Watch Your Butt Health too!

Don’t listen to him, you do what you want in your underwear.

Mocha wrote:

Have a good friend that I was bugging for several years to have a colonoscopy. Finally he went in to have it done and they found cancer but at a very very early stage. I am very glad I was a nag to him. He is still here to be my fishing buddy!

Old post to the top.

First, BK, hope all is well 8+ years later. Glad you are still top side of the dirt pile.

Guys need a friend like Mocha. I have been wearing those shoes. Know I should get the colonoscopy, but the thought of an anal roto rooter, easy to put off. Years go by quicker as you get older.

Anyway, after the urging of my Doc, who talked me into taking a look up the poop shoot at least one time, got er’ done.

And like everyone says, it’s the prep that sucks. The actual procedure was not too bad. Didn’t take that long. And like most guys, the thought of someone poking around my a-hole was not a pleasant thought. But remember, these folks do 6-8 of these every day of the week. They have seen everything, including what ever is freaking you out.

Back to the prep. You will get the stuff that cleans you out from the pharmacy. Follow the instruction to the T and you are good to go. Couple days no food, and chug a lug the stuff that give you a case of diarrhea like no get out, and you are set.

Turns out I checked out normal. Doc say everything looked good. Good for the next 5 years. Put it off way too long. Lucky I’m not paying the price.

Stay top side of the dirt pile my friends!

-J.

Oh hell. This hits close to home as I’m dealing with prostate cancer right now too. My PSA was 97. Gulp. They did the biopsy, which is a lot like having a staple gun up your butt and have it go off about 15 times. In my case I had an aggressive fast form of the cancer. In fact I was stage 4. I hadn’t had my PSA done for a while so I asked if I could have gotten ahead of this with more recent testing, and the doctor said no. My cancer was moving fast enough that I would have had to have my PSA checked every few months and they still might not have caught it. Bottom line, every one is different and prostate cancer is a range of diseases, so not so fast and some much more aggressive.

The first meeting I had with the doctor he described seven or eight different methods they have of dealing with the disease. If one doesn’t work they move on to the next. This is one cancer they have a lot of tools for. The first thing they tried worked incredibly well for me. My PSA went from 97 down to 3 in just over a month, and then the next month it was zero and has stayed at zero for the last two and a half years. The last scan I had showed no lesions or tumors. I am beyond lucky, and feel blessed.

Hope this helps.

Steve

For those who may still refuse to have the colonoscopy, Cologuard is an extremely convenient/simple at home sample collection that your doctor orders for you. Not as thorough as the colonoscopy, but better than no screening at all for sure.

Im 48 and had the cologuard shipped to my door without even requesting it. not sure how that works but I think it is an insurance preventive built into our policy? If results come back positive, they schedule the colonoscopy and if it is negative, no follow ups needed. glad that is over and i am good to go but there are a lot of false positives supposedly. there is some serious money thrown at these preventives. we talking hundreds of thousands per year if not more.

The fear of a colonoscopy is way overblown. I regretted making the appointment for the few months leading up to the procedure. The test is nothing and the prep is only as bad as you let people tell you it is. Had a few beers with the mix pooped a handful of times rest is nothing.

JEREMY wrote:

The fear of a colonoscopy is way overblown.

It’s nothing more then what happens after drinking 3 Hamm’s.

The aftermath of eating Taco Bell is much worse than prepping for a colonoscopy.

Taco Bell is waking up at 2:00 AM in a panic doubled over clinched up sweating with severe abdominal cramps.

Although the colonoscopy prep was a hassle it was painless and had no discomfort. You just have to play it safe and stay close to the bathroom.

I’m not sure if I ever finished the out come from the OP…

They (the doctors) tell you not to read what’s on the internet. Psst, they can’t know me. First thing I did was to book a once in a lifetime trip to Christmas Island. My surgery was schedule on Christmas Eve day or maybe in was New Years Eve…sometime around there anyway.

Nervous as I have ever been when they placed me on the cart to take me to the OR. Once in the OR who do you think came in to see me off? Chuck Buske and Greg Vandermark (both Ido Members/friends)! And Greg had printed off some catfish photos…and that’s the last I remember.

All turned out well although I couldn’t make a full guide trip with out needed to use the urine bottle as I could before. In all honesty I really can’t notice a difference from before to after. I certainly didn’t get any smarter.

I sat in my recliner for the next two weeks with a tube up my wee wee. Hardly needed to get out of the chair unless the FW wasn’t around to grab me another Hamm’s.
PSA’s are checked every year since then and hardly recordable.

Tomorrow is not a promise. Enjoy your life today.

I’ve had two colonoscopies and the last one showed some “inconclusive” results that have me on the 5 year plan for my next one. I just had a physical in May. My doc still does the “bend over and assume the dreaded position” which he says the younger docs are getting away from. He told me the week before, a guy came in for a physical with a recent clean PSA. My doc did his old school finger in the keester and felt something amiss. Sure enough, after further testing the guy has prostate cancer. See your doctor and get your testing done…

Obviously this is a question for my doctor, but what is the latest on what age a guy should start with these checks?

JEREMY wrote:

The fear of a colonoscopy is way overblown.

That was me. Don’t wait until you are in your 60’s to get checked. Main reason I bumped this post!

Joe Jarl wrote:

Obviously this is a question for my doctor, but what is the latest on what age a guy should start with these checks?

Regular screenings are recommended from age 45 through 75.

-J.

I’m 51 and have been getting screened since I was 40 because my grandfather died at 57 from colon cancer. I think I’ve had 4-5 now. First time and last time they found a polyp or two, which bumps me from 5yrs to 3yrs for my next one.

