Colonoscopy

[Guest guest]

I agree that colonoscopy is an excellent screening test. It is not completely safe, given the state of our hospitals, and the  incidence of hospital-acquired infections.My sister-in-law's father had a colonoscopy, routine. His bowel was perforated, which was not diagnosed until he was very ill with peritonitis. This required two trips to the hospital with severe abdominal pain before it was diagnosed.

Post-operatively, he became very ill with C. Difficile, which never actually cleared up in the two years before his death.After discharge from hospital, MRSA (also hospital-acquired) made him very ill. By the time he had cleared up the MRSA infection, he had a large abdominal hernia at the site of his incision for his bowel perforation surgery. He refused surgery for that, but died, very weakened with pneumonia that he acquired in the nursing home that he was put in, being unable to live at home any longer

[Guest guest]

A lot of these clinics(often associated with Major International renown

hospitals, my case Deaconess Beth Israel Medical Center, a Harvard University

Medical School training hospital) and often off site are no more than an

assembly line - get them in, get them out as fast as possible. I was not

properly antesthesized and was aware of every movement and uncomfortable for

days. The staff was not responsive to my needs. I was fortuante to be able to

speak directly to the the physician incharge of Gastroenterology over seeing

these clinics. He was very alarmed at the attitude of the staff where I was

treated,the insensitive manner in which I was treted and particularly the PA who

was in charge and was very reluctant to tell me to whom she reported and

accountable. She actualy tried to convince me she reported to no one. However, I

kept pushing and was given the DR's name at which time she became very passive.

Living with PTSD, among other mental health issues, has left me with another

permanent mental scar. Fortunately only one polyp was discovered and it was

benign. Despite medical protocol suggesting to be screened regularly, I will

never be screened again. I always have to balance my mental health vs my

physical health.

>

> I agree that colonoscopy is an excellent screening test. It is not

> completely safe, given the state of our hospitals, and the incidence of

> hospital-acquired infections.

> My sister-in-law's father had a colonoscopy, routine. His bowel was

> perforated, which was not diagnosed until he was very ill with peritonitis.

> This required two trips to the hospital with severe abdominal pain before

> it was diagnosed.

> Post-operatively, he became very ill with C. Difficile, which never

> actually cleared up in the two years before his death.

> After discharge from hospital, MRSA (also hospital-acquired) made him very

> ill. By the time he had cleared up the MRSA infection, he had a large

> abdominal hernia at the site of his incision for his bowel perforation

> surgery. He refused surgery for that, but died, very weakened with

> pneumonia that he acquired in the nursing home that he was put in, being

> unable to live at home any longer.

> If only they would clean hospitals, and wash their hands in between and

> before procedures, the system would be much safer.

>

[Guest guest]

My partner recently had a virtual colonoscopy (MRI), ironically as a follow up to a traditional colonoscopy, because the virtual exam could see areas that the intrusive one could not. You might consider that as an option downstream. I was with him at Washington Univ. hospital and the entire staff was very nice to him and to me. I am very sorry to hear about your negative experience. JerrySent from my iPadOn May 6, 2012, at 8:21, "Chicago48" <ect9148@...> wrote:

A lot of these clinics(often associated with Major International renown hospitals, my case Deaconess Beth Israel Medical Center, a Harvard University Medical School training hospital) and often off site are no more than an assembly line - get them in, get them out as fast as possible. I was not properly antesthesized and was aware of every movement and uncomfortable for days. The staff was not responsive to my needs. I was fortuante to be able to speak directly to the the physician incharge of Gastroenterology over seeing these clinics. He was very alarmed at the attitude of the staff where I was treated,the insensitive manner in which I was treted and particularly the PA who was in charge and was very reluctant to tell me to whom she reported and accountable. She actualy tried to convince me she reported to no one. However, I kept pushing and was given the DR's name at which time she became very passive.

Living with PTSD, among other mental health issues, has left me with another permanent mental scar. Fortunately only one polyp was discovered and it was benign. Despite medical protocol suggesting to be screened regularly, I will never be screened again. I always have to balance my mental health vs my physical health.

>

> I agree that colonoscopy is an excellent screening test. It is not

> completely safe, given the state of our hospitals, and the incidence of

> hospital-acquired infections.

> My sister-in-law's father had a colonoscopy, routine. His bowel was

> perforated, which was not diagnosed until he was very ill with peritonitis.

> This required two trips to the hospital with severe abdominal pain before

> it was diagnosed.

> Post-operatively, he became very ill with C. Difficile, which never

> actually cleared up in the two years before his death.

> After discharge from hospital, MRSA (also hospital-acquired) made him very

> ill. By the time he had cleared up the MRSA infection, he had a large

> abdominal hernia at the site of his incision for his bowel perforation

> surgery. He refused surgery for that, but died, very weakened with

> pneumonia that he acquired in the nursing home that he was put in, being

> unable to live at home any longer.

> If only they would clean hospitals, and wash their hands in between and

> before procedures, the system would be much safer.

>

[Guest guest]

Not to be melodramatic, but my he-man older brother who wouldn’t go to the doctor for anything never had a colonoscopy, didn’t go to the doctor for the pain in his gut until his bowels completely stopped moving, had a tennis ball sized tumor removed, but not before the cancer metastasized to his liver, and then we buried him far too young. I’ll stop there.