Won't get a colonoscopy

[indygirl99]

I am 52 year old female. I don't have a great stomach, never had, have reflux. I have been having stomach issues lately (bloating, gas, increased bm's). I am going to a gastro doctor next week. I had a stomach virus a month ago and it seems like my stomach hasn't been right since then. I know the gastro doctor will want to do a colonoscopy. I will refuse. I had a co-worker/friend that died after a colonoscopy. I also know 2 other women who have died after getting routine colonoscopies (my sister's friends mother and another friends neighbor, they were all female). I was discussing this with a co-worker who has crohns disease and she is young and her mom doesn't want her to get colonoscopies as she is required to do. She told me her and her mother know 3 people who have died after a colonoscopy. I have done some research since it seems strange that that many people can have serious complications. I also know someone who did not die but had to have surgery after a colonoscopy (perforation) also my husband had a lot of bleeding approx. 3 days after a colonoscopy and he had to go to the emergency (luckily it resolved itself)

My question, do any of you refuse colonoscopy? Are there other tests to get instead? I heard of one that tests your fecal dna? Any insight/comments are appreciated.

Yes, I know some will say the risks outweigh the complications, but my research on the matter shows different.

Ask your doctor about doing the "fecal cards". Some doctors will start with the cards and go from there. The cards check for blood in the stool. If it is present then they recommend the colonoscopy. If no blood present then you get a pass for ONE year and do the test again.

Of course with your increased symptoms lately I would highly recommend you do something ASAP.

 

[mefordis]

I am 52 year old female. I don't have a great stomach, never had, have reflux. I have been having stomach issues lately (bloating, gas, increased bm's). I am going to a gastro doctor next week. I had a stomach virus a month ago and it seems like my stomach hasn't been right since then. I know the gastro doctor will want to do a colonoscopy. I will refuse. I had a co-worker/friend that died after a colonoscopy. I also know 2 other women who have died after getting routine colonoscopies (my sister's friends mother and another friends neighbor, they were all female). I was discussing this with a co-worker who has crohns disease and she is young and her mom doesn't want her to get colonoscopies as she is required to do. She told me her and her mother know 3 people who have died after a colonoscopy. I have done some research since it seems strange that that many people can have serious complications. I also know someone who did not die but had to have surgery after a colonoscopy (perforation) also my husband had a lot of bleeding approx. 3 days after a colonoscopy and he had to go to the emergency (luckily it resolved itself)

My question, do any of you refuse colonoscopy? Are there other tests to get instead? I heard of one that tests your fecal dna? Any insight/comments are appreciated.

Yes, I know some will say the risks outweigh the complications, but my research on the matter shows different.

Routine colonoscopies - no. I will never do one of those. Not sure if I had a reason to think they need to go up there and look around maybe but without any type of symptom I would not.

 

[mefordis]

They die because the tool perforates them. The flora from their colon enters their body and poisons them. My friend that had one got perforated during the procedure, they knew it right away, gave her a bag (colon) and she was in the hospital for a few days. She was released to a rehab, the morning after being released, her body swelled up due to sepsis and she died by the time she got to the hospital. I just believe the medical field hides how many people actually have complications from it. Perhaps they blame these complications on something else. With the medical field it's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

yep - 100%

 

[Poohforyou]

I've never heard of anyone dying from a colonoscopy. However, I do have a brother who avoided having a colonoscopy until he was having issues. He's now battling stage 3 colon cancer that has metastasized to his liver. I'll risk a colonoscopy over colon cancer any day.

 

[mefordis]

No one thinks about the misdiagnosis of cancer which occurs way more than one might think. They get put on the chemo treatment that kills their immune system and end up dying of something chemo related. Did they REALLY have cancer. Who knows? Was it a small growth or mass or just abnormal cells that would have eventually been absorbed by the body or taken over by good, healthy cells if given a chance?

