health

Colonoscopy cuts colon cancer death risk

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What they don't tell you is that polyps come and go. What is detected one day may not be there a month down the road. This is part of the self-healing process of the body. The body is a magnificent machine for clensing itself of this and many other ailments - just give it time. The invasive colonoscopy procedure is just not worth the risks.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

I get these done annually here in Japan for about 19,000 yen!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

“Sure, it’s a pain in the neck. People complain to me all the time, ‘It’s horrible. It’s terrible,’” said Dr Sidney Winawer.

I had this done last year and my neck was fine. The worst part for me was after it had finished. The endoscope was blowing air into the bowel to inflate it and get a good picture. All that gas gave me severe cramps, yet I was worried that trying to expel it might have calamitous results.

I don't remember the cost, but I think it was in the thousands of Yen range, not thousands of dollars.

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This is an interesting article. I had one done in January, and as Scrote says, there is a fair amount of discomfort, especially if the camera's in there a long time. I was immobile for a couple of hours afterwards because of the pain - they give you an injection before hand which kind of numbs the intestine area, but that numbness means the bowels aren't moving for a while, hence the trapped gas. They found a polyp though, and although they said several times that I didn't need to worry about it for a few years yet, I've opted to have it removed though. Why wait.

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It usually costs more than $1,000

In Cuba it will cost you nothing. This country has the best medical care in the world. USA is doing something very wrong in health care.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

itsmeagain

What they don't tell you is that polyps come and go. What is detected one day may not be there a month down the road. This is part of the self-healing process of the body. The body is a magnificent machine for clensing itself of this and many other ailments - just give it time. The invasive colonoscopy procedure is just not worth the risks.

Don't know what you're reading but you're way off base here. Polyps only come and they can only "go" by being removed. There are also pre-cancerous lesions in the wall of the colon which do not come and go. You're right about the human body being a miraculous machine, but the fact is that the "risks' of a colonoscopy are minimal and the lives they save are significant.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

At Ben4Short

They did one of those scopes to my grand father, pierced his intestine causing a massive infection, resulting in the removal of 75% of his intestine. Not very happy life after that.

I will stick with the stool test when I eventually get one done.

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"It's a pain in the neck.. it's horrible... It's terrible"

Oh good grief, it's nothing. As Tom Cruise would say, it's nothing, it's a hockey season!

You check in at the hospital, they give you a liter and a half of this liquid to drink, you go find a toilet to sit on with a good book for the next hour while it all comes out your behind, you go find the nurse and tell her you're all clean inside now, you lie down on a bed, they inject you with this stuff that makes you grin foolishly for the next 15 minutes or so while they shove that camera up your backside, then they pull it out, and hey, it's all over!

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Had my second colonoscopy here in Tokyo in December and they found one polyp, so I had it removed in January. The doc said I could wait a year or two as it looked benign (it was) but my mum had colon cancer, so I have a greater risk. The actual procedure is not that bad, I even got used to the liquid that you drink to clean you out on the second go. Only the actual initial "insertion" was uncomfortable.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

best is to have endoscopy and colonoscopy at same time. The rohypnol injection they give you to sedate you is just great!!!!!

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The body is a magnificent machine for clensing itself of this and many other ailments - just give it time.

That's the approach Steve Jobs opted for. He died.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

I had one last year. The preparation process was no big deal. A restricted special diet for a few days and the stuff they give you to drink (about 2 litres) just tastes like Pokari Sweat.

The worst bit for me was that it was quite uncomfortable, painful even, but they put the camera right through me to my appendix! Maybe that was why? The doctor swore he had given me enough anaesthetic to sink Muhammed Ali but I didnt believe him for a second! Japanese doctors and I have long never seen eye to eye on what constitutes pain relief!

When it was over my tongue was glued to my mouth and I felt really nauseous but I recovered quickly, and for the peace of mind knowing everything is ok it is well worth it. Total cost about 8000 yen if I remember correctly, including the initial consultation and "diet box".

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

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