tuscl

off subject - our health

Thursday, May 12, 2011 5:24 PM
guys, especially those 50 or older, please take care of yourself. if you're not getting an annual routine physical, please consider doing so. and please, check with yr doc about having a colonoscopy done. Colon/colorectal cancer is among the most deadly forms of cancer, yet it is also easily detectable and preventable. But you need to be proactive and ask your doc about it. He or she will probably recommend a colonoscopy, a simple, 20 min procedure during which you'll be sedated and a camera will be used to detect any abnormalities in yr colon. if polyps, which can eventually become cancerous, are discovered, the doc will remove them then and there. yes, part of this process is no fun. you must fast for 24-36 hrs prior to the procedure, and the nite before, your doc will ask you to drink some awful industrial strength drain cleaner/laxative to completely clean out your system. The good news is most of us pass this test with flying colors, and only need to take it once every 5 to ten yrs. I just completed my third one. In the first two, polyps were removed. In the one just completed, I was polyp-free. yr insurance should cover most if not all of the cost. Now, I've got one less thing to worry about, healthwise. I'll be celebrating at the Rhino in Vegas next month. Stay healthy my friends.

9 comments

  • Clubber
    •
    13 years ago
    Dying is a part of life that just happens to be the final part. When it my time, bye!
  • mmdv26
    •
    13 years ago
    @imnumnutz. Well, f**k, now I feel obligated to throw in my version of "men's health" Only a few of my closest friends know that back in early March I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. I had been doing blood work twice a year to keep tabs on cholesterol, and noticed PSA had jumped to 4.9 back in November. Biopsy revealed Stage 1 with 3 - 4 Gleason. I considered the options and elected to go for removal. So one week ago today (Thursday), I got it pulled out. Initial pathology looks good - it probably hasn't spread. We'll keep an eye on PSA for...ever, and expect it to remain around zero. I'll be peeing in a bag until Monday when they pull the catheter out, then I can wear a diaper for a while...hopefully just a day or so. Hopefully the highly recommended surgeon was able to protect some of the nerves so that ED medicine can help me if I return to clubbing. I have 5 friends who have had the same procedure and they are alive and cancer-free 3 to 5 years post. Sadly, one friend didn't catch it before it spread. We buried him the week after I found out about my situation. I caught it early primarily because I was doing some easy and cheap preventative stuff. At age 60, make every effort to do as imnumnutz suggests with the colonscopy, and get the blood work (PSA) done annually, too. If all goes well, I guess I can tell the BBBJ queen, "don't worry baby, you won't taste a thing."
  • Philip A. Stein
    •
    13 years ago
    20 min procedure during which you'll be sedated and a camera will be *shoved up your ass and* used to detect any abnormalities in yr colon. I fixed your post for you. They suck but they're worth it. ---------- And yeah, go get a physical. I skipped mine for 2 years. I went last Jan, detected some a problem, saw a specialist in Feb, had a procedure in Mar, and am doing amazingly better today.
  • Prim0
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    13 years ago
    Don't they have a camera in pill form to do the same thing now...And I seem to remember a commercial about non-invasive scanning or something like that. I'll opt for those before I have a colonoscopy. It's not the camera that bothers me...I don't think I could fast for 24hrs without killing somebody!
  • imnumnutz
    •
    13 years ago
    Prim0, yes there are non invasive alternatives, BUT those only involve detecting polyps. If they are found, you will have to have a colonoscopy to remove them. There are also varying opinions as to how accurate the findings provided by the alternatives really are. Certainly, though, the noninvasive screening is much better than no test at all.
  • Drippy
    •
    13 years ago
    I'm in my mid 50s and had my first colonoscopy this month after procrastinating for several years. Its not terribly uncomfortable and being sedated and resting the rest of the day was almost pleasant. Results were good = peace of mind. so, Get 'R Done!
  • shadowcat
    •
    13 years ago
    Just make sure you follow the guidlines prior to the procedure. I wasn't totally cleaned out and had to have two enemmas at the hospital before they could do it.
  • farmerart
    •
    13 years ago
    I have had these colonoscopies since I was about 40 and I don't really get sedated. My doc gives me some Valium just to relax the sphincter muscles. I don't mind the fasting but I HATE giving myself enemas. Last few times I have done it outside, sprayed myself down with the hose, then inside for a shower. Helps to live on a farm - can always use some manure! My doc lets me see the screen displaying my colon. It is very interesting to see what things look like in your bowels. Don't be wusses. Get this done. Colon cancer caught early is very treatable.
  • MrsGMD
    •
    13 years ago
    If we women can get our boobs smashed in a vise for breast cancer screenings, you guys should be able to put up with a little butt poking, right? After all, you're all manly men, right. lol
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