Should the age limit for a colonoscopy be lowered?

I'm 32 and didn't think I would make it to 33 for awhile there...hereditary non polopsis colon cancer..my doctors all recommend that my children receive colonoscopies at age 20! Every year as they both have a 50% chance of developing it. Hnpcc is a nasty colon cancer and survivors have an 85%chance it will reoccur. Often younger people are misdiagnosed due to age. I was told it was my ovaries..an abdominal infection..hypertension...diverticulitis..on and on. At 26 I was fainting and fatigued, moderate pain,even noticed a little blood but no one would do the test or even suspected colon cancer. By 32 when it was found..constant severe pain..colon completely blocked/ripped apart..permanent ostomy and most of intestines gone large and small..lots of problems. Anyway I do feel that things could have gone much better had Ibbeen tested when symptoms first appeared. Through research Iddiscovered I had EVERY symptom of colon cancer!! It wasn't one or two doctors that didn't do the test...but multiple doctors who all decided I was too young for colon cancer. Sorry about misspellings..typed on phone...

Peace to all..Carrie

wawaju04976 said:

The age should be lowered.

The age should be lowered. There are too many younger people being diagnosed at stages 3 and 4.

Judy

If you elect to pay for the procedure out of pocket, you can probably get them done as early as you wanted to...about $2500 for the retail procedure. 

Perhaps one day, they might lean to 40, but highly doubtful they are going to go down too much past that age..too many $$$'s at stake. 

Already they have adopted the ceiling to be cut-off at 80...and my concerns are that over time - as the population increases and as the population ages, that 80 will be lowered down even further to the age that the insurance company deems necessary or monetarily efficient.

But, again....out of pocket solves the equation at whatever end of the scale you find yourself on...any service is available for the right fee.

The insurance company's objective is not the state of our health - it's about the shareholder's bottom dollar.....and by withholding or denying services, it's an effective way to thin the herd and helps maximize the profit margin. 

And while most of us struggle, even with insurance just to meet the co-pays and out of pocket deductibles, if you have the monetary resources available, this obstacle can be overcome.....but it's hard to do for the majority of the population - and the insurance company knows that too.

There are oodles of people on this Board dx in their 40s (like me) and some even earlier.

I believe it should start at 40 (I'm 48 with Stage 2 size of a walnut) and every 5 years. But mainly patients and doctors should't take changes in the bowel movements, little ackes and pains and blood in the stool lightly. Most people had those for months or years before their diagnosis. I had a rectal exam every year, but it only lasted 3 sceonds and only concentrated on the prostate. Way too much waiting and misdiagnosis.

All the best for everyone. Laz