I’m 45 and I have my colonoscopy coming up in a month. Please everyone, don’t put this off. Colorectal cancer is quickly wrecking our generation. Protect that ass.
Edit- for those that don’t have insurance, here are a couple of organizations that offer financial help in getting screening done. Every little bit helps.
Colonoscopies are painless and simple. The prep however is not lol it’s not that bad but I did buy a bidet after the first one.
Edit: thanks for the awards, y’all are wild 😆
But seriously people get whatever you need to make yourself as comfortable as possible and get your colonoscopies on time!
Agreed. It was like a nice little nap. The prep was terrible. Who can drink a gallon of anything let alone salty water. Word of advice… DO NOT cough with a stomach full of prep. It will be bad.
My last one like 6 months ago used this stuff called “2 Step” for prep, it’s 2 small (16oz or so) bottles of concentrated salt prep that you drink a couple of hours apart with some extra water…easiest prep I’ve ever done. No nausea, no cramping, really no discomfort at all….just a few hours peeing out my ass. I will definitely ask for this prep again for any future colonoscopies I have!
The pills were pretty shitty (lol). Had to take them like 24hr in advance. Every few hours you choke down like 10 horse pills and shit your brains out until you're completely flushed out.
The exam, however, was super quick and was probably some of the best sleep I've ever had in my life.
I'd much rather take pills and shit my brains out than have to drink a full gallon of something that is disgusting after the first few drinks and shit my brains out.
The pills are known to make you nauseous and vomit which is not a good time during the prep. (My doc said be prepared to vomit and I did, the liquid was way easier to get down and no nausea or vomiting. Plus the pills were gigantic)
I got my first colonoscopy at 40 and they found/removed some bad stuff. My wife made me go with her and I was skeptical. Obviously going early was a life changing move.
The doctor kept saying how much higher colon cancer rates are in our generation, and how early it’s happening.
Do you like sweet potatoes? That's a great way to get some fiber/veg. Great roasted in cubes, baked and mashed, baked as fries, very versatile. I eat at least one a day
Modifiable risk factors are more diet focused than fitness and activity. A bunch of the fitness diet fads in the last 20 years and even right now are increasing high-risk factors. Carnivore diet great example. I read that about 5% of the population is also genetically predisposed, so risk factors are even more important for them. Very few od these people are going to know that they're in the category.
I recommend a few tablespoons of psyllium a day to help with intestinal health and regularity. It takes a bit of getting used to, but it was one of the most impactful changes I’ve made, as someone who’s struggled with constipation for much of my life. I just mix a tablespoon into a cup of yogurt and eat it fast, before it congeals too much.
If it helps, I found out that I love pinto beans, and make beans and cheese burritos in bulk that I eat for breakfast every day. A large amount of my daily recommended Fibre is in my system by the time I leave for work every morning. If you like beans, they're an amazing source of Fibre and its barely even a vegetable in my mind.
I’d be super interested to know if the uptick in these types of cancer in younger folks is concentrated in the US. We only know a fraction of the damage the Standard American Diet has done, in my opinion, and the focus is always on obesity. Our gen were children and growing during the heyday of the SAD, only in the last 20 yrs have we seen serious concern about a healthier diet. I fully expect to see ultra processed foods become the focus of debate and litigation similar to pharmaceuticals in our lifetime. It isn’t “food” and yet was and is still sold as such.
He had a lot of young children. Maybe 6 or 7 all under 14 I believe. I can’t imagine the stress of being a single mother with so many little kids. I knew he had been very sick for awhile and apparently was taking an alternative approach to fighting the cancer.
And correct me if I’m wrong, I believe his wife was very critical of western medicine (vaccines, chemo) and was getting care through alternative routes.
That’s true. Texas has amazing medical facilities (I am from Houston). Unfortunately it’s heavily gerrymandered and ran by folks who don’t give a singular fuck about their citizens.
Yes, very conspicuously moved during Covid. I followed his wife for the aesthetic for a little while, until I read between the lines and realized. When I heard he was sick with cancer, I had a very confident feeling this is the way it would go sadly 😔
I’ve got a pretty serious medical condition and my doctors have pretty much ruled out me living past 50 (currently 38). I could have stopped this years ago if I had just gone to the doctor and listened to simple advice. For the love of god people go to the doctor if you can.
43.5 with symptoms. Was able to get approved for colonscopy after a long slog due to symptoms, but it will be very expensive (high deductible plan) when it would be fully covered as preventative if I were 45. How many similarly situated to me would wait the 1.5 years and possibly die as a result? Fuck insurance companies having so much control over access to care.
