You can mention it to him/her, but you are probably young, with no family history. Usual time for a colonoscopy is age 50.
Keep in mind that if you do have a close relative that was diagnosed at say 50 years old, you have to go in at age 40 for yours. Ten years earlier than the relative was diagnosed.Okay thanks. I'll keep it in mind for when I get closer to 50.
I guess I'm a bit of a nervous nelly.
I'm home.... It's so good to have the surgery behind me.
I have a little cut on the belly button area. I'm a little sore and very weak. Getting up and down is a problem.... but other than that... and that ain't much.... this was a piece of cake.
To Dr. Obias... thanks... I know you enjoy being a doctor for all the right reasons!
To all the ladies at GWU...Elaine, Amy, Barbara, Melissa, Ella, Sheeba, Joy, Elizabeth and Jennie [the needle lol].... I thank you again for the excellent caring way you do your job every single day. You are all heroes in my book!
Thanks again hotcoffee room 570.
Now, as far as the room number goes, I am unemployed. Please accept these...
On another site a cancer patient asked, "Is it ever over?". She has had a lot of cancers and now she finds it's in her colon. My heart went right out to her because my own mother had breast cancer, uterine cancer, and colon cancer. She was lucky because she was a vet's wife during peacetime. My dad had been in medical research for a long time in the Navy. She knew most of the doctors by name, and some by first name.... and she was in the wives clubs with many through the years.
This is what I answered the woman who asked "Is it ever over?".
"I don't know if it goes away. I know when I was being treated for Lyme Disease not long ago, I learned that it would never go away.... and the co-infections might mutate as well.... It seems like this cancer stuff is the same thing. That's what's scaring me the most. I am not afraid to make decisions on my own about my health. I ask for a copy of every report and read it through checking for inconsistencies that even I can find. I figure all the stuff over my head should repeat through the reports or it should be mentioned that the stuff is now unremarkable. Even that word unremarkable may lead me to issues.... say if a change in prognosis is unremarkable.
I wonder if it matters really. After all... we're tagged with cancer now.... so now we have to learn how to live with it and continue on with life... Full of Hope... I can only hope the professionals I'm dealing with are as professional as they seem to be. Now that it may be a while I have to depend on them."
Yes, I chose my staff after seeing nine different Doctors in a 3 day period after diagnosis. I decided to go to Philadelphia to a Hospital that specialized in my diagnosis. They were great, and I'm thankful for each, and everyone of the Staff. It was 5 days from diagnosis, to surgery because my Cancer was aggressive. Melanoma spreads like wild fire, and considering that it was in my head, I had to move quick.
Well Hotcoffee, here's the kicker. I was at what I thought, was the healthiest time in my life. One Child was out of the home, and one still at home. Six months before that dreadful day, my Husband, and I decided to cancel Health Insurance on ourselves, and just keep it for the one Child left at home. So I had no Health Insurance, and made too much money to get Medical Assistance. because I was a Paramedic/Firefighter, different organizations picked up a ton of the tab. They said because I was a "Servant to my Community". The Surgeon ate his costs, because he wanted to help me, so he did his part for free. We had to pay for the Operating Room, Anesthesiologist, and the first round of chemo, and radiation. That was about 25 thousand out of pocket. The Knights of Templar paid for my room, and TV, along with food. I was very lucky, and to this day, we donate a nice sum of money to these organizations. We are heavily Insured now, and have learned from our mistake, thinking we would live forever, and be in great health.Was your insurance company easy to deal with?
I gotta say... I called my insurance company my diagnosis and they gave me a real update on benefits.
They told me up front what I had to pay, and they told me how far into the max for the year out of pocket I have.
