Posted on 10/10/2022 8:01:38 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
I know someone who got punctured during a colonoscopy....did not know until after released...and bleeding began. Lucky they caught it in time.
Risks of Colonoscopy
A colonoscopy is a safe procedure for most healthy people, but it does come with some risk of complications. Colonoscopy risks include:
Bleeding: It’s normal to see a little blood in your stool if your doctor removes a polyp or takes a biopsy. However, major bleeding can occur and needs treatment. While it’s rare, it can be life threatening.
Perforation: Rarely, a colonoscopy can tear the colon wall, and you could need surgery to repair it.
Reaction to anesthesia or sedative: There’s a chance of an adverse reaction to the drugs used during the colonoscopy.
Studies have concluded that colonoscopy risks in the elderly often outweigh the benefits. However, patients older than age 70 are more likely to have complications, so older adults may choose other, less invasive methods of colon cancer screening.
Risk factors for colon cancer include:
Age 50 or older
African American ancestry
Biologically male
Personal or family history of polyps or colon cancer
Chronic inflammation in the colon
Obesity or poor diet
Lack of exercise
Diabetes
Smoking or heavy alcohol use
https://www.healthgrades.com/right-care/colonoscopy/benefits-and-risks-of-colonoscopy
I don't advocate for or against a colonoscopy but, it was an eye opener to see that there are risks involved considering the procedure is push so hard on patients.
Interesting. I always thought colon cancer was mostly untreatable so it’s news to me that effective treatments exist. And I’m a fairly well read person. And I’ve never heard and criticism of colonoscopies as being ineffective. It’s usually the contrary.
Only 3 out of 1,000 died from the disease during the 10 years the researchers followed the participants, regardless of if they were offered screening or not. There was no significant decrease in the mortality rate for the screening group.
Hope this helps.
Of course a colonoscopy doesn’t prevent colon cancer. However, it can help detect it by finding the polyps which may be cancerous a lot earlier than waiting until severe symptoms arise. Most people are not going to immediately go to the doctor when they suspect a problem. They will assume the problem will resolve itself. Who really wants to discuss their bowel issues with anyone, even their doctor. That leads to a late diagnosis which results treatment in being undertaken too late to get rid of the cancer cells before they spread. Get your regular colonoscopy done as recommended by your treating physician, especially if you are feeling discomfort and having problems with your daily “constitutional” or seeing bloody dark spots in your stool.
All I know about it is that when I had colorectal cancer in 1996, the poop test did not detect it. By the time I gave up and went to a doctor, the tumor was so large that they could not get any kind of scope past my rectum. I got to do a barium enema, and the radiologists opinion was that I just did not do a good job cleaning out. Even a biopsy was inconclusive.
Fortunetlay, the surgeon was certain there was a tumor in there. When he cut me open he found the largest tumor he had ever seen, and cancer cells were present in 3 of the 7 lymph nodes he removed.
So, surgery, radiation, drugs and prayer cured me of cancer.
PSA is simply a blood test and is not nearly as invasive nor as risky as a colonoscopy.
Also, a diagnosis should not be made on just one PSA test.
It’s beginning to be pretty obvious these days that following the money trail is the way to make medical decisions.
I know 2 people who had colonoscopy complications. One ended up with a kidney misdiagnosed as cancerous and removed in error. The other had internal bleeding and ended up with her entire stomach removed (the day after the colonoscopy—this happened just last month to my friend; she’s learning to eat without a stomach and doing well).
I had one colonoscopy at 50 but I think I’ll go back to the stool sample method going forward.
Is the medical community making big money off of it? Then nothing will change.
I don’t want no tube up my butt, so I’ll pass and take my chances. Same thing I told my Doc and he nodded and didn’t try to talk me into it.
Ewwww!
I have had two Colonoscopies. I waited too long for the first one, 55. They found two polyps, non cancerous. The second one, two years ago, one non cancerous polyp.
The first colonoscopy, the Dr. didn’t give me enough sleep juice. I woke up in the middle of the procedure, looked at the monitor only to see a snake up my you know what. I managed to say “uhh am I suppose to be awake right now?” Woops! they gave me more juice.
“I have lost family friends to colonoscopies that have injured and killed them.”
My good friend’s career was in medical malpractice insurance. She NEVER will have a colonoscopy.
(She also never will see a Physician’s Assistant instead of a doctor — too many screw-ups.)
“It’s beginning to be pretty obvious these days that following the money trail is the way to make medical decisions.”
There ya go! Bottom line: Follow the money.
Twice, about eight hours after colonoscopies, I’ve had brutal UTIs. Doc said that the membrane separating the poop chute from the urethra is very thin. If there’s a small puncture during the procedure the two areas can mix. Sounds made up, but maybe it’s true.
In any case, I’ve had my last one now in my 70s. Have done Cologuard, and will continue with that method.
Nobody mentions the test developed in Israel where you swallow a little camera in a capsule. It sends a continuous video as it goes through your system, and is supposed to be very accurate.
Several months ago I had a colorectal test come back positive so I had a colonoscopy and had 3 large polyps removed. Fortunately they were not cancerous but now I actually wish I had had a colonoscopy sooner.
I think we have discovered what “the old wazzoo” is.
Article doesn't say colonoscopy was to prevent cancer. Did you read it?
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