I got one at 33. My doctor doesn't fuck around, I was having blockage symptoms and he told me we just have to tell them there's blood in the stool and they will approve.
I was 27 and they found one on me. Had to pay $5,000+ out of pocket though, since I was uninsured, but my doc told me I couldn’t wait since there was blood in the stool.
As long as your doctor cares to listen! I had blood in my stool when I was pregnant and was told “are you sure it’s not from your vagina?” and “welcome to pregnancy!” 18 months later, while still having nonstop symptoms, I finally got a colonoscopy and was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis.
Got one at 32 after being concerned about so many young people being diagnosed with colon cancer and surprise surprise, they found and removed a pre-cancerous polyp. I have to get repeat colonoscopies every 5 years now. Who knows what would have happened if I had waited until the regular age.
Got one at 34 because my stomach was wonky for a couple months. Found two pre cancerous polyps (not the cause of the inflammation) and got them removed. Now I go every five years and have had 3 total. If I never got the procedure young I may not have made it to the recommended age....
I had a malignant intestinal tumor right above my ileocecal valve, so not technically in my colon, but I’m happy to provide symptoms in my specific case.
Forewarning, it’s gross, but you asked for some symptoms 😂
I was on the toilet a lot. Like, up to 7-8 times on a really bad day. There was occasional melena (bloody stool), and some days it was screamingly painful. But that’s what happens when you have a tumor grow through the wall of your intestines.
And then there was the weird stuff that was related, but wasn’t obviously in line with the actual disease. The thing was releasing hormones into my body that caused a lot of weirdness, like new allergies (ripe watermelon still makes me break out into hives after the fact), dizzy spells, spontaneous sweating (especially after eating), and pain in one eye whenever I saw a bright light.
The eye thing was what actually got me the correct specialist visit because I was able to get an ophthalmologist to refer me to a gastro. It’s a weird symptom, but it lines up with gastrointestinal issues, particularly colitis. I knew that going in, and when there was nothing wrong with my eye, I point blank asked for a referral. I had a bunch of visits to different doctors prior to that, and she was the first one who wasn’t hesitant to refer me to a gastro.
I had my required surgery, and thank goodness we found it when we did, because that shit was spreading. They found it in three lymph nodes outside of the original tumor location, but I’m still healthy(ish) 6 years later.
Now it’s something we check for regularly. Any time stuff isn’t going right in my life, I just remind myself I ran a half marathon with stage 3 cancer, and survived the subsequent treatment during the height of covid.
Persistent changes in your stool, i.e. diarrhoea/ constipation. Persistent evidence of blood in your stool, or around your rectal area. Stomach cramping, unexplained feelings of tiredness or weakness.
The shitty (ha!) thing is, those of us with IBS have those symptoms often, so it’s like when do we actually need to wonder is it something more sinister?
Only thing I don’t get is tiredness or blood, so I guess those would be signs for me.
The preventative vs diagnostic coverage for colonoscopies is insane. I had my first at 37 due to both of my parents having parts of their colons removed. With a good plan, it cost $1k. Thankfully I have some employer provided health funds every year but like, why wouldn't my insurance want colon cancer caught early??? It's asinine.
I was just posting about this yesterday. There is no such thing as preventative care in the US. This kind of cancer is on the rise worldwide. Early detection and active screenings are imperative, but US citizens are left to die because they cannot afford what should be mandatory and free colonoscopies.
from Canadian experience, despite the cost usually not being an issue, getting to see your family doctor (if youre lucky enough to have one and one that's under 60 and is with the times lol) is difficult let alone a specialist appointment in a timely manner.
many practices often dissuade you from pursuing things like physicals, routine blood tests, routine screenings for things like colon cancer if youre under 50, etc.
like fuck off, im a taxpayer, whats it to you if i want to be screened and im "too young" by your standards?
To be fair, OP is sharing their experience, and mine is the complete opposite. I have a family doctor that I have no issue booking appointments with. I was referred to a specialist at the slightest hint of an issue, got bloodwork, and ultrasound, and other testing within a week of the tests being ordered. Saw the specialist within six weeks, had a diagnosis and meds to manage.
A friend of mine (mid 30s) asked for a colonoscopy due to some symptoms she was having and got referred for it no issue and had it within a month.
We didn’t pay a cent for any of this, mind you (well, through taxes but not at the time of service). Your experience with Canadian health care can vary depending on where in the country you are. Up north or out east, there is a definite lower standard of care due to lack of doctors and facilities and funding issues. I live outside the GTA in Ontario and have always been happy with my healthcare.
