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Comment by bluGill | Hacker News Reader

> even though it’s a relatively benign procedure.

Not completely. Every once in a while they accidentally puncture the intestine with the probes and that becomes a significant medial problem. It doesn't happen often, but that is still a risk that doctors need to consider. If you are over 50 getting one every 10 years is a good idea, and there is some consideration if younger might be worth it. However so few people get colon cancer under 40 that it isn't worth the risks for most - but if there are other signs of a problem (either family history or symptoms) that changes things and it may be worth it.

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I was diagnosed at 35 seven years ago with no history. Getting a colonoscopy never crossed my mind, much less being suggested by my general practitioner.

The trigger for me was blood in my stool. It was the slightest amount but I pursued it because that didn’t seem right. Turns out I had hemorrhoids which brought up something I feel hits others - I was embarrassed.

Fortunately the doctor that performed a banding procedure pushed me to get a colonoscopy purely out of being through and seeing the number of incidences increase at my age range.

I often wonder how much the embarrassment factor comes into play here.

Was it a consistent blood in stools or just a one time thing? I've had what I think that is once or twice and then take the approach to just see if it recoccurs a second time before going to a doctor, not sure if that's the correct approach or if a single instance should be alarming enough.

For me it was small amount consistently. But I cannot stress enough that it was the diagnosis of hemorrhoids coupled with a very proactive doctor that led to me being diagnosed with cancer. It was a lucky circumstance that it was staged early because the additionally suggested screening was not standard protocol for my age.

If you have any abnormalities in your bowel movements (blood, ribboning, etc.) and you have the ability to get it checked then it could offer peace of mind. And yes, there are small chances of intestinal perforations with a colonoscopy.

My bloody stool started slow and took some time off but came back and I had a large polyp. Watch this very closely, but don't panic.

Blood in the stool, at age 41. Benign but a VERY large polyp so I have a followup soon. If you have an instinct to get tested, especially if you have any evidence, do it. My doc fought me to NOT get tested but I persisted. The embarrassment factor is a thing, but we have to get over it!

For a screening procedure recommended as a mass conducted preventative measure in otherwise healthy people, harms must be regulated to a better standard than "doesn't happen often". The study that I read of was about serious issue occuring something like one in 120 procedures. It was done at Kaiser. Next time you're enjoying a sausage, take a moment to look at the sausage skins. If I understand correctly, our intestinal walls are quite thin, and even the colon vulnerable.

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