new good gut = no need for more colonoscopies! done with that nightmare
saw an ad for a blood test for cc - anybody have knowledge/experience on that test that they can share?
Last edited by cheka; 03-23-2023 at 07:04 AM..
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