Had my colonoscopy yesterday. Prep was no big deal. Had 4 polyps in 2019. 0 yesterday! Feels great!
Glad you got checked and glad you are still with us. Best wishes for many more years.Had to get an endoscopy around April of last year due to stabbing pain I felt when swallowing food. Since they had to put me under, figured I may as well get the other end checked, too (it had been 5 years). The colonoscopy was good, the endoscopy showed a cancerous tumor in my stomach. Men are sometimes stubborn and are reluctant to go to the doctor. Don’t be that way. My cancer was caught early. I had 4 rounds of chemo, followed by stomach removal, then 4 more rounds of chemo. It was bloody hell- but I’m alive.
Perfect post.I'm going in for a colonoscopy tomorrow morning.
I have no family history of colon cancer but I'm African American and in the US, statistically we have the highest incidence of colon cancer and the highest mortality rate from it. I've been a firefighter for over 20 years and because we have an increased risk of cancer compared to the general population, when I turned 45 I asked my doctor about getting scoped. She said that because I was asymptomatic and had no family history she would only recommend doing the occult test, which fortunately indicated no problems. I'm 49 now and I shared my concerns with my new doc and she wholeheartedly agreed that I should get one. Scheduling was easy and I was able to get my appoint less than a month out.
While I'm not looking forward to the prep tonight, the process is much improved. I know this because my wife, whom I've known since childhood, has been scoped numerous times since she was a teenager due to non-cancerous GI problems. The prep I'm going to take is a cakewalk compared to what she has had to endure over the years.
Here's the process my GI doc gave me: I started a low fiber diet last week and today it's all clear liquids. Tonight I have to mix the 6 oz prep with 10 oz of water, then drink 32oz of clear liquids of my choice within the hour. 3 hours later I repeat the process. Then done. Well not really because I'll be emptying myself throughout that time I'm sure.
Tips I picked up from friends and the internet: drink the prep through a straw so the taste doesn't linger on your tongue, wear loose pants due the frequency and urgency caused by the prep, keep a book in the bathroom or make sure your phone is fully charged, flush as you go, and use wet wipes instead of toilet paper (someone here suggested a bidet and if I had heard that earlier I would have seriously considered it).
My fire department has 40+ members and in my 2 decades there, we've had members who've had rectal cancer, bone cancer, testicular cancer, leukemia, and 2 who had skin cancer. The one who had leukemia sadly died from it last summer. The spouses of some of our members have had cancer as well. Three died of very rare and different forms of ovarian cancer and several have had breast cancer including my wife. She was diagnosed with Stage 0 breast cancer last year and it was found through her annual mammogram. My point in sharing this is that if you are on the fence about getting a routine physical, about getting a colonoscopy, or doing something to improve your health due to a couple of days of discomfort or for fear of what they might find:
Please get over yourself.
I don't mean any disrespect in saying that and I promise that it comes with good intent. Believe me when I say that people who love and care about you would rather hear you whine about how bad the prep was than to hear you lament on how you wished you would have gotten checked sooner.
Thank you kind sir. And I'm glad you got the all clear. My mom was an endoscopy tech and she really enjoyed the work but had to listen to her body when it said it was time to retire.Perfect post.
I pray your results are great, my friend! I learned something from you that makes absolutely perfect sense: using a STRAW! So many people in rest homes and other elderly folks can't use straws due to swallowing issues. But the vast majority of folks can, and that stuff just plain tastes YUCKY (that's a Nursing Skool term!) ANYTHING that can make the process easier to convince folks to get checked is great thing. I pray my swiss cheese brane will allow me to pass along the straw idea. That is solid gold my friend!Thank you kind sir. And I'm glad you got the all clear. My mom was an endoscopy tech and she really enjoyed the work but had to listen to her body when it said it was time to retire.
The prep I took was called Suprep and while it didn't taste that great, it went down pretty easy. It started working in about 40 minutes and I was in the bathroom about every 20-30 minutes. Due to my wife's GI issues we have a Squatty Potty (a footstool that puts you in a position to make pooping easier) and that was helpful, as were the wipes. All in all it was no big deal.
The good news is that the doctor only one polyp found and I'll get the results next week.
Yes, the stories here led me to getting my first scope years ago.Glad you got checked and glad you are still with us. Best wishes for many more years.
My condolences to those that have lost family and friends and thank you all for sharing. Personal stories often motivate people better than a message from their primary care provider.
... but it sure beats not getting old!Already had my 6 checked. Today they are checking my 12. Gotta get my bore punched.
Getting/being old sucks!!
I've had both recently, and somehow or other I have an appointment in May for my annual physical! I COULDA sworn I just had one.... AND now my eye doctor told me Monday that I should see a neurologist. Again! LOL, that's what I get for being so honest on my paperwork....Already had my 6 checked. Today they are checking my 12. Gotta get my bore punched.
Getting/being old sucks!!
I looked it up. That lift was not available yet when I needed it..... I'll have to ask my urologist. I took myself off the hormonal prostate treatment. Hot flashes, moody. I still take Flomax without any issues. But that procedure looks amazingly simple my friend! Finasteride. That's what I was on, two separate times. No way do I take that again, unless all other options are out.It wasn’t too bad. Gotta go back for a biopsy and Eurolift.
Dr. thinks I have an infection. And I have an enlarged prostate. The Eurolift will keep me from having to take meds. WooHoo
As expected for someone who recently turned 50 and has never had one, the doc referred me for a colonoscopy. It'd be an overstatement to say I'm excited for it, but I'm glad it's on the schedule for next month.Just want to say thanks. I moved to a new area in late 2019, just before everything hit the fan with covid. As things slowly got back to normal, life was just busy, and I only started to get around to trying to find a doctor a few weeks ago. After a couple of "sorry, we're not taking new patients right now"s, my effort was losing momentum. But seeing this thread under New Posts every couple days was a kick in the pants to try again, and I have a GP appointment on the 22nd now.
Enjoy!!As expected for someone who recently turned 50 and has never had one, the doc referred me for a colonoscopy. It'd be an overstatement to say I'm excited for it, but I'm glad it's on the schedule for next month.
Importantly, though, you’re on top of it.Got home from annual physical today. Getting scheduled for a colonoscopy, endoscopy (EGD), surgery for a hernia, and found out my A1c is higher than it’s ever been. It’s gonna be a fun year.