The little-discussed risks and side effects of colonoscopy screening and why, in some cases, people would do best to avoid them. If you must have one, how to minimize the dangers as much as possible and a safe alternative to consider as a logical middle ground.
March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month each year. At that time, the usual health experts trot out on TV and print media to urge us all to get a colonoscopy. The inherent risks of this reviled procedure especially for those over age 50 are usually conveniently glossed over in favor of an aggressive push about the benefits.
That “kick in the butt” might initially sound like a good idea. However, according to the Annals of Internal Medicine, the rate of serious complications from colonoscopy screening is ten times higher than any other commonly used cancer-screening test.
According to Konstantin Monastyrky, author of Fiber Menace:
The odds of being killed or injured by the side effects of colonoscopy may exceed your odds of getting colorectal cancer in the first place.
He further points out that the procedure is far from infallible. It often fails to catch colorectal cancer in the first place. In addition, it can cause, contribute to or accelerate the growth of colorectal and other cancers.
Let’s go into each of these colonoscopy risks in detail.
Dysbiosis
Intestinal flora is disrupted by a colonoscopy because the procedure requires a thorough washing out of the large intestine with large doses of synthetic laxatives. This is followed by bowel irrigation with polyethylene glycol and hypertonic electrolytes.
These substances kill bacteria, both good and bad just like antibiotics. The gut dysbiosis that inevitably follows contributes to irregularity, constipation, colitis, IBS, Crohn’s, and other diseases known to increase colon cancer risk. Dysbiosis also contributes to a wide range of other autoimmune health problems.
Worsening of Stool Patterns
Those already affected by hemorrhoids, chronic constipation, IBS, or diverticulosis may find these conditions become worse after colonoscopy.
Complications
Serious complications, such as colon perforation, occur in five out of every one thousand colonoscopies.
The risks of delayed bleeding, infection, and ulceration are even higher. Unfortunately, reporting of these complications in connection with colonoscopy is rare.
Increased Risks of Stroke, Heart Attack, and Pulmonary Embolisms
Dangerous blood clotting is a side effect of anesthesia, particularly among patients with diabetes or heart disease.
Infections
Procedures performed under anesthesia are associated with an increased risk of serious infections. This includes pneumonia or pyelonephritis.
False Sense of Security
Doctors miss from 15-27 percent of polyps, including six percent of large tumors. The New England Journal of Medicine even reported that some doctors blast through the colonoscopy so fast they miss cancer in full bloom!
Indeed, the desire for speed is why most colonoscopies today are done under anesthesia. Might there be a profit motive? Some doctors do 60 colonoscopies per day at an average cost of $1,500 to $2000 each. You do the math.
Colonoscopy Alternative
Many people do not realize that you can order an at-home colorectal screening kit to avoid most colonoscopies. They are inexpensive, safe, and convenient. Blood, polyps, and other abnormalities are quickly detected by using a simple stool sample. Results are available fast with lab accurate results.
If you have a positive result from one of these home tests, then go get a colonoscopy. But, in most cases, you will get a negative result, saving you the discomfort and risks of the actual colorectal screening.
Ways to Manage Colonoscopy Risks
Here are a few suggestions about how to increase the level of safety and accuracy in the screening for colon cancer.
- Those with a family history of colon cancer or otherwise at high risk probably should do a colonoscopy. But it is best to request to have it done without general anesthesia. That’s where the majority of the risks are. Some doctors offer inhalation sedation as a safer alternative. Doctors who prefer knocking the patient out use this approach so they can ‘jam’ through the colon much faster. Billing for anesthesiology increases revenues for the hospital too.
- Doing radiography first is pointless. The reason? If they find some polyps, you will still need to have a colonoscopy. Besides, you don’t want all that huge exposure to ionizing radiation.
- If you do decide to go through with a colonoscopy, at least prepare with clear broth you make yourself. Commercial brands at the store are not nutritious and contain unhealthy additives and MSG. Exposure to these chemicals can potentially make digestive issues worse and recovery more difficult.