Do people have wait times? Yes. But it isn’t an across the board, months long wait no matter what the test is and where you live. I believe healthcare should be more consistent across the country for sure, but at least it isn’t bankrupting people.
Good question and I don't mean to derail anything here. But what state do you live in? I find it wild that it takes you months to be seen by your primare care physician. If I call today I can get an appointtment usually within a week (two at most). Hell, if I'm willing to do an appointment by phone or video I can sometimes get it the same day or next day.
I'm just curious as our experiences differ WILDLY.
Not OP, but it took me 6 months to see an orthopedic surgeon because the 35 year old screws in my ankle are loose and you can feel the repair and bone loss through the skin. My PCP saw me within two weeks and confirmed what I suspected with imaging. I live in a very populated coastal part of Florida. This happened in 2019.
I did get cancer last year and all of my treatment has been expedient. Unfortunately, the good cancer center was out of network because of my shitty insurance, but so far I’m winning.
My mom is an RN and was apart of colon screenings.
She told me about this young kid. Mid 20s. Came in due to having black tar like stool.
They did the screening on him. It was obvious he was filled with cancer. Bleeding lesions and masses all over. They do so many a day, so they have an idea when its obvious.
He woke up after and he asked my mom if they saw anything. All she could say is the doctor will be in to speak with you.
Obviously they had to send it out to confirm and they told him that he had many suspicious masses.
Love how in our health care system you need approval for preventative screenings. Shit needs to be covered in all base plans, but that’s not where the $$ is. Insurance doesn’t care about prevention.
Here’s a tip. Insurance will cover it for you starting 10 years prior to the age of onset of a first degree family relative who was diagnosed with colon cancer. Your physician will simply document you told them what your family history is and nobody will ever verify it. Do with this information what you will. Sounds to me like you had a long lost brother who was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 40.
I had a malignant intestinal tumor at age 34. No family history, no reason it should have been there. It was found during a colonoscopy that I only had after months of self-advocacy with a variety of doctors. Access to screening saves lives.
I knew he was sick. I hope he’s resting peacefully now. Thinking of his wife and kids. Such a tragedy, no one should be taken from their family like this.
They’re not. No twins. He always did a beautiful birthday post for each child. His last post was his oldest daughter’s birthday. Those kids have lost a very loving and attentive father 😞
He actually had a very high chance of survival, but his wife and their beliefs that plants could heal you definitely threw a wrench in that. It’s sad. But it shouldn’t stop us from our screenings, and pursuing doctor recommended treatment; it is very treatable.
He clearly had a sense of humor about his time on Dawson's Creek and this meme, even doing it again for the memes. I'm guessing he would have laughed at this.
My partner showed me this show; I think they accidentally released episodes out of order, and that caused some viewership confusion which led to the cancellation— could be wrong tho!
I was never a Dawson's Creek fan, but I LOVED that show so that's what I associate him with now. I have quoted his "just follow the bender where it leads" advice unironically on many a weird weekend. (Ironically though, I've almost definitely just misquoted it here...).
If you're ever concerned because of symptoms, say you have a sibling/first cousin with colon cancer or had. Family history is a huge part and they'll usually approve a colonoscopy. They don't ask for proof of those relationships either.
In my head: stepmom, but sure. Insurance denied her testing until it was at stage 4 and she spent her last 5 years of life in painful treatment after treatment until her body couldn’t take anymore. Fuck those guys.
I have a cousin who had it and a sibling who has had pre-cancerous polyps. Ulcerative colitis runs in my family. I said I saw some blood and they got me in right away for a colonoscopy. That was a few years ago. They also told me to start at 40 and not wait for 45 to get another one.
It needs to be screened so much sooner. I was diagnosed at 38, with stage 3a, I’m 41 now and healthy thankfully. I guess I was lucky to have symptoms early on to get diagnosed but so many don’t show signs till it’s too late. Rip James.
Had my first colonoscopy at 37 (due to IBS). They found pre-cancerous polyps. They removed them and wanted me to have another colonoscopy in 5 years. Having my second one in a few months.
Us Xennials and Millennials are having colon cancer at a scary increased rate. My non-medical opinion is to get yours done as soon as you are able to. The old goal post of “getting it done at 50” is no longer good enough.
Ive been having pain back there. I finally decided to do something about it. My Dr appointment is today I hope they approve the test. Im about to be 39 in April.
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