If you are over age 50, please get a colonoscopy ASAP

**WhoIsThat?** · 01-24-2009, 01:31 PM

Originally Posted by gary_g

20 years from now may be a different story.
That's where I am now. . .
. . .who lost his hand in an accident and had mounting medical bills.

I only lost a joint and some mobility to a table saw, so I got away lucky. I paid the hand surgeon $xxx/month for 12 years 'cause CIGNA didn't pay many bucks that were still owed.
My hand sort-of works.

A friend in his 70s has cancer, and I do not wish to go through what he is still going through with the chemo and radiation. He doesn't wish to, either, but he is hanging in there.

I hate being nauseous, and I'm not that fond of pain, either. No family history of cancer for me, but I just found out that I supposedly have some genetic predisposition to clotting.
I take no prescription drugs, not yet.

Good luck.

Sometimes prayers are answered; some of mine have been, even though I "have some issues" with God.

**Catpower** · 01-24-2009, 04:28 PM

The chemo and radiation effect is differant on each person, I took 40 shots of radiation, the highest amount they could give, as I'm a hefty young lad, and I had very little side effects, my doctor was shocked that I didn't want any pain meds.

The chemo was differant, one made me sick, and the other one had the worst effects, they told me it would make me post menapausal, and it did and it sucked

It ain't a pretty picture, a 350 lb 6ft 4 in gorilla crying because some one hurt his feelings, it sucked with gusto

But I would definantly do it again, getting old sucks, but it beats the hell out of the other option

**rojacman** · 01-24-2009, 06:12 PM

Originally Posted by selfemployed

What's the prostate check like ?

Rectal exam. Just get it done. After about 5 times it's nothing new.

it takes about 30 seconds , it's over & extremely important to your health . just do it asap , consider the alternative. my doc and i talk about books and chit chat while i'm getting my physical & just lean over for a half min. and you instantly know whats up , no shame or embarrasment...DO IT!!!..Jack

**selfemployed** · 01-24-2009, 08:47 PM

Told the Doc - if you got someone like this in a fight you would win. He tried his best not to laugh

**crackertech** · 01-24-2009, 09:03 PM

I guess I better suck it up and go. I ain't seen a doc in at least 25+ years
my granddad had colin cancer

I'm going on 44 soon I think I need to get off me
ars and get checked out for my wife and kid's sake.

**rojacman** · 01-24-2009, 10:46 PM

Originally Posted by crackertech

I guess I better suck it up and go. I ain't seen a doc in at least 25+ years
my granddad had colin cancer

I'm going on 44 soon I think I need to get off me
ars and get checked out for my wife and kid's sake.

good plan Crackertech , it's like money in the bank , if i may please give u some advice , also get a complete blood workup & cardiogram . get your checkup at a hospital so it's complete. Sorry to nag as i don't know u personally but i lost someone near and dear to me at the same age 'cause he woulden't go either. left a lot of very unhappy people behind.....regards,Jack

**gruntly** · 01-25-2009, 03:48 AM

48 here, gonna start getting ready for the first. Docs been doing the prostate since I was 40. Dad had prostate cancer and is alive and well today 'cause they caught it early.

Sister (55) had a couple of polyps taken off her colon last year and then the idiot split open her spleen... (Sorry to worry you guys) Honest she was a wreck for quite some time after... They say it's 1:1,000,000 it ever happens.

**dec** · 01-25-2009, 03:48 AM

As dice says ............ their a piece of cake.

I had one last year, they found 4 polups as I remember.

Now I was in wonderland when they did it so I only got photos to look at.

As far as the prep, I always heard the horror stories of how bad that stuff tastes. Now my doctor had me take gatoraide and miralax ....... no problem being I took off 2 days so I could stay next to the can the day before the colonoscopy.

I was shock how expensive it is for 45 minutes of work.

My fault tho that I do carry a high deductable being I have been pretty luck to have stayed health all my life so far.

In 30 years of paying medical insurance on myself, I have only had the insurance company dish out around $215.

1 was for a physical and $75 was for an eye exam.

Now most of that time the insurance company I had didn't allow for physicals. I had to switch to a differant company being the one I had pulled out of the state.

Guess I can't complain being I have been healthy enough to not need them but just think of what you dished out without ever collecting. Not 1 dime was from my first insurers.

AS far as prostate cancer ...... I get a psa test every year , when the girlfriend and I go to the mall when they do a health fair.

We get up early , beat the lines , and its inexpensive for getting all the blood tests.
Sure I could have it done at the clinic but why let them charge big amounts , when they do it at health fairs for about nothing.

Well enough rambling

You guys putting of colonoscopies , wise up .......... ITS A PIECE OF CAKE.

OH and better not eat that piece of cake ........ you will get fat

**WhoIsThat?** · 01-25-2009, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Catpower

The chemo and radiation effect is differant on each person, I took 40 shots of radiation, the highest amount they could give, as I'm a hefty young lad, and I had very little side effects, my doctor was shocked that I didn't want any pain meds.

I'm surprised to hear that. How old are you? No hair loss from radiation? No nausea?
The National Library of Medicine is right down the road from me. I should take an afternoon off and bone up on this.

it beats the hell out of the other option

I think it depends on your quality of life. In any case, non-smoking males in the U.S. my age have 22 years on average before they get to try out the other option.
Speaking of hell, there's a bunch of people I hope to see there one of these days.

**rogerk** · 01-25-2009, 12:48 PM

Save a little money and do it yourself with a Rigid See Snake.

**WhoIsThat?** · 01-25-2009, 01:03 PM

Originally Posted by rogerk

Save a little money and do it yourself with a Rigid See Snake.

Nah, use a fiber optic borescope, and needle nose pliers.

**Catpower** · 01-25-2009, 05:08 PM

Originally Posted by WhoIsThat?

I think it depends on your quality of life. In any case, non-smoking males in the U.S. my age have 22 years on average before they get to try out the other option.
Speaking of hell, there's a bunch of people I hope to see there one of these days.

I was 45 when I had the chemo and radiation, there were some people in the cancer center that I met that were having some bad side effects, but I guess it was a differant drug they were using or something, as I didn't loose any hair, and as far as the nausea I drank more beer and told myself it was a bad hangover