- After the colonoscopy, follow this protocol to rebuild gut flora. It is the same process recommended by experts after a round of antibiotics.
I had one a few months ago but after reading this i will again bc cancer runs in my family an i need early detection!
I think this is very bad advice. I have had several colonoscopies to rule out issues while others were able to be addressed. I have had no lingering problems. Yes, I had constipation afterwards but that went away once the anesthesia wore off which took about a week. My husband however had his first one 2 years ago at the age of 52 and had severe complications from a polyp being removed. He lost so much blood that he was hospitalized and needed surgery and a blood transfusion. Still, this is so rare (and we are both licensed medical professionals). As a matter of fact, his team saved his life. But we both realize that even though his biopsies were negative, they may not have been. You don’t have to have a family history to get colon cancer. ALL medical tests come with the possibility of dying. I had a patient come into surgery for cataracts….died as a result of an anesthesia reaction. You can’t predict these things and more than likely they aren’t going to happen. If there is a possibility of being diagnosed with cancer, wouldn’t you rather have it and know so you can fight it? If not, you are going to end up DEAD anyway…..we have to use common sense. Sometimes there are no symptoms..
So what are you suggesting as an alternative for early detection?
Change your lifestyle. Go spend three weeks at HHI and clean up your diet. Allow your immune system to recover and help your body to heal yourself.
There are risks with everything we do. There are risks for NOT getting a colonoscopy and for getting one. This should be a personal preference BUT this article has no real statistics just what they think the facts are. These are risks….just like walking out your door is a risk. Since people do not get them very often the risks are even less than when you walk out your front door and take a drive. Please do not scare people into not getting these. What next….scare us into not getting a rotted tooth pulled because of the risks involved in that too? I hope people talk to their doctors before they decide in not getting their colonoscopy.
My mother died of colon cancer and had she had a colonoscopy she would be alive I intend to have one every 5years with a competent doctor and anesthesiologist. My first one was painless and easy,
With all the changes our insurance company is now requiring this if your over 50 if you dont do the required test you are non compliant and will pay double the cost for insurance and they will only pay half of what they would normally pay until you become compliant. It is the company we have from my hubbys work. Needless to say we will be paying more and getting less… and we are healthier than most of the guys he works with.
Sandra Cheers check this out…
I never planned on having one ever again! Once in a lifetime was enough for me, and it didn’t help them diagnose my problem anyway!
I’m not sure I truly believe that removing the polyps is such a great idea. A friend had a bunch of “polyps”, at least that’s what the medical people called them, removed and they told her the growths weren’t cancerous but it was a good idea to get rid of them anyway. A year later she had cancerous polyps.
I’m thinking maybe we should just leave our bodies alone at both ends. Let nature take its course and leave well enough alone. I’d rather die of natural causes than created problems.
Then there is the concern for the scopes themselves. Many times, if not all the time, the procedure is done with a scope that has a biopsy channel. The concern with this is that whether or not the channel has been properly cleaned as it can harbor bacteria. During a medical instrument presentation, I had the opportunity to see the inside of a sample of biopsy channels and some of the supposedly “clean” scopes are not living up to that claim. Let’s face it, it’s difficult to clean what you can’t see. I would certainly have to question also question the efficacy of their cleaning procedures should the docs be doing 50 or 60 sopings a day. To me that right there is a very scary thought. If you do have to go and have this procedure done ask how and when the scope was cleaned. I promise you, it is not a 5 minute procedure. Truly, I have seen some pretty disgusting endoscopes that the docs put into their patients without thinking twice. You tell me, is it ignorance or greed?
Ginger,
Thank you for your comment. This is a well-know risk factor. It is practically impossible to properly sterilize electronic endoscopes just by using alcohol wipes between the procedures. They will inevitably carry viral and bacterial contaminants from previous procedures, particularly inside the water/biopsy channels.