It is an interesting theory that if you feel healthy and you eat well, you do not need health care. The flip side of argument is that every one will die, there is no one can live forever and you will die from one of the organ failure. The modern medicine cannot prevent people dying, but the purpose of medicine is to prolong people’s live. We live longer than our ancestor just one hundred years ago because the development of modern medicine. If so, why don’t we take advantage of it? Because you really don’t know when and where your body will fail, the colonoscopy is a procedure has been proven over and over for decades, it is not only a diagnose tool but also a prevention for later pain and suffering. With a little uncomfort everyone should not take the risk of suffocation in the future.
Unlike many other types of cancer, colonoscopy and mammogram are two most proven effective procedures to prevent cancerous causes.
Thank you all - most enlightening. I do grasp that the colonoscopy is the only option that can remove polyps before they might possibly become cancer - and that is a strong benefit over the other options.
I hate the idea of loss of control. I have never had any surgery or procedure where I was “out”. That’s why I have had mammograms, but am so freaked out about colonoscopy,
I am going to discuss with my dr next week and see how my sister’s colonoscopy goes, but I get it. It would be stupid to not do this and have the risk of colon cancer.
@rockvillemom, I’ve had more than a few patients who had the procedure with no sedation. They even watched it on the screen. Others have requested only conscious sedation-relaxes you, but you are awake.
I currently am participating in two research trials related to breast screening, so it’s not that I’m anti-anything.But I do look at data.
I already posted plenty of links above about colonoscopy - the test is what it is but the data does not establish it as being more effective at detecting cancer or reducing mortality than the FIT test. Maybe it is, but thus far the numbers seem to suggest that the tests are on par for that. I think that because of the once-every-ten-years recommendation for colonoscopy it really does require long term, longitudinal studies. It could be that at some point over the course of the decade, annual screening has an advantage.
FIT is a newer type of stool test that is known to be more sensitive than FOBT.
Here’s the problem: there are patients like @rockvillemom who are reluctant to get a colonoscopy for whatever reason - and here she is, age 54, never been screened. And she comes to this board to ask about a new, expensive test that has been heavily marketed, but insurance won’t pay for - and no one tells her about this easy home stool test that has been around for years and is so cheap - and is on the list of recommended forms of screening. It’s known that there is a much higher participation rate overall when patients are informed of other options.
So how many people out there are not getting tested because they don’t have insurance, or can’t get time off of work, or don’t have anyone to drive them to the appointment and bring them home afterward, are afraid or skittish of the procedure or the prep or whatever? It then becomes colonoscopy vs. nothing.
And of all those anecdotes of people who are sorry they didn’t get the colonoscopy sooner, how many would have gotten screening earlier if they had been aware that that there was a low-cost, nonintrusive option that didn’t require fasting or time taken off of work. The only thing a person has to do for the FIT test is poop. (And then kind of look at their poop and wave a long-handled brush around the toilet water, which is teeny bit icky).
So which is better? I really don’t know.
But I hope that rockvillemom gets that FIT test, because I think that maybe she WILL get it – rather than spend her mental energies coming up with one excuse after another as to why she doesn’t want a colonoscopy.
I’m one who has put off the colonoscopy. Every physical my internist reminds me again that I should schedule it. I am 57 and what has finally pushed me to make the appointment is that after Jan 1 the closest place I can have one done with an in network Dr is a 45 minute drive from my home with a Dr I know absolutely nothing about.
I did have a fecal test done several years ago. I don’t know what one it was. Anthem at the time offered it thorough Quest Lab free of charge. It was negative which made me feel a tad better about pushing it off each year.
I haven’t picked up the prep yet but I know it is one that is more expensive but they have given me a coupon. My H did it a few months back and it wasn’t so difficult to drink. My Instructions are two days before eat light with no nuts, fruits or hard to digest foods. 2 days before have basically a clear diet.
