Surveillance colonoscopies

After 8 years, a pancolitis patient should have colonoscopies yearly or at least every other year to coincide with increased colorectal cancer risks. There's always variations depending on practice, country, and patient compliance.

As iPoop and Quincy said.

I started having them yearly about 6 or 7 years after my diagnosis because an adenoma was found. I don't love the "yearly plan" but I consider the surveillance to be worth the annoyance.

I'm not sure of the details of your health plan. Often an annual primary care doctor visit is free of copays and deductibles. Often preventative screenings are as well (and a colonoscopy is one, regardless of age with an IBD diagnosis). I'd call your insurance and ask. The one caveat, is removal of a polyp makes it surgery and nolonger a preventative-screening.

You have pancolitis, so a colonoscopy is best. But a flexible-sigmoidoscopy would be surveillance for approximately half of the large intestine, and is substantially less expensive (especially when done without sedation) and at least it would be surveillance.

i most likely will never have someone put one of those slithering serpents up my hooter ever again -

@dobs1 = were you having zero symptoms before the scope ? what made you decide to be invaded anal wise after 5 years ?