Anyone over 50 and now 60 should have a routine colonoscopy. I'm having my 2nd one tomorrow. Nothing is wrong. This is just a maintenance or preventative test. This may be more information than you ever wanted to know about me, but it is important for everyone to read and know about and consider if you have not heard so from your own doctor.
From Web MD/eMedicine
"A colonoscopy is a test to look at the inside of your colon. The colon is the large intestine and the last part of your digestive system. Its job is to dry, process, and eliminate the waste left after the small intestine has absorbed the nutrients in food. The colon is about 3-5 feet long. It travels from the lower right corner of your abdomen (where the small intestine ends) up to your liver, across your body to the spleen in the upper left corner and then down to form your rectum and anus.
The doctor will use an instrument called the colonoscope to perform a colonoscopy. It is a long (about 3 ft), thin (about 1 in), flexible fiberoptic camera that allows the doctor to visualize your entire colon.
Your doctor may order a colonoscopy to investigate many different diseases of the colon.
Colonoscopy is best known for its use as a screening tool for the early detection of colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States.
Colon cancer develops from growths within the wall of the intestine such as polyps or tumors.
These growths often take 5-10 years to develop and may not cause many symptoms.
You may not have any symptoms of colon cancer, but having a close relative with the disease increases your risk for the disease compared to the general public.
Most people who develop polyps do so after age 50, so the American College of Gastroenterology (the digestive specialists) recommends screening examinations every 5 years for early detection and removal of these cancer-causing growths after that age."