My husband had his colonoscopy today. We last saw this doc November 8th 2011. At the time he found a long polyp in the sigmoid colon. Of more immediate concern at the time was the esophageal cancer he discovered (other end) that turned out to be stage 3 with some local node involvement. He said to deal with that then have a follow up on the polyp.
Well we just got the all clear after 5 1/2 years of visits to M D Anderson for the esophageal cancer. While we were there they did a colonoscopy 5 years ago and said there was no sign of the polyp this doc discovered and to have a follow up in 5 years. Turns out the polyp is still there but larger plus there was another in a different part of the colon. The doc is quite upset the one he found 6 years ago was missed and seemed very concerned. He sectioned the large one out piece by piece (something he wouldn’t normally do but decided to as my husband is high risk for surgery) and removed the other. Both have been sent for labs - if they are cancer then surgery is probably on the table. If not then, due to the size and difficulty of removing the one, another colonoscopy in 6 months.
@swimcatsmom, best of luck to you and your DH. I hope that he gets a clean bill of health from the pathology report and again in six months. I expect, however, that he’ll be on a frequent schedule for a long time after that.
Thank you. I can live with the frequent schedule. It will be devastating if the polyp does turn out to be cancer and it was missed in that 2nd colonoscopy - especially after going through all the chemo and radiation for the esophageal cancer. It will be a long few days waiting for the result.
He was gone for ages. They said 20-40 minutes and it was over an hour so I was getting nervous. He was actually watching on the screen so knew about the polyps (I was surprised by that - I just crash right out when I’m sedated). I don’t think he was expecting the doc to he so palpably worried though.
I think I had to pay for the labs when I had a polyp discovered in a screening (or that may have been the labs when I had an endoscope - it all blurs together). The colonoscopy was fully covered.
2 things of interest. The first bill for those labs was unexpectedly high because they used a lab not in our network. On questioning it, they waived the extra charge because I was unconscious at the time and had no choice in the lab. So always question the charges I guess.
The second - at the hospital today they asked me (who was not the patient) if I worked for a company with more than 20 employees (I do not).she said they are required by Medicare to ask to see if my husband is covered by my company’s health plan. He is 75. Have never been asked that in the many medical appointments I have gone to with him (several at this same hospital)
Oh at our clinic they have a preemptive strike kind of deal: everyone is asked to acknowledge that there may be charges from providers that are not affiliated with the hospital and to consent to them in advance. That discourages folks from complaining.
I didn’t understand at the time (and still don’t today) why the hospital would check that we are in network for their services and not check that the lab is in network. If I had been conscious and given a choice I would have chosen an in network lab. Not something I’d ever realized I needed to ask once the hospital had supposedly checked we were covered. And I have never once been asked what lab to use (like I’d have a clue).
Part of the problem with the whole system in my opinion.
@BunsenBurner do you have any insight on the medicare thing? I was quite surprised that my employment status was even asked about when the patient was my 75 year old husband.
Sorry - neither is over 65, so no insight into Medicare yet. I suspect that is because depending on the type of the other insurance plan, if it covers your husband, Medicare could be primary or secondary.
Ok, I just completed web form for initial consultation appointment. This will give me the opportunity to discuss colonoscopy vs other test options with specialist.
They do have a very clear disclaimer on website that when a polyp is found and removed, that does change the coding and what insurance will pay. So, while this came as a complete shock when DH had his colonoscopy last year and a polyp was removed and we ended up paying $1400 - if DH had read the website - it was explained. Changes from screening benefit to medical benefit. Ridiculous, but it us what it is.
I don’t understand why insurance companies don’t require everyone in the building to accept the insurance if the hospital or facility is in-network.
When I had my back surgery, they decided they needed to do some extra x-rays right before they wheeled me in. They had three people look at the x-rays, and two weren’t in the network. Like I had any say in who looked at my x-rays. And even if I knew, what am I going to do? Decide to skip the surgery after I am already on the gurney and prepped? Grrr.
And for the surgery itself - surgeon, in network; anesthesiologist, out of network. Like I had a choice who put me under.
