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Isn't this a bit unusual for a colonoscopy?

Ok, I'm still a couple years from 50 but because of occult blood in my stool sample, I was put in the queue for a colonoscopy. Here the queue is 12 months long and the colonoscopies are usually done at clinics. Next thing I know, I'm being called by a Gastroentologist for an appointment, apparently the clinics said they could not do it because of the risks involved and I'm booked into the earliest morning session at a hospital for it to be done by a gastroentologist. They used a very minimal prep day compared to the prep cited on the Internet and had me as the very first patient in the morning, the anaesthesia knocked me out right away, when I came to I could hear the Doctor talking to other patients saying they don't need to do it again for ten years, the nurses give me an orange drink and two muffins as well as bringing out my insulin pen and glucose meter, I get dressed and they call out for the Doctor to come back, he says there was a one centimeter pendicular polyp in the ascending colon, which first looked embedded in the wall put proved to be attached by a stem, they retrieved it for testing and two polyps in the rectum which disintegrated when they tried to retrieve them and that if there's nothing in the lab analysis in two weeks, I would need another colonoscopy in 3 years.

So basically I got this colonoscopy earlier than normal, they jumped me ahead in the queue by 12 months, it was done by a specialist at a hospital for the added risk, apparently the other patients done that day were less affected by the anaesthesia and had the regular ten years till the next one, three polyps were found, two disintegrated, and a repeat required in 3 years rather than 10 years.

I'm also a heart failure patient who was only expected to live 2 to 5 years when diagnosed 13 years ago ( EF of 15% when diagnosed ) but I doubt they're trying to squeeze more procedures in before I croak, besides I think I've proven myself hard to kill or at least harder than expected. The diabetes only started after we ran my blood volume very low to reduce the load on the heart so it could heal even though we knew there was a risk to my other organs to do so, we did so for a year with blood pressures as low as 70 over 50 ( I took a nap after that reading ). The diabetes happened the same day we slowed the heart treatments cause we felt we'd pushed my luck as far as it could go with the other organs, went from an A1c of 5.5% to a week at the hospital at over 700 mg/dl ( I was stateside at the time, the hospital bill was $30,000 ).

5 Answers

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  • Daniel
    Lv 6
    7 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    Polyps aren't that unusual and not need for much concern.

    They have recently been more active on having colonoscopies to detect colon cancer. Colon cancer if detected sooner can help the patient be effectively treated in the early stages.

    Due to your other illnesses, they were more concerned and decided to check early. Apparently there is no sign of cancer or they would have told you; this is good. Going back in 3 years for another colonscopy seems reasonable.

  • 7 years ago

    It's not unusual when you have polyps for them to have you do another colonoscopy in 3 years. I had several polyps and they had me do the same thing. Apparently it's standard procedure since you are the polyp forming type person while others don't form polyps so they don't really have to check as often. Now I have to go back in 6 months because they couldn't see all of my colon due to some kind of residue looking like seeds (I know tmi, and I swear I did not eat seeds) but that's a whole other story. Anyway, consider yourself lucky not to be going back sooner.

  • ?
    Lv 7
    7 years ago

    I'm reading this and wondering what you found unusual - because I don't see anything out of the ordinary.

    Your diabetes and heart condition explains why you were bumped up, require more frequent screenings and so forth. If you didn't know that, ask your doctors to explain - - it would be good for you to understand the impact those have on the body, and it would be best for you to understand that based upon the knowledge you already have (in other words, if you ask the questions, you'll learn more than if give you a lesson because the lesson might be redundant, not cover X and Y and so forth)

    Best of Luck - Take care.

  • 7 years ago

    These procedures are always best done in a hospital environment, God forbid something goes wrong. Here they are always done in the Hospital, as outpatient, under Twilight Anesthesia. They most likely was worried about your heart and diabetes and that is why they did it in the hospital.

  • 7 years ago

    thats hell of bill 30,000$ where you gonna get those money

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