Colonoscopy over done?

[nswef]

I just got a notice from the Gastro place that I am due for a colonscopy. My last was 5 years ago and all was well. I thought 10 years was the recommendation, looked it up and Cancer Society and CDC both say every 10 years. Is this like all the other guidelines that seem to be creeping downward into more "illness"? Blood Pressure is not a problem at 140/80 and blood sugar above 100 and cholesterol at 200? I'm 67, healthy and had a screening at 52 and 62. I just hate to be "feared" into getting something not necessary.

[goldensmom]

10 years if the initial exam was negative. My insurance will only pay once every 10 years for a routine colonoscopy, but more frequent if medically necessary.

[Rogar]

My doctor has said every 10 years unless family or personal history puts you at higher risk. Then every five.

[JaneV2.0]

I've read that occult blood tests are coming back. Colonoscopies are considered unnecessarily invasive and not without risks by some researchers. The number needed to treat on all these tests must be astronomical.

[ctg492]

Ours our every 10 unless there were polyps then removed in which case the following would be 5 years afterwards, starting at 50.

I am so confused on every single recommended procedure. I am being my own doctor if I don't have assorted tests done? What if?

Mammograms are the most confusing.

I have had one a a year since 30, than I backed off to 1 /12 years, this last time I waited 2 1/2. I was asked if I wanted the new 3D, given codes to tell the insurance comp as they will most likely not pay. This was a lot for little me to figure out. I mean new and improved why sure why not. Then I searched the net and come up with No I will stay with the digital standard mammogram. I get my response letter with Normal, BUT dense breast, blah blah perhaps the doctor will call with request for 3D mammogram. No call came. I then research the Dense breast online ( I have fibrous breast my entire life I am told each mammogram) Many states now require this letter to be sent if Dense Breasts are noted, my state being one of those.

Did I make a wrong choice? Oh I am so confused and now Colonoscopies are in question?

[nswef]

It is frustrating. The mammogram business...I did get the 3D because it was there and seems to have less false positives. I don't know that colonoscopies are in question or if it is just the case of a practice being aggressive! I am going to call my regular Dr. to see what the results were last time...I just have this deep distrust when the standards keep changing for what seems like a money making reason. Double the colonoscopies, more people on blood pressure medicine, cholesterol, diabetes...how much is based on REAL research for the good of the patients and not the drug companies?

[ctg492]

nswef, I agree.

[oldhat]

It's a tough call, but personally I like to err on the side of caution. This year at my physical I tested positive for fecal occult blood. I have no history of colon cancer in my family, but since my last colonoscopy was in 2012, my doctor recommended I have one now. The gastroenterologist removed two small polyps. (He also found some internal hemorrhoids that he said were likely the source of the bleeding. Evidently this is very common.)

But! He also wanted to do an endoscopy in case the source of the bleeding was higher up, and he found something called a gastrointestinal stromal tumor, which is apparently a sort-of-but-not-really cancer, in my stomach. I then had to have something called an endoscopic ultrasound. Turns out it's not a serious problem at this time -- it's very small -- but it's something that needs to be monitored and will need to be checked again in two years.

Bottom line, some might argue that the colonoscopy was unnecessary because the polyps they found were very small and could have waited to be removed. But I'm still glad they're out. And the tumor was actually something that could have been life-threatening since it's a type of tumor that usually doesn't produce symptoms until very late in the game, so I'm glad I found out about it now.

I know cost is an issue for some folks. I'm grateful I have "good" insurance (the quotation marks are deliberate--the whole thing still ended up costing me almost $1,500). My advice with colonoscopies is, if the cost isn't prohibitive, stick to a conservative time table, since the risk involved is negligible.

[JaneV2.0]

I haven't had any of the common tests, and don't plan to. I'm at an age now where it looks like I'll live a normal lifespan, and that's enough for me.

[Teacher Terry]

As you age the lining of your rectum gets thinner so you are at more risk for having it perforated during a colonoscopy which can lead to death or infection. Doctors make a ton of $ off of these and I read that some doc's are doing a huge amount of patients everyday-between 30-60 and that is where they are rushed and you are more likely to be injured. If you have no polyps on first one then 10 years is recommended without a family history. A friend of mine decided that at age 70 that was the last one she was having. I have hemorrhoids that sometime bleed so doing the other test would not work.