Saturday, December 6, 2014

Colonoscopy -- Unpleasent but a necessary preventive measure

I had my 10-year follow-up colonoscopy last Thursday (one year late). My first procedure showed no problems, so the follow-up was recommended for 10 years downstream, rather than five, as are those involving polyps that require removal.

I'm a firm believer in preventive medicine (as well as preventive dentistry), so I felt I should post the video of my colonoscopy, just as Katie Couric did hers. A lot of people are very hesitant to undergo this procedure. Believe me, it's not as bad as people imagine. The worst part is the prep. The procedure itself is quick and painless -- actually, you're sedated, so you don't feel a thing, and there's no pain afterwards.

So here's the video of my colonoscopy.

2 comments:

  1. Actually, I read something not that long ago, probably on Slate, where the author recommended skipping the sedation and staying awake. Here's a description, that may be different from the one I read earlier: http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/02/sedation-free-colonoscopy but it's pretty similar, if not the same.

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  2. Thanks for the suggestion on sedation-free colonoscopy. The link was well-written and informative. I think that if one isn't too nervous about undergoing the procedure, doing it sedation-free is a good option.

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