 

[Christine]

They die because the tool perforates them. The flora from their colon enters their body and poisons them. My friend that had one got perforated during the procedure, they knew it right away, gave her a bag (colon) and she was in the hospital for a few days. She was released to a rehab, the morning after being released, her body swelled up due to sepsis and she died by the time she got to the hospital. I just believe the medical field hides how many people actually have complications from it. Perhaps they blame these complications on something else. With the medical field it's all about the $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.

As much as I understand your fears, I do not believe the medical community is hiding it. You can read various studies on this. One I just read reports 1.96 perforations per 1,000 colonoscopies. My mother just went to an appointment and her doctor told her the rate is 1 perforation per 3,000. The data is out there and not hidden.

 

[Poohforyou]

No one thinks about the misdiagnosis of cancer which occurs way more than one might think. They get put on the chemo treatment that kills their immune system and end up dying of something chemo related. Did they REALLY have cancer. Who knows? Was it a small growth or mass or just abnormal cells that would have eventually been absorbed by the body or taken over by good, healthy cells if given a chance?

Medical professionals please chime in here.

 

[Bilberry]

Best of luck in finding out what is going wrong. Hope it isn't serious, and is something that simply takes time to recover from. Agree, that does seem to be the routine with butt and gut doctors, recommend colonoscopies. Everyone I've seen wanted to sign me up pronto, after a slew of insurance questions. I only know of one person that experienced a perforated intestine after a GI exam. It did nearly kill her. After a few months she recovered.

I have a severe GI condition somewhat similar to Crohns, and so will look on discussion sights were others discuss their GI conditions. the dreaded scoping and how to avoid it is a topic that comes up. I haven't done it myself, but have seen others bring up the newer blood fecal test to check for cancer. There is a CT scan that can be done of the digestive track. It is not something I'm keen on doing since it exposes one to radiation, but it is an option available. Different Ct scanners omit different levels of radiation. If your hospital has a newer, lower radiation CT scanner it might be a reasonable option, but worth asking lots of questions on about its risks. There is the pill camera. It takes film of the small intestine to see if abnormalities can be seen. I do not believe the pill can make its way to the large intestine yet but it is something to ask the doctor. There is of course the old drink the chalky barium, then walk around the hospital for 30 minutes test with X-rays taken at different intervals. I have doubts it would be helpful though in this case.

 

[maxiesmom]

Routine colonoscopies - no. I will never do one of those. Not sure if I had a reason to think they need to go up there and look around maybe but without any type of symptom I would not.

My brother in law had no symptoms, but went in when he hit 50. He had cancer, which he thankfully, has recovered from. Found out after the fact that that type of cancer was ran in his family. They did the gene test, and yep, he tested positive for it. A year later his older brother had the same type of cancer.

If my brother in law had waited until he had symptoms it may have very well been too late. Colon cancer is one of the most treatable types of cancer. The prep for the procedure is the hardest part from what I have been told. It is sad and scary to let your fear of the procedure keep you from something that could well save your life.

 

[mefordis]

No one thinks about the misdiagnosis of cancer which occurs way more than one might think. They get put on the chemo treatment that kills their immune system and end up dying of something chemo related. Did they REALLY have cancer. Who knows? Was it a small growth or mass or just abnormal cells that would have eventually been absorbed by the body or taken over by good, healthy cells if given a chance?

There is too much trust in the medical community. I mean, just on these boards I think most people would do anything their doctor tells them to do. Medical error - 3rd leading cause of death (though I think it is more like #1 - many go unreported as such).

 

[mefordis]

My brother in law had no symptoms, but went in when he hit 50. He had cancer, which he thankfully, has recovered from. Found out after the fact that that type of cancer was ran in his family. They did the gene test, and yep, he tested positive for it. A year later his older brother had the same type of cancer.

If my brother in law had waited until he had symptoms it may have very well been too late. Colon cancer is one of the most treatable types of cancer. The prep for the procedure is the hardest part from what I have been told. It is sad and scary to let your fear of the procedure keep you from something that could well save your life.

I am not afraid I just don't buy into the business of all of these unnecessary (yes I still believe they mostly are) medical procedures. However, other people who I don't know or love - have at it! Do it up.

