Well, people who choose annual FIT instead of colonoscopy as the primary screening method need fewer lifetime colonoscopies on average, reducing revenue for gastoenterologists.
According to Figure 1 at the bottom of Recommendation: Colorectal Cancer: Screening | United States Preventive Services Taskforce , yearly FIT, when compared to colonoscopy every 10 years, gains 94% of life-years gained, averts 82% of CRC cases, and averts 93% of CRC deaths, at with only about 40% of the number of colonoscopies over a lifetime. Since colonoscopies are expensive and carry some risk of complications, the cost (both monetary and in terms of medical risks) must be weighed against the marginal benefit of using it as the primary screening method.
He doesnāt see the negatives ā because those people never come in. So the ONLY FIT-users who come in for a colonoscopy are those who have had a positive result ā the vast majority have negative results. About 9% of FIT tests come back positive, and of those, about two-thirds turn out to be false-positives ā so about 6% of people who take FIT will have a false positive result and then have an unnecessary colonoscopy.
And yes, assuming that those numbers hold, the GI doctor would see that 2/3rds of the positive FIT patients he was seeing were coming up negative ā but heās not seeing the 91% of FIT takers who have negative results.
Obviously, a large percentage of people who choose colonoscopy for primary screening are going to come up negative. They may go home happy knowing they have been given a clean bill of health, but about 94% of them would have saved themselves a trip to the facility if they had started with FIT.
I took my friend to a fab Japanese restaurant after I picked her up from her Colonoscopy. Itās be one one of her favs and hopefully made the entire experience slightly better, like little gifts with unpleasant medical things.
I made the day before my last colonoscopy so pleasant (before the inevitable ā¦,you know) that I actually look forward to my next one. I took the day off of work and slept in. Then a walk and a nice hot bubble bath. Went to get a mani/pedi. When I got home I napped. In the evening when the ā processā was going on I binge watched a show Iād been saving. The night after I ate a patty melt and fries something I love but almost never let myself eat. All in all a nice a time as possible under the circumstances. Still think mostly fondly of the whole experience !
I was a bit loopy but hungry after my colonoscopies, as was H and my friend. We are all so different. Itās nice to try to make medical events more pleasant instead of emphasizing the unpleasant aspects.
I had a mammogram today. I had the same technician for years but have had different people the last two years. Wow, todayās was more painful! I had to blink back tears. I donāt mind because I know how important it is, but I can see why some women would be hesitant to go through that.
I donāt think I posted on this before. I had my first colonoscopy a few months back. I had a cancerous polyp that they were able to remove, then a surgeon determined I didnāt need more treatment. I do get to enjoy another colonoscopy this fall, yay!
I am greatful for my CC friend that picked me up after my procedure. Like you others, I was famished and went for a good meal and a glass of wine after.
Had my colonoscopy last month. For prep I used Clenpiq. 2 premixed bottles, each bottle is 160 ml (a little over a 1/2 cup each). Stll have to drink a lot of water, but it was surprisingly easy. Taste was so-so but not too bad IMO.
The SuTabs worked well for me. It was a little wider than my multivitamin but I didnāt have any problems swallowing it. Much easier than anything yucky tasting. My doctor didnāt comment on how well it worked. No news is good news for that.
I had my first scope a few months ago, and the prep and procedure itself was no big deal. I had Suprep the day before and other than spending a fair amount of time on the potty nothing was very bad. The scope itself wasnāt a problem either since I was out right away and didnāt experience any issues after I came to.
The scary thing to me was they found three polyps with one of them coming back as āFocal adenomatous change, consistent with Tubular Adenomaā. However the GI surgeon said thereās nothing I needed to do other than have the next scope a bit ahead of the normal schedule.
I had my first one at 49. I was a little worried about the anesthesia, but new I was at that age.
Absolute worst thing was the prep, Miralax. I had GERD, and drinking those large amounts of fluid was horrendous! So at the 10 year mark I really hesitated until a dear friend was diagnosed with anal cancer.
I went with a different Dr, because the first facility was like a assembly line. Well the new Dr used a different prep, Magnesium Citrate. Two 10 oz bottle with fluid intake, but so much easier to endure. It was so easy, I wonāt have any problem doing so again in 10 years.
Even with the same doctor - it seems that the prep has changed a few times over the years. So if you go ten years (because you are low risk) you are likely to have a new and improved prep with your second one.
The USPSTF is now suggesting that colorectal cancer screening start at age 45 (B grade for age 45-49, A grade for age 50-75). It also lists 8 screening methodologies, one of which is colonoscopy every 10 years. Benefits and harms/burdens of each screening methodology are given in figures 1 and 2 at the bottom of the recommendation page at Recommendation: Colorectal Cancer: Screening | United States Preventive Services Taskforce . Longer descriptions of each screening methodology are given in table 1 of that page.
Well, I hope the one I took is still around. So easy compared to the first time. The Dr I went to at 49 still uses the Miralax; my one friend, age 50, went due to our friend getting cancer. She made her DH go as well.
Nothing like having something hitting close to home to get people motivated!