And your point is?

Today I got my covid booster, attended my first senior activity session at the local senior center, and sent in my first colorguard kit. It was a great kit with very detailed instructions, including DO NOT DRINK THE PRESERVATIVE. So I didn't.

Big day! 😂

what is colourguard kit?

I had to Google it. I think she meant Cologuard, a bowel cancer screening kit. We get given the FIT kit through the post. Slightly less effective but fewer false positives. Very easy to do.

Ah ok... I thought it had something to do with flags!!

Just as an fyi, about 3 years ago I did the cologuard, given to me as usual as part of my annual physical.

I got back a letter stating the results were positive. Since I am generally in good health, I had a duh moment and thought to myself, oh cool positive is good - I'm fine.

I looked again at the letter and realized what it was saying ( and it further said to call my doctor which I did). Of course with a positive, I needed a colonoscopy. I think I had had one about 2 years prior, which was all clear. Anyway I had the colonoscopy and again was totally clear -----so I was one who got the false positive.

All good- just sharing that there truly are false positives and I'm still glad I was checked out.

Happy Senior Citizen Day.

Salonva, same thing happened to my SIL.

"fun" and "senior citizenry" don't usually appear in the same sentence. 😉

Hope you're enjoying the senior center!

False positives are far better than false negatives (you don't receive treatment for a condition because you don't know you have it). Be glad all you had to do was another test. No matter how irritating.

I think you have a terrific sense of humour! I laughed out loud when I read your post. Keep up the good work, hobbitmom.

Gee, at this point I think I could use drinking the preservative!

Our senior center offers so many activities! Last time I dropped off some mobility aids, I ran into some friends leaving, they had had so much fun at Mah Jhong. My friend and I keep talking about joining the center.

Colorguard! I laughed, I knew what you meant, but it reminded me of about 6 or 7 years ago, someone wanted to start a county marching band, to be in community parades. I don’t play anymore but I thought it would be fun and good exercise to be in the flag corps, so I signed up and started working out! Unfortunately it didn’t quite get off the ground that year, and the next year was 2020, and I guess the idea just fizzled out. But wouldn’t it be fun!

I did a cologuard test some years ago at my doc's insistence that it was a good idea. My history of colonoscopies is one of clear/no findings procedures so I hadn't seen a great need for the interim iffy test. My cologuard result was negative and she stopped hounding me in our annual checkup.

Until last year, she brought it up again and suggested they could give me the colo materials to take home. I pointed out, as it said in my record, I was a few years past due for having a colonoscopy (again, something my past experiences led me to put less emphasis on) and would that suffice? Yes, of course, was her response.

So I had one two weeks ago. I'm not sure why but I found the prep procedure much easier and more tolerable that I recall past ones had been. I have a wonderful gastroenterologist; he has a caring personality and a great sense of humor. They put me out with so-called conscious sedation. I awoke when he was barely 1/3 done and I enjoyed watching the screen as he pulled the instrument through and acted like a tour guide, pointing out to me various things shown on the screen .

The end of this "senior" (or at least middle age plus) adventure was that happily he had no findings, no recommendations, and he "fired" me as a patient. "You can call me if you have any digestive system issues or concerns but this is your last colonoscopy - we don't need to do this again"

Yay!

I knew what was meant too - might that have been our friendly autocorrect?

I've done the @ home tests a few times, but there was no preservative, just a card to apply your sample and seal before you mail it. They were all clear @ hopefully not false negatives.

I am somewhat apprehensive about getting a colonoscopy, since hubby's ex wound up in the hospital for several days after her bowel was perforated when she got hers done.

Our city rec has a number of adult rec centers and a very active senior center - lots of great programming here 🙂

carol, that ex was unlucky or had a hack as the doctor performing the procedure.

A quick search informed me that the risk of a perforation in a so-called "interventional" colonoscopy is less than 5 %. These are the ones when something more than observing is done - a polyp is snipped, a biopsy taken, etc. For simple diagnostic procedures, look but don't touch, the perforation rate is said to be less than 1%.

Colon cancer can be deadly but it's treatable IF detected early enough. It's reasonable to not look forward to the preparation steps - not something one would ever choose to do voluntarily - but many people like to moan and grouse about the discomfort and inconvenience. It's not so bad. Getting the procedure done is SO important. Not getting it done and discovering a problem too late is an avoidable tragedy.

If you're past due for getting it (normally every 10 years after age 40 or so for people with no prior findings, every 5 years or more frequently when polyps have been seen and removed), do schedule one soon.

I guess the topic of colonoscopies isn't one to trigger a lot of interesting conversation.

Well, it ranks up there with root canals lol! (although I do like my endodontist, he has a fine voice and hums along with whatever is playing over the sound system)

Thank you all for your thoughts. My MD said the test was good for three years. Seems reasonable to spend half an hour of ickyness to tend to something of such importance. But remember... dont drink the preservative.

Well considering DH almost died from hemorrhaging when he had a noncancerous polyp removed from his colon...let's just say he's not getting it done any more.

I'm due in another year and am quite nervous about it. I don't want to go through what he did!

There are some (few) advantages to being Beyond Senior. I'll die before most cancers could kill me. DH no longer needs the PSA test for the same reason. It isn't a cheap test, and Medicare didn't cover it -- at least not in his experience. His Primary MDs automatically ordered it despite his always-negative results.

I'm in my last year of being "Old Old" in medical parlance. That's 75 - 84. Next is "Oldest Old". "Old" begins at 65.

I had to look this up and also found:

Muscle loss (Sarcopenia) starts in one's fifties.

Cognition and natural immunities start to decline in one's seventies.

Starting in our forties, we normally lose half an inch in height every ten years. This accelerates as time goes on. DH and I have been 'complimentory', each having lost four inches now. Some of mine is due to scoliosis; I'm shorter and 'twisty'.

After 75, you can opt out of jury duty in our state.

" I'm due in another year and am quite nervous about it."

You shouldn't be concerned. Find a doc with a great reputation who's very busy and scheduled months off into the future and you'll be in good hands. (Bad pun, unintended)

We decided a few decades ago to switch over the bulk of our medical services to use faculty providers at our local well-regarded medical school. It has affiliated docs in its overall branded group practice with many locations- we restrict who we use to clinical and research profs seen in university facilities. My thought was the selectivity of the medical school in its own hiring and management practices provided me with more due diligence and pre-screening of individual docs than I could ever do on my own. It's proven to be true, we've had nothing but caring and capable outstanding docs .

They have their own gastroenterology wing. The day I was there, there were 5 docs doing procedures. Yes, the waiting room was pretty busy but so what. Once I was taken in, I was treated personally and given first class attention. My doc came to me before I was put under to say Hi and tell me he would be observed by a 5th year surgical resident but he told me he would be doing the procedure himself. (He knows I have a relative in a similar position elsewhere). And he did.

Wonderful guy, great experience. Choose carefully and your experience will be the same. Good luck