OT: get a colonoscopy

[Jay 535i]

Okay, this is VERY off topic, but I'm posting it anyway because it can save lives.

My father died last year of colon cancer. At 60, he'd never had a colonoscopy and so the cancer was detected too late to save him.

Today a 40-year-old friend of mine was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. He's also never had a colonoscopy, but at 40 that's not unusual.

AFAIK, colon cancer is the number one killer of North American men after smoking and obesity-related illness (e.g. lung cancer, heart disease).

Get a colonoscopy. It could save your life.

[dacoyote]

.....
Get a colonoscopy. It could save your life.

And it's fun(tm) also...

[Incantation]

while you're at it get a colonic or series of colonics done.. flush out all the toxins that can cause or contribute to many diseases

sorry to hear about your pops jay.. :\

[632 Regal]

ever to the castor oil pack? We just started and now I feel like I'm high all the time (cool bonus) my _lut says she feels better and "not so blah" Never did the enema blow out thing though, that sounds fun! :p

[rob101]

Okay, this is VERY off topic, but I'm posting it anyway because it can save lives.

My father died last year of colon cancer. At 60, he'd never had a colonoscopy and so the cancer was detected too late to save him.

Today a 40-year-old friend of mine was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. He's also never had a colonoscopy, but at 40 that's not unusual.

AFAIK, colon cancer is the number one killer of North American men after smoking and obesity-related illness (e.g. lung cancer, heart disease).

Get a colonoscopy. It could save your life.
sorry to side track I'd be interested to see the stats about obesity-related illness. I am very focused on exercise and my diet etc. but i still find it surprising that obesity-related illness is one of the major causes of death on par with smoking in america. Even though I am Australian and our McDonalds food isn't as bad as american mcdonalds. After seeing that documentary movie Supersize Me I stopped eating junk food almost all together. last 12 months i probably lost at least 7 kg and still losing it. Not that i was obese or anything but its good to be trim.

[Derek A.]

They are not as bad. I was put under for mine. Scariest part of the whole thing was seeing what I was about to get friendly with before I was put under !

I got pictures will scan and post later !

[SharkmanBMW]

Okay, this is VERY off topic, but I'm posting it anyway because it can save lives.

My father died last year of colon cancer. At 60, he'd never had a colonoscopy and so the cancer was detected too late to save him.

Today a 40-year-old friend of mine was diagnosed with advanced colon cancer. He's also never had a colonoscopy, but at 40 that's not unusual.

AFAIK, colon cancer is the number one killer of North American men after smoking and obesity-related illness (e.g. lung cancer, heart disease).

Get a colonoscopy. It could save your life.


Jay,

Sorry about your father.
BTW, what symptoms was your friend having that made him go for the colonoscopy?
Wish him the best for us.

[632 Regal]

Sweeeet!

I got pictures will scan and post later !

[scott540]

Girl down the street was havig symptoms of blood. Went in for a colonoscopy and they caught the cancer very early. Problem is most people don't have symptoms or they ignore them until it's too late.

[Phil Sanderson]

...your warning is a sound one that should be heeded.

My brother recently had a colonoscopy - he was clear fortunately. He told me that shoving the camera up his ar** was no problem - but then he saw the tripod...

regards
Phil

[Gayle]

ever to the castor oil pack? We just started and now I feel like I'm high all the time (cool bonus) my _lut says she feels better and "not so blah" Never did the enema blow out thing though, that sounds fun! :p


Too much information Jeff :)

[632 Regal]

the castor oil deal is a soaked rag on your stomach, dont you guys get Google over there? Tonight about 30 minutes into my comfortable TV watching treatment time I developed what I thought was a hair in my eye, went crazy to finish off the hour. I got, popped and got rid of a sty in my eye...this stuff is weird.
Too much information Jeff :)

[Gayle]

the castor oil deal is a soaked rag on your stomach, dont you guys get Google over there? Tonight about 30 minutes into my comfortable TV watching treatment time I developed what I thought was a hair in my eye, went crazy to finish off the hour. I got, popped and got rid of a sty in my eye...this stuff is weird.


Sounds like tons of fun. Can hardly wait to try it.

[632 Regal]

look it up! Cant hurt.
Sounds like tons of fun. Can hardly wait to try it.

[Springfield1952]

AFAIK, colon cancer is the number one killer of North American men after smoking and obesity-related illness (e.g. lung cancer, heart disease).

Get a colonoscopy. It could save your life.

Jay, sorry to hear about your father and friend. I agree with your suggestion, it's easy to have the procedure and they put a amnesia additive in the knock-out gas so you don't remember anything. I had one done about 16 months ago. Piece of cake.

For the past year+ we have been developing with one of our clients a new colosocopy endoscope (the 6 foot long piece that goes inside you) and control mechanism. It steers it's way through the colon with a joystick and the entire length of the endoscope mimics the turns ands twists of the tip section. They call it "Follow the Leader" and it is faster to insert and less trauma on the colon. I know this may be waaaaay too much info for some but there are better procedures coming down the line.

Like Jay says, get it done. It could save your life.

Curt.

[Jay 535i]

Jay,

Sorry about your father.
BTW, what symptoms was your friend having that made him go for the colonoscopy?
Wish him the best for us.

Thanks for your sympathies. It's okay. I got his car :)

My friend went to the doctor because he felt a lump in his stomach.

My father went to the doctor after going a week without a bowel movement. The tumor was so big it had blocked him off completely. He needed emergency surgery.

Part of the reason that colon cancer is so deadly is that it tends to be symptom-free until very late. It's not that it's particularly deadly, but rather that it's hard to detect without a colonoscopy. By the time you see blood in your stool or whatever it's very, very late, and the cancer has probably already spread.

That's my friend's fear. His doctors tell him that if the tumor is large enough to feel it's probably already in his liver (the first place colon cancer usually spreads to). They won't know until they operate, but if it has spread, there's a 95% chance he'll be dead inside of five years.

BTW, women get colon cancer, too. You don't hear about it because breast cancer is far more common, but colon cancer is by no means for men only.

Have hope, get scoped! :)

[Zeuk in Oz]

At least do an occult blood test !

[Jay 535i]

At least do an occult blood test !

That's good advice, and non-invasive. But it will only detect problems -- it won't detect the harmless (for now) polyps that can lead to problems.

Polyps often develop into cancer, and they're easily removed during a colonoscopy. By the time they start to bleed things are already getting bad.