Mammograms and Colonoscopies
I'm only six months in on my stage IV diagnosis but I keep forgetting to ask my doctor about my upcoming 60th birthday and the dreaded colonoscopy. He already told me that I don't need to get mammograms but does that hold true for colonoscopies? (Fingers crossed).
Comments
-
@bagsharon Hey there I am 57 and just had a 5 year check because I had some precancerous polys . I think it depends on your situation and overall health. My MO told me to go because my disease burden is low and she felt I was in good shape to handle it. However she told me not to worry about going to the gyno for paps.
I'm glad I had my colonoscopy because I started having issue with loose stool and it may all be connected to my current treatment…we'll see.
Best wishes
0 -
it seriously never occurred to me to follow up on these routine age-related tests - I was completely blasé when someone phoned up about a Pap test (‘bigger fish to fry”) and the poo sample kit sent to everyone over 55 in my city came back fine. I assumed at Stage IV anything nasty would show up in MRI/PET. Is this incorrect?
0 -
Emiliamarty, if by nasty you mean a big ugly cancer. An mri and pet isn't necessarily going to find the small spots. And the colonoscopy can remove the polyps. I think it's up to you.
I never heard about skipping the pap. But then I had a hysterectomy at 27 and no paps since. But there are other reasons it seems to see the gynecologist.
Gailmary
0 -
I’m getting reminders about my mammogram. I’m not going to do it until I have a chance to ask my oncologist if I should. Colonoscopy isn’t due for 2 more years so I’ll deal with that later. I’ve had polyps in the past so I don’t know.
0 -
both my primary and my onc want me to have colonoscopies. I wimped out and asked the primary to approve a Cologuard test instead. He did and it was negative. So far, I have avoided colonoscopy on that basis, even though docs try to say ‘Oh, it doesn’t find everything, etc etc”
After having NEAD scans for a couple of years my onc suggested a mammogram and since then, I have been to three different oncologists and all recommended yearly mammograms, which I do comply with. One purpose of doing the mammo is that if I remain stable in the body but something shows up in the breast, they would possibly treat the breast tumor with surgery, since all other areas are “quiet’.
0
