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.
Tiffany, the reason you were having so much pain is because your doctor pumped up your large intestine with a lot air, so he/she can run through the procedure much faster. This pain was similar to what some people may be experiencing when they have excessive gases, except yours was stronger because there was so much more air.
Just a quick question, have you ever had a colonoscopy without anesthesia? I’m just curious if you are speaking from experience or from what you have read. Because speaking from experience, I woke up from general anesthesia during a colonoscopy and it was incredibly painful. I would NEVER do one without anesthesia.
I’m curious what you would say for patients undergoing screening for GI disease, not cancer. I am scheduled to have a colonoscopy as well as upper GI later this summer in order to diagnose the cause of my severe recurring abdominal pain. IBD and celiac are both probable contenders. Even though I know how to treat both through diet (as I’ve been researching in preparation), I cannot get the tax benefits without a formal diagnoses – nor the attention of allopathic doctors, if needed, down the road. So I feel, for me this procedure is necessary. It will allow me to get tax-exempt gluten free foods (mostly, almond meal – which is expensive for the quality stuff, and having that as a tax-exempt/refundable medical expense would be helpful) and also, for my own peace of mind, give me a specific diagnosis that I can use when explaining why I eat the way I do. (Instead of having people just blow me off as a “fad” gluten free eater).
When it comes to diagnosing chronic GI conditions, you need to do what you need to do. My analysis concerns solely colonoscopy-related risks among healthy, asymptomatic people who aren’t in a high-risk group for colon cancer, and it doesn’t apply to your particular case.
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My Mother died when I was 5 years old and she was 28. She was diagnosed in September and died in January. She had been complaining about symptoms for awhile, but back then, they thought colon cancer was an old man’s disease. I’ve spent much of my life trying to understand nutrition and particularly how to decrease my chances of getting colon cancer. I had my first colonoscopy shortly after my 30th birthday. clear as a bell. five years later, after a total disruption in my eating, including the reintroduction of meat to my diet, I went for my next colonoscopy and had three pre-cancerous polyps removed. I feel extremely lucky to have such excellent doctors as I have, who fought with my insurance companies for me to have these preventive procedures, who put me in twilight (and I woke during both, in fact I cried as I watched them snipping off the third polyp) and who took their time during both procedures. When the polyps turned up, it was a major wake up call. My mother’s brother died of colon cancer a year after my polyps were removed. Three of her four sisters have had polyps removed, one the size of a grapefruit. Now I’ve taken far more comprehensive preventive steps, I overhauled our entire diet, we’re 100% organic now, only lean pasture raised and finished meat, which I buy from a meat co-op at the natural food store by my house, and so far, not only have my gastro-intestinal issues cleared up almost 100%, but I’ve lost 55lbs. I understand that it is important to point out the risks of a procedure, but I hope that the people reading the article and changing their mind about having it done will reconsider, particularly if they are in an at risk group. You have the final say in how, where and by whom your procedures are done. You have the final say in what kind of anesthesia is used, in the frequency of the procedure, of the doctor(s) you see. do your homework but don’t rule it out altogether. If you’re in Chicago, I’d personally recommend either of my doctors, Dr. Markey at Illinois Masonic, or Dr. Barbara Jung at NMH.
Gut flora becomes imbalanced a million different ways. If you’re aware, it’s no longer an issue and you can take the steps to avoid and correct it. When done correctly, it’s not a painful procedure, and there is no reason to go under to full knocked-out if your doctor is at all competent. Please, PLEASE don’t cancel a colonoscopy based on this article. This is one of the few cancers that can be treated the moment it’s discovered with one of the highest success rates, just because of this procedure which if FAR safer than, say, radiation and chemotherapy.
I just read somewhere in the past couple of days that taking a good quality B complex is very important to urinary and colon health. I would imagine it can help after-the-fact, as well. I think there are sublingual methylcobalamin B tablets available for a reasonable price, and since they basically melt under your tongue (sublingual) there is no added stress to the system.
That might be helpful to some folks here. The B vitamins are essential for a lot of body functions.
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Hello,
I just wanted to let you know that there are some statements that should be clarified. General anesthesia does cause many of the complications you mentioned. However, general anesthesia isn’t given for a colonoscopy. Simple sedation is administered. As of billing, the doctor doesn’t benefit from having anesthesia given. That is a separate billing process.
Hope that helps!
@Mary,
General anesthesia and “simple sedation” are technically the same, except with a “light sedation” patients are getting a much smaller dose of the anesthetic of choice, and for a much shorter period of time. And, yes, there are less risks vis-a-vis a major surgery, but the underlining risk factors are all the same, particularly among older people.
In regard to the billing issues: Directly or indirectly, the money to pay for all colonoscopy-related procedures is coming out of your pocket.