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>3. It’s irresponsible to call colonoscopies “invasive” (as CNN did) since that might make people think they are unpleasant and not do them. LOL. It hard to im

>3. It’s irresponsible to call colonoscopies “invasive” (as CNN did) since that might make people think they are unpleasant and not do them. LOL. It hard to imagine anything much more invasive than having a metal tube (with light and camera) shoved up your arse. It is definitely unpleasant. I speak from personal experience. That said, it is less unpleasant than bowel cancer. So don't be put off if you really need to get it done. It's not that bad.

ramraj07 3y ago
It is invasive, as are most gynecological procedures. It sounds disingenuous to try and sugar coat this. My female acquaintances have long been lamenting the trauma of gynecologists especially in India telling them “please get a scan in the next room it’s a simple procedure” only to get a probing that’s not just invasive but even painful at times.
- matheusmoreira 3y ago
  Yeah. It's definitely a simple procedure... To the doctors who do it all day every single day for decades. To the patient who's going to be examined, it's extremely invasive.
dkarras 3y ago
I have not had one but closely monitored people that had a colonoscopy. The prep looks like worse than the colonoscopy itself.
- XorNot 3y ago
  I was under general anaesthetic for mine. But also smart phones and bidet toilet seat made the prep no problem as well.
  - crimony 3y ago
    They use Midazolam in Australia, which is great as it's very sedating and causes anterograde amnesia, so you don't remember a thing.
- technothrasher 3y ago
  I've had two. They were a breeze. In and out in 45 minutes, no discomfort, not a big deal. But sure, the prep is a little annoying.
  - drowsspa 3y ago
    "Little" annoying? God, having your rectum just spewing out urine-like shit as if it were a water tap is absolutely awful. I can't imagine doing that and then having a tube going up your damaged ass without anesthesia
Aeolun 3y ago
Colonoscopy is fine, but it’s uncomfortable. It’s not something I’d want to have without a suspicion anything is wrong.
- hermitcrab 3y ago
  Especially given the non-zero risk of complications, such as perforating your colon wall.
mft_ 3y ago
> It hard to imagine anything much more invasive than having a metal tube (with light and camera) shoved up your arse. Well, how about an operation where sharp tools are used to slice open parts of your body that are otherwise entirely sealed, by design? To my mind, that's at least an order of magnitude more unpleasant and invasive. > It's not that bad. Totally agree. At commented elsewhere here, the prep process isn't that bad, and is still much worse than the procedure itself.
icedchai 3y ago
I've had one colonoscopy. I don't even remember the procedure itself. I got wheeled into the room, the doctor made a couple of jokes while the anesthesiologist put a tube in my arm, then I was out like a light. Then I woke up and it was over. The prep, however, was pretty bad...
Supermancho 3y ago
Let's discuss what "invasive" means. Putting something in the body and getting it back out without tearing, is not invasive. Eating and vomiting would be categorized as invasive, in context. A colonoscopy/endoscopy is internal and dangerous, which is not the same thing as being invasive, so the term "minimally invasive" is sometimes used as a happy middleground, which has then been sensationalized.
- hermitcrab 3y ago
  The first relevant definition I found online was: "(of medical procedures) involving the introduction of instruments or other objects into the body or body cavities." YMMV
  - Supermancho 3y ago
    Maybe it's something more like the insertion of a foreign instrument through the epidermis or into a body cavity that... I dunno. Ears (eardrums), colons, etc are tricky to cover all at once. I don't envy the authors of medical literature.
- OneLeggedCat 3y ago
  Ah. So vaginal probes are not invasive. Interesting take you have.
  - msrenee 3y ago
    Not in medical terminology, no. I certainly wouldn't call a pap smear an invasive procedure.
- DanBC 3y ago
  > Let's discuss what "invasive" means. > Putting something in the body and getting it back out without tearing, is not invasive. Just for clarity colonoscopy is an invasive procedure.
  - Supermancho 3y ago

ramraj07 3y ago

It is invasive, as are most gynecological procedures. It sounds disingenuous to try and sugar coat this. My female acquaintances have long been lamenting the trauma of gynecologists especially in India telling them “please get a scan in the next room it’s a simple procedure” only to get a probing that’s not just invasive but even painful at times.

matheusmoreira 3y ago
Yeah. It's definitely a simple procedure... To the doctors who do it all day every single day for decades. To the patient who's going to be examined, it's extremely invasive.

dkarras 3y ago

I have not had one but closely monitored people that had a colonoscopy. The prep looks like worse than the colonoscopy itself.

XorNot 3y ago
I was under general anaesthetic for mine. But also smart phones and bidet toilet seat made the prep no problem as well.
- crimony 3y ago
  They use Midazolam in Australia, which is great as it's very sedating and causes anterograde amnesia, so you don't remember a thing.
technothrasher 3y ago
I've had two. They were a breeze. In and out in 45 minutes, no discomfort, not a big deal. But sure, the prep is a little annoying.
- drowsspa 3y ago
  "Little" annoying? God, having your rectum just spewing out urine-like shit as if it were a water tap is absolutely awful. I can't imagine doing that and then having a tube going up your damaged ass without anesthesia

Aeolun 3y ago

Colonoscopy is fine, but it’s uncomfortable. It’s not something I’d want to have without a suspicion anything is wrong.

hermitcrab 3y ago
Especially given the non-zero risk of complications, such as perforating your colon wall.

mft_ 3y ago

> It hard to imagine anything much more invasive than having a metal tube (with light and camera) shoved up your arse. Well, how about an operation where sharp tools are used to slice open parts of your body that are otherwise entirely sealed, by design? To my mind, that's at least an order of magnitude more unpleasant and invasive. > It's not that bad. Totally agree. At commented elsewhere here, the prep process isn't that bad, and is still much worse than the procedure itself.

icedchai 3y ago

I've had one colonoscopy. I don't even remember the procedure itself. I got wheeled into the room, the doctor made a couple of jokes while the anesthesiologist put a tube in my arm, then I was out like a light. Then I woke up and it was over. The prep, however, was pretty bad...

Supermancho 3y ago

Let's discuss what "invasive" means. Putting something in the body and getting it back out without tearing, is not invasive. Eating and vomiting would be categorized as invasive, in context. A colonoscopy/endoscopy is internal and dangerous, which is not the same thing as being invasive, so the term "minimally invasive" is sometimes used as a happy middleground, which has then been sensationalized.

hermitcrab 3y ago
The first relevant definition I found online was: "(of medical procedures) involving the introduction of instruments or other objects into the body or body cavities." YMMV
- Supermancho 3y ago
  Maybe it's something more like the insertion of a foreign instrument through the epidermis or into a body cavity that... I dunno. Ears (eardrums), colons, etc are tricky to cover all at once. I don't envy the authors of medical literature.
OneLeggedCat 3y ago
Ah. So vaginal probes are not invasive. Interesting take you have.
- msrenee 3y ago
  Not in medical terminology, no. I certainly wouldn't call a pap smear an invasive procedure.
DanBC 3y ago
> Let's discuss what "invasive" means. > Putting something in the body and getting it back out without tearing, is not invasive. Just for clarity colonoscopy is an invasive procedure.
- Supermancho 3y ago