Posted on 02/04/2014 9:12:48 AM PST by afraidfortherepublic
There are few medical procedures feared more than a colonoscopy. But what if there was another way to screen patients for colon cancer that's much less intrusive?
Now there is: The PillCam, an ingestible camera that takes high-speed photographs as it works its way through the digestive system and helps doctors spot polyps and other early signs of colon cancer was just cleared by the Food and Drug Administration.
The device is designed for patients who have had trouble with the cringe-inducing colonoscopy procedure, which involves probing the large intestine with a tiny camera embedded in a four-foot long, flexible tube.
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(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
True. However, with the current ‘long tube’ method, physicians can remove polyps as they find them.
With the pill method, they would have to go back if the camera reveals polyps.
I guess my doc will eventually get me to do it.
I’ve been planning to tell him I want the more modern, much less intrusive “imaging” procedure instead. Now we get this even-newer “pill” approach and it sounds good, too.
If only I can swallow the damned pill. I chew them all now... maybe if the doc wraps the pill in a slice of pizza?
I read an article about him on FR, just recently. Frank-Dodd -related, maybe?
That’s a relief. I have been stalling on the obligatory colonoscopy in the hope that the camera pill would be approved.
I’ve had 4. Best 4 hours of sleep I ever had.
Aftermath was unnoticeable after the first 2.
After then last 2, it took a week for the innards to quit aching.
Going to the hospital is dangerous from both germs and from getting knocked out.
I came to during the middle of mine; saw the video (kinda cool) and then a nurse started beating on me to get the probe to go around the corners.
Not me. I already told them at the clinic if God sends me cancer, I'm outta here anyway. They shut up about the colonoscopy, digital prostate exam, etc.
This isn’t very new. I saw the first ones appear about 20 years ago, maybe longer. The capsules have a lighted, broadcasting video camera that can display the trip through the bowels in real time so no need to strip together individual pictures. They were designed to do the same thing as the hose camera except there is no hose and the insertion point is on the other end. Hope they reduced the size a bit because the early prototypes were a bit more than horse pill size. Could be hard to swallow. I’m also pretty sure the patient will still have to purge before swallowing the camera.
I slept fully through all 4.
They sort of mentioned I could be awake for part, but never asked me if I wanted that.
I like the zonked out method and waking in the recovery room. They can show me the video or pix later.
“just had to go to the bathroom a little more often during prep) “
A little more? “More” like about living in the bathroom?
I know people who had this years ago. It’s kind of old news.
The staff in the recovery room was not impressed with my attempts at humor either.
I'm going to skip the rematch for quite a while.
A nurse told me we are awake during the colonoscopy you just don’t remember it when you wake from the “twilight sleep.” Apparently this is true for a number of procedures.
I have had several colonoscopies and other than the prep it is no worse than having your teeth cleaned. My last colonoscopy I didn’t even have to drink that gallon of colon flush...just two small bottles of magnesium citrate. The prep can be made even easier if you stick to a clear liquid diet 24 hours before starting the prep. I lost my Mother to colon cancer so I know the importance of having this exam done.
Having had a few colonoscopies I think it’s sad this article says it is such a “feared” procedure. It’s no big deal, as some here mentioned the “sleep” they induce is rather enjoyable. I have never been able to tell that any procedure was done when I wake up. (Ok except a slight amount of gas sometimes that’s it).
They took pictures and gave them to my wife after they were done. She announced to everyone there, “Look, Honey. We’ve got our Christmas cards for this year.”
True story.
digital rectal insertion doesn’t work anyway...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15839915
I am asking my doc for a more modern (imaging) approach
If you like your colonoscopy you can keep it. Period.
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