Colonoscopy????

DO IT!!! My dad didn't want to but mom made him go in for a screening. He didn't have any symptoms but DID have colon cancer! They found it early and surgery took care of it. No chemo. I shudder to think what could have happened if he had put it off!!!

Find a dr that will set up a payment plan. Get help from your church. Have a garage sale or a bake sale, but for goodness sake, DO IT!!!

Forgot to add that after my insurance paid it's share, it only cost me around $200 (each) for mine. I've had two and they gave me something both times so I wouldn't remember anything. That was the worst part in my opinion!

I will add that I have 3 done ON me besides the many I did. The 1st prep tasted like sea water, the second like cherry flavored sea water (worse). The last was "citrus berry", slightly better than the others. I'll just say this is one case it was better "to give than receive".

I had one done a year ago . Not a big deal at all. At least you are alseep so you don;t really know what is going on

Going for my 5th in January! I'm down to only getting one every five years now because of Crohns. First two were one year apart, third two years after, fourth three years after and this one five years after. They do remind you that time passes swiftly!
I never thought the drink was like sea water, more like flavored spit. First time they also gave me potassium citrate. Never, ever give that to someone with uncontrolled Crohns. Sincerely was hoping to die during that prep.
My doctor only gives me valium and lets me watch the monitor, he also gives me a snapshot for my album! Thoughtful guy.
Also, after this prison will hold no fear for you.
Do it! Its no worse than a trip to the dentist.

__________________
If angels existed, they'd probably be considered big game. (Don Swain)

Home schooling.........not just for scary religious people anymore. Buffy

My bill was for less than that as I recall, and that was last month. And I mean my total bill, after the insurance company played their usual reduction in fee bit (wish I could negotiate with a dentist like that).

Interesting experience. I had no anesthesia, and watched the show. The rectal insertion was nothing. Having my intestines inflated on the other hand, that was something. Going around the turns was interesting as well. Not painfull, just darn uncomfortable. The show was quite fascinating.

They "deflated" me, but quite unsuccessfully. I was well bloated when I left, and hurt quite a bit. Think mega gas cramps. Once I ate a bit of food and got the guts moving again, I farted my way to comfort in a few hours.

I was at work the next day with no problems.

Had a colonoscopy in May. The only unpleasantness was not being able to eat for 24 hours prior to the exam. One is out cold during the exam. Cost was about $2500. They found polyps that turned out to be non-cancerous. My father died of colon cancer and the last 2 years of his life ranged from very bad to miserable. He weighed only 110 #, down from his normal weight of 200#.

Get the colonoscopy. Money can be replaced. Bad health is forever.

Nothing to them.
I had one earlier this year, my 1st, at 66 yrs old.
I'm lucky! I came up Clean.

It seems to me that a little discomfort Beats the Fire, out of
the RISK of Undetected Colon Cancer.
It was a snap, for me. No problem.

Nothing like as bad as I'd been led to believe.

Please, Please, Get the Test.

__________________
Be Intense, always. But always take the time to
Smell the Roses, give a Hug, Really Listen, or
Jump to Defend your Friends & What you Believe in.
'Til later, Have Fun,
Old John

Well looked how many of us have lived through them and can now talk about the fun of it I've had two done and I always say the scope it the easy part, the clean out is the not so fun part, but hey just have some reading material handy in the bathroom as that is where you'll be when drinking your gallon of clean out stuff. My mom's side has a history of it and I have celiac disease and also colitis so I think I might as well get used to them.

Colon cancer runs on both sides of my family. I had 53 polyps the first colonscopy. The doctor had hospital personel come in and see because he hadn't seen so many before. If I'd been awake, I'd have asked for a kick back! I had 3 colonoscopies in 5 months a couple years ago. Now I only have to go in every 2-3 years because the polyps are slow growing. The worst part for me was the awful tasting liquid I had to drink a day in advance. I still can taste it and gag when I think about it. The procedure itself isn't bad at all. My insurance pays for all but about $300 of it. It's well worth the cost to avoid cancer.

I discovered that there are different laxatives that they can give you to clean you out when you get a colonoscopy. One type requires that you drink a lot more of the nasty stuff, and the stuff my doctor told me to get was only a 8 or 12 ounce bottle, and I drank it half at a time over a few hours. Big difference in discomfort between the two.

Also, just to make you reconsider it a bit, a friend had his intestine punctured by the probe/camera during his first colonoscopy. He was stitched up and recovered, but sure made me think a bit before having it done. The worst part for me was when 3 or 4 nurses over a hour or more time, tried to find a vein in my hand, before the procedure.

I just had another yesterday.

This time instead of the saline laxative they gave a prescription for a powder you mix with 64 oz of gatorade. It didn't taste bad at all. The only thing bad was that it didn't start working well until 2 am and continued until about 6.

After being wheeled into the room the last thing I remember was the doctor telling the nurse how much anesthetic. Next thing I new I woke up in recovery.

He did find some small polyps and a couple of veins he took care of.

It is something that everyone should have done regularly.

Reschedule the test! Perhaps, the hospital will give you some place to lay down and sleep for awhile and then let you drive home. Tell them your problem. Someone from the local Senior Center might drive you home. Wish we were there, we would help you. It is the one of the best things you can do for yourself. Our insurance urged us to get one and we both did. Don't remember a thing about it! Even the clean out was not that bad. Just get a good book and retire to the 'throne.' We stopped and ate on the way home and were good as new.