You’ve got to clean out all the crap!

The day before a colonoscopy you stop eating solids and start pumping laxatives. Most people agree that this is the worst part of the procedure. You spend a lot of time sitting on the toilet, and feeling hungry. Many studies have shown that about one quarter of patients fail to properly prepare their colons, leaving a hazy cloud of debris that makes it hard for the gastroenterologist to see through.

Not surprisingly, a recent study by Reena Chokshi and colleagues, at the Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, has shown that doctors can often miss pre-cancerous growths when the bowel is not cleaned out adequately. The data is from patients that had a follow up colonoscopy within a year, and growths that were almost certainly there before were found.

Indeed, the authors of the study suggest that if the doctor finds a murky milieu, which is often apparent within minutes of starting the procedure, then the colonoscopy should be terminated and re-scheduled rather than incur the slight risk of continuing, with questionable benefit.

So clean out that colon before your next colonoscopy! In the end it is for your own good.

4 thoughts on “You’ve got to clean out all the crap!”

  1. Back in the early 60’s our father died very young, of cancer of the colon ,when he were aged only 38.Only a few years later one of his brother was also found to have the same cancer,but luckily they found out about it far earlier(partly due to the death of our father i suspect), and with medication he pulled through, and has lived on into old age.Another brother of our dad’s died too ,of the same cancer , once again because they just didn’t discover it, until it were already far too late.Then about 20 years ago one of my own sisters was also found to have early stages of the same cancer too.However after medication she also lived as well too.And so then all us other siblings were all advised to go have the check up you describe, at regular intervals, ranging from between 2-5years. We were also asked to participate in a program to try and help medical scientists, find out more info,so as to better understand and improve the medical science in regard to this form of cancer. Which naturally we gladly agreed to do.And so this went on up until last year, when i had the last check up (colonoscopy).

    A few months earlier, i had also received a phone call from a scientist that was studying the “genetic side” of the science, asking me if i would agree to allow her to check into my genetics.Once again of course i was only too happy to give her full freedom to just go right ahead.The way i see it, if i can do “anything” to help improve this science.Then i’m real keen to play my part.

    Anyway they looked into my genetics. And they seemed to have come to the conclusion , that my genetics suggest that maybe i’m not so likely to be someone “at risk”,of clonal cancer. And so after completion of my last colonoscopy, they then told me that i also need not have the very regular tests.

    I’m totally loving all the info available on your blog.I never did so well at school,i left school early to get a job. But the way you go about explaining science, still allows me to understand it a little bit more.

    So thank you very much for taking the time to help make it available to us.It is really appreciated

    I’ve found that i’ve become very interested in science. Especially evolutionary science.But i admit i still know very little about. But i wanted to ask you about any information available, to help explain about the transformation of single-celled organisms into something more complex. As i understand it , people are suggesting to me, that this is a side of evolutionary science, that is still not quite so well understood, as yet.

    Is this correct?

    Regards

    Steve

    • The real mystery is where the first single cell organism came from. Once we have a living cell, and lots of time, say a few billion years, evoltuion can explain pretty much everything.

      • Thanks .So is that what they call Abiogenesis , right?.And if they can figure out a way that the first single cell might have started, then many more people may then become less skeptical of the science too.Because as you point out that’s a mystery .I’ve been watching/reading along, where i see scientists were looking for answer in areas, like the hot water vent’s under the ocean.Its very interesting.I’m not sure they are still concentrating in those area, so much.Maybe they are more closely considering other possibilities.It almost seems a little bit like being a police detective, following up on leads.It must be exciting work

        I would still love to do a little reading to try and understand the issue of transformation of single-celled organisms into something more complex.I’ts just that i’ve noticed people questioning how much the scientist do know on this subject. However i did read where someone suggested that the understanding of information in regard to the zygote is one instance.Please, would you know ? of a internet link to this sort of information, where someone like me, can have a read to try and gain a little more understanding

        Regards

        Steve

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