It was quite interesting to read the many comments you all left on my recent colonoscopy post. They just reminded me once more what I love about the Smithellaneous community: you all are ready to jump right in there and share your stories and your experiences regardless of the subject!
I know that some of you may wonder though, why I am choosing to talk about a private-ish sort of procedure like a colonoscopy on such a public-ish sort of forum like Smithellaneous.
Well, I guess it’s because when Betty Ford was willing to publicize her breast cancer experience (even though people weren’t even willing to say those words in polite company back then) and Katie Couric had a colonoscopy done on TV, a lot of awareness was raised and a lot of lives were saved.
While my platform is miniscule compared to theirs, I still do have a platform and I have a voice. As a breast cancer survivor (and therefore a person with a higher risk of developing colon cancer), I feel like I should do whatever I can do to encourage people to have mammograms and colonoscopies. Because as uncomfortable as the thought of having a colonoscopy makes all of us, I can guarantee you that it’s a whole lot more comfortable than going through colon cancer.
Here is a quote from Reuter’s Health:
Doctors now have strong evidence that colonoscopies save lives, a finding that may encourage more people to get the dreaded tests to detect and prevent colon cancer. Only about half of people recommended for colonoscopies get them.
A team at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center found that colonoscopies in which precancerous polyps, known as adenomas, are removed can cut the risk of dying from colon cancer by 53 percent.
One of the colonoscopy comments that came in this week was from Guerrina, a frequent Smithellaneous commenter. I’m going to use her comment to close out our Smithellaneous Chapter on Colononscopies. (And if this chapter encourages even one person to have this test, it will be well worth talking about it.)
I’d like to encourage all who are delaying a colonoscopy to rethink. No history of colon cancer on either side of my family. In my very early 40s I had a bit of minimal bleeding that had stopped by the time I got to see my regular doctor the next day. Since she was unable to determine if it may have been from a hemorrhoids , I was sent for a colonoscopy. A very large, pre-cancerous polyp was found. Now I have one every 3 years and except for griping about the prep, I happily go off to have it done.
I am grateful to that doctor for not writing the problem off since it didn’t seem to be serious. I could easily be dead. I’d had no other signs. Just thought I had a cranky hemorrhoids. I think of all the things I would’ve missed – my son’s jr & sr high school years & graduations, first girlfriend (2nd girlfriend, etc.), the joy of teenage boys hanging out at our home, drivers license, building our house together, my grandson’s birth….seeing my son grow into a man and so much more.
Please, please reconsider if you’re putting the test off. I always tell the anesthesiologist I don’t want to be awake to watch and I don’t want to remember the procedure. He hasn’t failed me yet. There is another procedure that does not do the whole colon and little anesthesia is used on that one, so go for the full procedure and enjoy the great sleep and ensuing peace of mind!
Thanks so much, Guerrina, for sharing your story.
And now to change the subject to something a bit more lovely, here are a few sunrise photos I recently took.
Becky:
I, too, can offer a personal story of why it’s so important to have a colonoscopy when recommended by your doctor. I was just 28 years old but my family history for some reason spurred my doctor to order the dreaded colonoscopy. I had NO idea what I was getting into at that age (and this was in 1998 before Katie Couric, etc.) .
They found a polyp! I didn’t realize what a big deal it was until 3 years later when I had to return for another colonoscopy and my doctor greeted me with the following: “Ah, Paige, my youngest polyp …”
What? Gulp! I guess it’s a good thing my primary care doc is so proactive, because the gastro doc told me that polyp very likely could have developed into something bad.
So, as HORRID as the prep is for these tests (and I’ve had 4 now), they do save lives. One day of discomfort is worth sparing yourself a polyp that grows into something very bad.
Ok, off my soapbox now 🙂
Paige (now age 44 🙂
Paige,
Wow, twenty-eight really IS young for a colonoscopy but it sounds like your doctor was right on track in ordering one.
Thankful for proactive doctors; thankful for your story; thankful that you’re still alive!
Thank you, Becky! I’m honored that you’d share my “story”. May it help just one person to reconsider delaying and possibly extend a life.
Guerrina,
Nothing like a real life story to make a good point. Thanks for sharing!
The “end” of the colonoscopy talk, Becky. HA! HA! HA! I know, bad! There’s just one problem when these celebrity like people have these procedures on television. People don’t always see the entire picture. People think that KC did that test completely drug free and was “awake” the entire time! You are, in a way, awake but the medication has an amnesic affect so you may talk and answer questions, but you will have no clue that took place. I guess I tell “bad” jokes during mine and the doctor had to start writing them down because I sure didn’t know any going into the procedure. However, the last time, the image I saw when I went to sleep has horrified me for some time now. My GI doctor, a really cool, laid back guy, was in jeans and a t-shirt, flipped on the radio which happened to be playing “Wild Thing” and he began to sing (badly) out loud! He knew every word. It was confirmed that it really did happen when I woke up! I am 4? y/o and as I mentioned have had no less than ten of them. At least three times patients tried to decline ANY and ALL medications, including an IV because, KC did it on television w/out drugs. NOT TRUE! I still think that letting people know how important early screening can be is key. But everyone still needs to get all the facts. In these cases (curtains allow one to hear everything), doctors won’t push the drugs when patients refuse (some have good reason), it’s not barbaric to have the test without them (crazy, yes) but they at least require an IV start (nothing running) in the event of an emergency. And in most cases it’s the IV they are scared of and when they hear they could have the procedure sans drugs but not sans IV they drugs become more appealing. Also, I didn’t add to yesterday………………the pills are not a good idea. They don’t work as well, they are hard to take (HUGE, and don’t go down well, and you need to drink A LOT of water) and the images are better using Go Litely (not funny drug makers) or Movi Prep. Treat yourself to a package of plastic shot glasses and line them up and pretend your doing shots. Silly, probably, especially since I don’t drink, but it made it like a game. Of course everyone’s experience is different, These drugs get abused often. I know, I know, I know? But think about people who suffer from anorexia or bulimia? What they wouldn’t do to get their hands on that type of medication. One of my doctors told me of a patient during his residency that would schedule, take the prep and cancel the morning of the test ALL THE TIME. After a handful of time, it became suspicious and the real problem was found. Glad it went well, and you are in the clear for another five years.
Jodi,
I’ve never thought about people wanting to have a colonoscopy without drugs just because Katie did it. I think her reason for doing it was because her husband died of colon cancer and she wanted to show people just how unscary and highly doable the process was. And I must say, I really admire her for being willing to do go through that on TV, especially since she’d had enough meds to make her a little loopy. Who knows WHAT she might have said?
Thanks so much for sharing your story and your helpful tips. Good stuff!