Risks of colonoscopy

[rainbow]

I have been researching the pros and cons of colonoscopy and have found on a reputable site that 1 in 350 people have some damage done from the colonoscopy and that 1 in 1000 people die of a result. This is freaking me out as I think it will be inevitable that I will need to have one in the near future. That seems like a very high number.

[Mercime]

Can I ask which reputable site? xx

[Beckybecks]

Why do you believe you need to have a colonoscopy?
I know of a fair number of people who've undergone one with no ill effects.

[Capercrohnj]

I highly question the reliability of the site you got that information from. I have crohn's disease and have many, many friends online and in real life with bowel diseases as I am very involved in charity work who have colonoscopies on a regular basis and not one of them have died or have had serious consequences from it.

[paranoid-viking]

Google is your worst enemy. I think you have a much higher chance of getting killed in a traffic acident tomorrow. I had colonoscopy last month. I never heard of such things.
Where did you read it? Not the Daily Mail i presume?

[rainbow]

Well maybe it's not a reputable site but it's called gut sense. Also there is a gp in Glasgow called Margaret McCartney who questions the amount of over screening that is done and that sometimes it can do more harm than good. She has written a book called "the patient paradox". There is a Dr mercola who has also written about the risks of colonoscopy. It might be all complete nonsense but still it unnerves me a little.

---------- Post added at 16:11 ---------- Previous post was at 16:09 ----------


Why do you believe you need to have a colonoscopy?
I know of a fair number of people who've undergone one with no ill effects.

I think I'll need one because I have a horrible fear of bowel cancer at the moment and this will be the only way to give me some peace or the news that I dread.

---------- Post added at 16:23 ---------- Previous post was at 16:11 ----------

The nhs website says that 1 in 250 people will have heavy bleeding following a colonoscopy, 1 in 1000 will have a bowel perforation and about 1 in 10000 will result in death.

[Capercrohnj]

Dr Mercola is a quack. Also there is a huge difference between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10 000. I wouldn't get one for fun but a colonoscopy saved my life as I was very, very ill. Also I highly recommend it if you have any red flag symptoms (not just anxiety) as many bowel diseases are treatable if caught at an early stage.

[rainbow]

I still find those numbers worrying, how many thousands of people have colonoscopies every year. What about the many people that have a positive fobt and have to have a colonoscopy and nothing is found but have been put at risk of complications. Sorry if I've got it all wrong but my anxiety is extremely high at the moment

[EKB]

Dr Mercola is a quack. Also there is a huge difference between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10 000. I wouldn't get one for fun but a colonoscopy saved my life as I was very, very ill. Also I highly recommend it if you have any red flag symptoms (not just anxiety) as many bowel diseases are treatable if caught at an early stage.

I second that!

---------- Post added at 17:17 ---------- Previous post was at 17:15 ----------

Also, I know a woman who has to get a colonoscopy every year because she has had cancer and has a very real and genetic elevated risk of colon cancer. Yes, there can be complications with all medical procedures, but it is a common and more-often-than-not successful procedure.

I think the real question you need to ask yourself is if you are more anxious about the test than the ailment, and if doctor's don't think you actually require the test, should you be pressing for it?