There are faaar more dangerous bugs in a hospital...staph is a real fear.

If you can, I would postpone.

Depends on if it's routine or if it's diagnostic.

Anne, it depends. Does your area have occurrences of this virus? If so, I would call your medical staff and ask them. I have a procedure coming up in a couple of weeks and will keep the appointment considering that my state has remained clear.

Where I've had mine done (2 so far) they are a completely separate area of the hospital - of course you have to walk thru corridors to get there, but that department only does colonoscopies on certain days. I would not postpone unless you have underlying health issues.

I would not postpone the colonoscopy.

I wouldn’t postpone either if there is a separate department for just the colonoscopies. The doctor we go to has their own operating suite for performing the procedures. So no hospital involved, it’s like a mini-surgery center. Unless someone has something other than a routine procedure, of course.

Routine? Postpone.

Urgent Diagnostic? Don't postpone.

I agree with chisue. Other than a minor delay for this reason, it's not a good idea to delay a colonoscopy. The negatives of the experience if any are minor and pale in comparison to the negatives of not having them done when a doctor tells you to.

No I wouldn't delay it.

I would not delay. Your hospital/medical office building may not see Covid19 patients for a while, so now is the best time to be there. Since there can be no vaccine for at least 12-18 months, and the virus may hang around for that long, now is the best time to go. (assuming you live in an area that has only a few, or no, patients)

I would ask your doctor or his staff. I think your question could be location specific. Here, close to the epicenter of the US outbreak, one of my mothers doctors told me on Friday come in if you need to be seen for something, otherwise, postpone routine exams and labs that would bring you into a hospital or clinic (Kaiser Permanente is her provider)

I would do the test NOW. Everyone is still virus free. Later.... when half the workers are sick....would be a worse situation. I heard they are predicting 70% of the US population will have/have had the virus within a year. (I'm not sure I believe that prediction, in that time period, but it's a good point if that does become a reality)

Where I've had my colonoscopies, it's not at the hospital. It's at an "endoscopy" center. It's not connected to the hospital at all. They don't treat sick people there. They treat people who need a colonoscopy and other endoscopy procedures.

Good point Nicole. I felt safe traveling this past week as there are still very few cases around so the odds are low of running into the virus. Within a matter of weeks, that won't be the case.

No. I wouldn't delay.

My close friend died last December of cancer, which started as colorectal cancer, which took hold because she kept delaying her colonoscopy. Don't put it off. I enjoy your posts here and would miss them!

My GF is scheduling surgery for the end of the month. I told her I would give her a ride if she needs it, but who knows what conditions will be like by then. This is one of those, the sooner the better things. We went from 0 to 100 to 1,000 cases so in two weeks we could easily have 100,000 cases.

When is it scheduled for? If you're healthy and in a so far low-rate area, I would do it now.

Yes, doing it ASAP makes sense. I'm thinking I should cancel my gall bladder surgery scheduled toward the end of April. I don't have to take any action right away, but somehow I don't see it happening.

You don't know anything about anybody walking in and out of that facility. It's not only patients, it includes after-care givers too.

Some people who are sick are ignoring it and living daily lives. Even some health professionals.

A routine visit is a risk.

It's not true that 'no one has it now'. We just don't *know* who has this virus -- or flu. Many people who have tested positive to covid-19 have *zero* symptoms.

I'm taking 'avoid people' seriously. I would like to know how long this expected to run, and how we'll know it has largely run its course. Will we have tests to determine who has had it (has antibodies in her blood)? Are there even tests to show *anything* we've survived?

In the news in Chicago: A DO (not MD) who left an extensive mea culpa when he committed suicide is now suspected of 'vaccinating' patients with saline. He was much sought by parents who wanted a doctor's certificate to permit their children to attend school without being vaccinated. Seems he took this even further by also not vaccinating the people who wanted to be vaccinated. Patients he 'vaccinated' have been tested and show no antibodies against all kinds of diseases. (I know Elmer is going to love this!)

They canceled the St Patrick's day parade in Pittsburgh due to the virus. We don't have the virus yet. But those same people who would of attended the parade will just be packing into the bars all day celebrating and passing germs around anyway. Lol.

I looked up the suicide story. How very sad for the patients.

It's so disappointing when a person others want or need to trust, turns out to be untrustworthy.

Professional schools didn't historically do much with character and personality screening of applicants. I think now some try to do a bit more but it's limited. Plenty of young folks with odd or sometimes even undesirable character quirks get admitted, educated and trained and go into practice. I think most of us have had the misfortune to encounter such types. There are people with odd or even dangerous personality/character disorders in all walks of life.

No need to beat a dead horse about osteopaths, I've said enough. I try to look for above average credentials when picking a doc, DOs fail that screening at Step 1 for me.

My granddaughter has surgery scheduled end of April to repair a torn ligament in her hip ...she's 16 and the idea of keeping her distance and taking precautions doesn't phase her,

and she has an autoimmune situation. I worry she'll get it and not be able to have the surgery. I"m also trying to get her tonsilectomy scheduled .

March is the month for my follow-up. I have not had the usual call from the hospital to schedule it. It is at a big university hospital. Someone told me that there are security guards meeting all traffic approaching the entrances and telling the drivers to just crack the car windows enough to have a conversation about their business there.

norsetex, there may be a bigger chance she won't get the virus, but her surgery could be rescheduled....

3-14-2020 Saturday morning, the United States Surgeon General Jerome Adams urged
hospitals and healthcare systems to consider suspending elective surgical
procedures amid the outbreak of COVID-19.

Just heard from the radiology place and they've postponed DH's bone scan by 6 weeks...I figured it would happen. Let's hope 6 weeks from now we're all in the clear.

My youngest was scheduled to have knee replacement surgery on the 31st and now it is cancelled.

Sue

"Just heard from the radiology place and they've postponed DH's bone scan by 6 weeks..."

I have a routine bone density scan scheduled a week from tomorrow. Haven't heard from them but am thinking about rescheduling.

I cancelled my gall bladder surgery this morning, and the person on the phone said, "I think that's an excellent idea!"

Do you think the curve will flatten with the extreme measures we are now taking? Also, doesn't that danger still exist if you go in for your bone scan or colonoscopy or whatever 6 weeks from now?

And who would even think of going to a dentist now unless they were in such horrific pain they couldn't see straight?

"...doesn't that danger still exist if you go in for your bone scan or colonoscopy or whatever 6 weeks from now?"

Could very well be and part of not knowing for sure what to do.

Yes this could go on for months and it will get worse before it gets better, so in 6 weeks, we'll check in again and decide if he's good to go or not. Fortunately his bone scan is completely elective. For others with more serious issues, it's a lot harder issue.

In my state the cases of covid are still doubling every 2-3 days which is an awful trajectory. And that's without adequate testing, so more than likely the total cases are far greater than the numbers show.

Do you think how this plays out in Italy is an indication of things to come here?