I asked my GE specifically and he said about 1 perforation in 2000 procedures.
Hereâs an article on the incidence of perforation. It sounds more common in therapeutic, not diagnostic, colonoscopies, and more common in the elderly. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2811793/
Itâs my husbandâs turn on Friday. I am on the 10 year plan (8.5 years to go), but his 5 years are up.
Funny, I just made an appointment for a colonoscopy literally a minute before seeing this thread, LOL. My first time was a decade ago. The prep was lousy but the procedure itself was a breeze. I remember waking up to a hospital staff asking another, âwas he clean?â (meaning my innards were really empty). Not looking forward to another prep experience.
You might want to eat low fiber (avoid nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables) for a few days before the prep starts.
Agreed, go low fiber for a few days, but drink lots of fluids to keep waste moving along. I had painful intestinal cramps after going low fiber 3 days before the colonoscopy, and I think in retrospect it was because I didnât drink enough fluids.
My colonoscopy is in a month, but surprisingly I got a bill from the drâs office for the pre-screening appt. I thought that would be included in the cost of the colonoscopy. All that happened at that appt was giving me instructions and answering questions. We have a high deductible plan, but the colonoscopy is covered 100% without deductible. The dr put this in as a new patient visit, so insurance put it toward my deductible. I hope they code everything else correctly.
Iâve had doctors try this before. They will submit a single appointment as three or more separately billable items, and hope the insurance company is asleep. Usually they will disallow the extra charges.
I think ânew patientâ appointments get billed at a higher rate than a regular appointment. If you are not a new patient, then they are pulling some shenanigans.
Call your Dr and complain. Call your insurance company and complain.
Iâve had two colonoscopies, both times everything was handled by phone and email, and I was not billed for a pre-screening appointment.
They can pull the ânew patientâ crap if there was more than 2 years between appointments⊠Which it would be if the last colonoscopy was 5 or 10 years ago!
Iâll be calling my insurance and the drâs office tomorrow. DH had his colonoscopy 2 years ago with the same insurance co., but a different dr, and we didnât pay for any of it out of pocket.
For most insurance plans, a routine (screening) colonoscopy is covered 100%, although a doctor can bill the preop appointment as a separate charge. If you have a polyp that needs removing during the procedure, it is no longer a screening, but a surgical procedure, and that is where your deductible comes into play.
@TiggerDad: Times have changed in Colonoscopy World. I tried to have my first at 50 and tried again at 52, both unsuccessfully because I could not down the gallon(?) of chalk-like prep. It came up after the first swig. In any case, I tried again this past March at 59, and the prep was nothing more than OTC Ducalax tablets around 3PM and completely tasteless Miralax dissolved in 64 oz. of Gatorade between 6-8 PM. It was all âdoneâ by 10PM, and I slept just fine the night through. It was nothing at all like the first trials years ago. See what prep your doctor recommends or allows. I called around until I found a doctor who was fine with the Ducalax/Miralax combo that my husband had used a few months prior (his doctor retired). Good luck!
I had my first a week ago. I did the dulcolax/Miralax protocol plus a dose of milk of magnesia two days before. Prep was not bad except I went to the county fair before I started and couldnât eat anything fun. The doctor said I wouldnât be out, but I wouldnât remember anything. I remember laying on the table and they said âgoodnightâ and the next thing I know I am in a wheelchair fully dressed in my way to the car. No polyps so I am good for 10 years!
Talked to my insurance co. who said the consultation prior to the colonoscopy should be covered 100%, but the dr didnât code it correctly. Then talked to the drâs billing dept that said they were resubmitting the claim with a different code. Since Iâve never had contact with this drâs office, I donât know if it was a simple mistake or fishing for more $ from me than theyâd get from insurance with the correct code. I just hope the procedure is coded correctly.
Glad to hear that the dulcolax/miralax combo worked well. Thatâs what Iâll be using in a month.
@snowball I researched that issue a year ago, and at that time the policy varied greatly from state to state and from insurance company to insurance company. It was very inconsistent! When I called my insurance company 3 times, I got 3 different answers! !. Everything covered, 2. Goes against deductible, 3. Everything covered. Ultimately, my colonoscopy was fully covered, even though my previous one was 5 yrs earlier, polyps were found, and polyps were found again this time. I paid nothing and I didnât argue with them. (I did pay for the prep, I think I paid an extra $100 for an upgraded anesthesia, but paid nothing for the procedure, no copay)
DH is having colonoscopy next week. His doctor said no fiber, seeds, no orange or red vegetables for a WEEK. The web seems to suggest a few days. Basically our normal diet is all verboten.
When I last had my colonoscopy I told the doctor I couldnât drink that liquid and he reluctantly gave me the pill routine. I canât stand Gatorade, I donât eat jello. I didnât like the doctor though. He accused me of taking laxatives in the follow-up - I never have in my entire life.
Some doctors are just on a power trip. And some are just plain incompetent.
There are a few that are both.
The Miralax can be dissolved in any non-red/purple liquid. Iâm not a Gatorade fan and will choose something else next time. Gatorade is suggested for the electrolytes, but doctor said not necessary.
My dr even recommended white cranberry juice.
Water with a lot of ice cube, I tried, and it is not bad if Gatorade is not acceptable.