True story, when I went in for my 2nd one, it was with a different doctor. I told him how sick I was for the rest of the day afterwards. Puked several times on the way home. I know they gave me a pill, then an injection that knocked me right out. He told me not to worry because they use a different sedative now, but the reason I was so sick was because they dosed me again when I “became combative” during the procedure. He said they gave me enough to knock out a horse.

Lost a few friends and a coworker to colon cancer between 37-52 years old. When my doc suggested it at 49 I wasnt saying no. Said im good for 10 years. Like said the fear in anticipation is 100 percent the worst part. Insurance covers every penny so no reason to not get in and have it done. My dr hasnt said anything about prostate yet but im sure its coming.

Great reminder. I had my 2nd colonoscopy earlier this year ( was a little behind schedule ) the newer prep went much easier than my 1st one did. Far less drinking of nasty tasting fluids. All good for another 5 years. After reading this original post, I also started requesting a PSA test as part on my normal blood work at my annual checkup. So far the #’s are low and staying steady.

45 is the current recommendation.

The reason even a younger person should get a PSA ran is to have a Baseline #. The initial # is not the big deal, its having a base # to compare to on later test. Its the change in the # over time that will give a indication that something may be starting.

If you think needing a colonoscopy is scary, wait until your doctor tells you after the next one, you won’t need them anymore.

I got dibs on his fishing gear…….
Over 40 get a colonoscopy Please

Cologuard says on their commercials there are false positives and false negatives. If it’s a false positive you should follow up with a colonoscopy. If it’s a false negative, you’re screwed. You’re not going to do anything and now you have colon cancer continuing to grow. Get a colonoscopy.
I’ve had 3. About 5 years after my second one I was on the every 10 years plan. Told my doctor that my dad and older brother had polyps. He said have get one now. Had one a few weeks later and I had 3 polyps, 2 were the type of polyp that “could” grow into cancer. I’m on the 5 year plan now. Had I not spoke up about my family history, I could be 2 years away from finding out I have colon cancer. Tell your doctor about your family history, it’s important.
Now for PSA. Mine had been 1.0-1.3 for about 10 years. Next one was 2.7. Still normal but double any previous. My doctor didn’t say anything about it because he just saw it was in the normal range and didn’t look back to previous results. Asked my doctor to schedule one 6 months out, it was 2.5. Last one was 2.3. So not cancer but I do have the enlarged prostate condition, benign prostate hyperplasia. I’m taking Tamsulosin for those symptoms now and they are working. My older brother had the same condition and eventually had a procedure done to reduce the size of the prostate.

not as bad as all say it is. I had mine last summer ,3:30PM and was playing ball at 630pm. They did have to keep trying to knock me out again since I woke up in the middle of it.

When I do my next one it will be in the morning. Going that late afternoon I was starving and trying to make it through work that hungry sucks

Hoyt4 wrote:

They did have to keep trying to knock me out again since I woke up in the middle of it.

Interesting. I was wide awake through the whole thing. Watched the TV monitor and chatted it up with the 2 nurses.

For the record, I did do the Cologuard test a few times. But like what has been said, the Doc kept encouraging the colonoscopy. At least one time!

-J.

So when I had the pre-op for my shoulder, I was asked the last time I was put under. I said my colonoscopy. She then proceeded to tell me your not put under. You are heavily sedated, then given a drug for amnesia in case you come around more than they’d like so you don’t remember.

I then said “so I was ruffied?” This is starting to sound like the movie Hangover…

She had a good laugh…

The last few I had they knocked me clean out with Propofol. Need an anesthesiologist for that to make sure you keep breathing.

Netguy wrote:

Next one was 2.7. Still normal but double any previous. My doctor didn’t say anything about it because he just saw it was in the normal range and didn’t look back to previous results.

That is not a real good Dr. if you ask me. I would be moving onto a different one. That was a large enough increase that a Dr. should have at least had a discussion about it. Its the change over time that is the 1st indicator that something might be going on.

bigcrappie wrote:

Over 40 get a colonoscopy Please

FWIW I am 41 and requested one at my physical this year, and my Doc said not til 45 unless something else came up on the labs.

Get tested.. Just had an old coworker tell me he went in for his physical and had a PSA test. # tested at 10 and doc told him to see a urologist. After further testing it was found that the cancer had spread to his bones. He is now on chemo and radiation, but the prognosis is not good. Doc is giving him 4 to 6 months. He is only 52.
When I retired in 2010, I had my physical and doc did a digital test and felt a lump. PSA tested at 10. Saw urologist, had biopsy and he found cancer in 2 of the 4 samples. Gave me some choices: wait and monitor, radiation or chemo, or removal. Decided to get it out and had it robotically removed. Simple procedure, in hospital overnight and home the next day. Was lucky with no lasting side affects and after 14 years PSA is staying below 1.

BigWerm wrote:

FWIW I am 41 and requested one at my physical this year, and my Doc said not til 45 unless something else came up on the labs.

BigWerm, any family history of colon cancer. If yes, I’d force the issue with your doctor.

My last colonoscopy, the nurse had trouble getting the IV with the sedative set up. Another nurse came in to help. Backed the needle out some and a whole bunch of sedative squirted all over. I reckon I didn’t get the full amount because I was totally lucid the whole time. When I looked at the screen and asked the Dr. how it was going, he had already removed one polyp from the colon. The other two were further in and I watched the whole time.
During the previous colonoscopy I was “less” conscious but never under. He even had me reposition some so he could get around the tightest corner of the intestine easier.