How often do you get a colonoscopy?
More than every year - 25.0% - 3 votes
1X per year - 50.0% - 6 votes
Every 3 years - 16.7% - 2 votes
Every 5 years - 8.3% - 1 votes
Every 10 Years - 0.0% - 0 votes
I don't! - 0.0% - 0 votes
Posted 10/1/2012 9:51 PM (GMT 0)
Love being in remission, but I am really not looking forward to my upcoming colonoscopy (and the dreaded prep) in November. My GI insists that as a UC'er I need to have one every 3 years (so this is my first since being diagnosed).
Saw this article and had a glimmer of hope that maybe I won't be in the same boat in 2015:
http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120927/FIT-in-shape-for-new-role-in-ulcerative-colitis-monitoring.aspx
How often do you get a scope?
Posted 10/1/2012 10:37 PM (GMT 0)
It seems like I read before somewhere that the colonoscopy prep can actually worsen UC. That may be what happened to me two years ago but I'm not exactly sure of the timeline. Before being diagnosed I was having three bouts of bloody diarrhea per day. After colonoscopy I started having more frequency, although the treatments turned my bloody diarrhea into formed stools with no blood. So, I don't really know what to make of it all but it does kind of scare me that another colonoscopy could make me worse. If that is actually true I wonder what the scientific reason for this is. Maybe the prep pushes out a lot of the good bacteria which is already low in us to begin with? I'm scared not to have a colonoscopy and I'm scared to have a colonoscopy.
sherbear46
Veteran Member
Joined : Jun 2011
Posts : 3316
Posted 10/1/2012 11:51 PM (GMT 0)
I'm in the same boat as you gary. I was diagnosed in April of '09 and haven't had one since then. I'm sure my doctor will push for one next year. I've been doing pretty good lately especially even though I'm currently on my third round of antibiotics in 30 days. I don't want to rock the boat but I want to know if things have progressed or gotten better etc.
lemonhead
Veteran Member
Joined : Dec 2007
Posts : 1028
Posted 10/2/2012 12:00 AM (GMT 0)
The more I have the worse I get. Last year, took a month to recover. This year, I am 5 months out and still not back to my pre-scope UC-wise. There has got to be a better way. A gentler prep....something.
Dsm4life
Regular Member
Joined : Jul 2010
Posts : 445
Posted 10/2/2012 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
Have UC raises the chances of cancer. I would rather get a scope every 3 years than chance catching cancer before it can be treated. To me it's a no brainer, get the test.
Probiotic
Veteran Member
Joined : Mar 2007
Posts : 2832
Posted 10/2/2012 2:39 AM (GMT 0)
I'm pretty much doing annual scopes now, with lots of biopsies, due to some 25 years of UC inclusing the last ten with constant at least mild inflammation throughout the colon... hate recovering from the injuries inflicted by scores of biopsies, though. Sometimes I wonder whether it would be better to get the big S and be done with this savage level of scoping (I assume the jpouch scope is a piece of cake done in an office visit) but I find myself fighting the idea of surgery to the end.
Posted 10/2/2012 3:01 AM (GMT 0)
I don't have a schedule but I was diagnosed about 6 years ago and since, I've had 2 sig scopes and 2 colonoscopies. Guess not such a great track record but it was necessary due to having active symptoms on 2 difference occasions. Hopefully I can take a break from scopes for a while but it seems unlikely, my GI said I am due for one soonish.
Red_34
Elite Member
Joined : Apr 2004
Posts : 23581
Posted 10/2/2012 3:06 AM (GMT 0)
I go every 2 years because I'm past the 10 year mark (20 years actually). So far no sign of cancer. The prep and scope just usually bother me for a week or so than I am back to normal.
hekela
Veteran Member
Joined : Nov 2006
Posts : 731
Posted 10/2/2012 3:47 AM (GMT 0)
Haven't had one yet, you can see in my signature how long I've had UC.
Had a sigmoidoscopy initially for diagnosis.
My GI says we'll do one at some point but he "didn't want to make me sick right after I got well" which I appreciate.
So I'm not voting on the poll since there is no schedule but it'll happen eventually.
Michelejc
Forum Moderator
Joined : Jan 2011
Posts : 3052
Posted 10/2/2012 1:41 PM (GMT 0)
I'm due for mine soon. Last one was 5 years ago.
jujub
Elite Member
Joined : Mar 2003
Posts : 10424
Posted 10/2/2012 2:15 PM (GMT 0)
I've had scopes every two years since I was diagnosed in 2001. If I had anything of concern, I had to have them yearly. So in ten years I've had seven. The prep has never made my symptoms worse, whether I was in a horrendous flare of complete remission. In fact. when I was flaring, I'd usually get one day off from my D. the day after the scope.
This year for the first time I had a polyp, which was removed and found to be totally benign. Nevertheless, I'm glad it's gone.
sobroken
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2010
Posts : 186
Posted 10/2/2012 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
I've had UC for less then 3 years and just had my 3rd colonoscopy.
fruitgirl
Veteran Member
Joined : Feb 2009
Posts : 7164
Posted 10/2/2012 5:30 PM (GMT 0)
I've only had two so far; the one which resulted in my diagnosis (Feb 2009) and my second was in October 2011. I had moved from WA to NY and my new GI thought we should do a scope just to make sure there was no inflammation, despite being in symptomatic remission since May 2009.
If I stay in remission, I'm not sure when he'll want to do another scope. I'm not too worried about it, to be honest, but if I do stay in remission, I'll probably argue against it until at least fall 2013, if not longer.
marty1976
Veteran Member
Joined : Nov 2005
Posts : 2045
Posted 10/2/2012 6:05 PM (GMT 0)
I get a scope every year, 20 years now of uc. Over here in ireland they have changed the prep to micralax. It is a lot less effective than fleet ;)
Marty
Somedude
Veteran Member
Joined : Jul 2011
Posts : 3393
Posted 10/2/2012 6:12 PM (GMT 0)
Ireland eh?
So, do you drink alot? lol