Colonoscopy PSA

It’s depends. For most people who have one without any issues it’s every five years. 

This is what I do currently.  They send me a kit every year.  I have an appointment in two weeks and I will put this on my discussion list.  Although, he won’t be my doctor for much longer.  On second thought, I will wait until I get set up with a new doctor after my move.

Y’all are making me feel better because I’m scheduled for my first colonoscopy in October. Not excited about it but know how important it is.

My 47 year old niece went in for an upper endoscopy so they also did a colonoscopy. She has been diagnosed with colon cancer and will have surgery soon. Thank God they found it!

Guess where I am reading this post? On the toilet doing colonoscopy prep. 😆

I am 46 with no family history, but my doctor recommended a colonoscopy this year as there have been higher rates of colon cancer at younger ages, so they are recommending screenings at younger ages.

I am glad to read that people said it was no big deal. I am a little nervous, although I logically tell myself it is not a big deal.

I am the weirdest person in the world—but I loved my colonoscopy. I loved the way I felt when I woke up—those are some seriously good drugs.  I was so rested and hungry! My brother took me to IHOP and I swear it was the best meal I’ve ever had. Now—mammograms and Pap smears are a nightmare for me. 

Good for you for taking care of yourself. I hope it comes back clean! 

It is generally every 10 years if the test is negative. Between the ages of 75 and 85, it is up to the patient and doctor if they want to do one. It is generally not recommended after the age of 86.

I had one about 7 years ago, and I just did Cologuard this year. My doctor said I can do Cologuard every 3 years from now on. I notice that there are different recommendations here, so I would talk it over with your doctor to see what is the best path for you. Based on my family history, my doctor feels it is ok for me to do Cologuard now. 

I’m surprised Kaiser goes with just the poop swipe every year.

My husband - no history of colon cancer in his family - had a precancerous polyp found in his 40s. He thought he had a hemorrhoid - a little blood when he wiped and I made him go to the gastro and get a colonoscopy.

So, if you have any weird symptoms at all, even with a clean test, make an appointment! He now has to get a colonoscopy every 5 years. I’m on the 10 year plan because I had a clean one about a month ago.

Indeed. DH's father is prone to polyps, they test him every year. When DH had one last year and it came back positive for cancer his sister was told to go in and get tested as now there's a family history. His brothers need to go too. DH and I will be 50 next year, so definitely not for of a certain age.

I did this once but as I said, it does not show pre-cancerous cells. Once you get a positive result from that, you already have cancer. Thus, I am being a "big girl" now and will have my colonoscopy. 

cindytred, my daughter told me about the pills. I will wait and see what they write for, and then I will ask my daughter if I should ask to have them change it. I want as easy as possible. Too much liquid in my stomach may do me in.

I'm on the every-three-year plan due to polyps. Yeah, the prep isn't what I'd classify as a fun time, but the procedure is a piece of cake. And this is coming from someone who keeps up with her medical screenings/appointments, but loathes doing so.

I hate, hate, hate, hate drinking that stuff. Did I mention I hate it? The colonoscopy itself is nothing but I dread drinking that ghastly stuff. I gag and vomit no matter what tricks I try.

My mom died of colon cancer at 75. She did have screenings every 5 years. Somehow they didn't catch it, or it grew very fast- I think she had a colonoscopy 2 years previous.

I think it has been 4 years since my last one. Ugh. But it has to be done, so...

I have no history of colon cancer in my family. I had my first routine colonoscopy at 50. There were no polyps so I was told no need for another colonoscopy for 10 years. I think the latest is that routine screening should start before 50 now. 

The prep is the worst part, and it' really isn't that bad. Speak to your doctor if you have concerns about the prep. Sometimes they will offer different options. And ask for tips when you get close to prep day. I got some great advice on how to prepare leading up to prep day and it really helped! Eating light meals like soups in small portions a few days before really helped me. Drinking the prep cold, and chasing it down with a shot glass of apple juice after each sip helped me. Also use a straw to drink the prep. 

COLONOSCOPIES SAVE LIVES. It saved mine.


I had a lot of health issues as a kid. I was eventually diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was 13 after three years of colonoscopies, barium studies, poking and prodding, and eleventy billion different diets. I stopped counting, but by the time when I was in my mid-forties (story below) I probably had somewhere between 50-60. When I was a kid and trying to get a diagnosis every doctor wanted to see for themselves. One year I had six (I was 12 years old). I had a colonoscopy every year of my life except when I was pregnant with my daughter. I even had one (No prep, no sedation) when pregnant with my son as I knew I was having a flare up and no doctor believed me until they performed the “mini” colonoscopy.

13 years ago I went and had my yearly exam. As usual, doc did HUNDREDS of biopsies. No lie. There were areas he wanted to watch but said all was good. Next summer I arrange the next colonoscopy so about 10 months in between the two. Tells me he’s concerned about a couple of spots and he took a ton more biopsies. Well, I get a call that almost 50% of the 200 biopsies showed dysplastic changes. Even biopsies from areas that doctor said looked fine. I could tell he was rattled. Told me I needed a complete colectomy or I’d have full-blown colon cancer in 6 months. So a month later I had surgery. Not gonna lie, it was rough. Had some setbacks, surgery took twice as long, ileostomy leaked a lot while my J pouch (Made from my small intestine) healed. Had more complications after they hooked the plumbing back up. But here I am 12 years later. Cancer-free.

I have two soapboxes…one is suck it up and do your damn colonoscopy. I had 3 when I was 11 and 6 when I was 12 and had to fast for 5 days and drink peppermint Castor oil…you can drink a prep the night before. Colonoscopies save lives. Second soapbox is taking antibiotics when not needed or taking them incorrectly. I worked in healthcare and in 10 years saw what antibiotic misuse was doing and it’s actually terrifying. If global climate change and nuclear war doesn’t get us in the next few decades, bacteria will.