I also believe the entire approach to "cancer" in the medical community is all wrong. I'll just leave it at that.

 

[Christine]

If my brother in law had waited until he had symptoms it may have very well been too late. Colon cancer is one of the most treatable types of cancer. The prep for the procedure is the hardest part from what I have been told. It is sad and scary to let your fear of the procedure keep you from something that could well save your life.

For me, it is not the procedure. I've already had it done once and know it's not that big of a deal. Unfortunately, I've heard one too many stories of perforation (and not on the internet, but just among people I know) that have given me pause. One in 1,000 or one is 3,000 is not "rare" enough for me. But I am actually trying to talk myself through it because I do know the benefits of having it done. But I am seriously considering the risk/benefit ratio right now, which I don't think is unwise. I find it odd that people are having procedures done and don't even know or are aware that this can happen.

And then I have read this "opinion" more than a few times in various discussions on the benefit of colonoscopies:

Colonoscopies offer a compelling case study. They are the most expensive screening test that healthy Americans routinely undergo — and often cost more than childbirth or an appendectomy in most other developed countries. Their numbers have increased manyfold over the last 15 years, with data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggesting that more than 10 million people get them each year, adding up to more than $10 billion in annual costs.

Largely an office procedure when widespread screening was first recommended, colonoscopies have moved into surgery centers — which were created as a step down from costly hospital care but are now often a lucrative step up from doctors’ examining rooms — where they are billed like a quasi operation. They are often prescribed and performed more frequently than medical guidelines recommend.

The high price paid for colonoscopies mostly results not from top-notch patient care, according to interviews with health care experts and economists, but from business plans seeking to maximize revenue; haggling between hospitals and insurers that have no relation to the actual costs of performing the procedure; and lobbying, marketing and turf battles among specialists that increase patient fees.

While several cheaper and less invasive tests to screen for colon cancer are recommended as equally effective by the federal government’s expert panel on preventive care — and are commonly used in other countries — colonoscopy has become the go-to procedure in the United States. “We’ve defaulted to by far the most expensive option, without much if any data to support it,” said Dr. H. Gilbert Welch, a professor of medicine at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice.

 

[Poohforyou]

I am not afraid I just don't buy into the business of all of these unnecessary (yes I still believe they mostly are) medical procedures. However, other people who I don't know or love - have at it! Do it up.

I also believe the entire approach to "cancer" in the medical community is all wrong. I'll just leave it at that.

Do you believe immunizations cause autism?

 

[MickeyManiac]

After watching my Grandma suffer and battle colon cancer I will take my chances with a colonoscopy when recommended. The last 3 years of her life were miserable with a colostomy bag (those things break), chemo, radiation and a 70 lb weight loss.

 

[indimom]

Medical professionals please chime in here.

Not much point. Medical professionals are part of the conspiracy. They can't be trusted.

 

[Goofy_Disney_Dad]

 

[katie01]

That's scary, I don't know of anyone personally who has died from a colonoscopy. I do (did) personally know of at least three people who died from colon cancer though that went undetected because they were young and didn't recognize the signs right away. One was a 35 year old mother of two. Now I wish I hadn't even heard of deaths due to the procedure itself, that is worrisome to me! I always figured the benefit of the procedure (early detection) outweighed the risks

 

[The Mystery Machine]

If I had not insisted on a colonoscopy at 41, I would have colon cancer now.

I know people with colon cancer and I would NEVER EVER want that.

There are risks with everything in life. That being said it is your choice.

I turned 51 in feb. and have had 3 colonoscopies so far.

 

[seashell7290]

Please, if the United States preventative task force found that colonoscopies didn't save lives then they wouldn't recommend them for everyone at age 50. This group is the same one that has spaced out Pap smears and mammography recently so if the benefit wasn't there; they wouldn't recommend a colonoscopy. Go to the USPTF website to read the data.

 

[Kellykins1218]

It's your funeral. I'll gladly get mine.