H the K wrote:
Jim wrote:
H the K wrote:
Jim wrote:
H the K wrote:
http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07102009/watch2.html



I'm going to defy the truce, which I shouldn't do.

Had an interesting discussion yesterday. Out of a group three of us
dock neighbors, two just had Colonoscopys. Both had two polyps
removed.

Third guy, a liveaboard who makes his living doing odd jobs, said he
(age 53) could never afford a Colonoscopy, as he had no health
insurance (or an actual job) he has other things to pay for.

I did some looking, a Colonoscopy costs from a low of $650, to about
$3200.

The fourth guy, whose boat is between ours, age 55, has never had a
colonoscopy, wasn't there as he just had surgery for Colorectal
cancer. Starts chemo next week. No one knows this except me, so I
couldn't throw it out as an example.

I'm sure that the guy who cannot afford an exam would be taken care
of if he had cancer, and it would cost you and I far more than the
cost of the exam.

We don't put the effort into prevention, but spend a lot on treatment.

Wellness is cheap. Cancer surgery and chemotherapy is expensive.


I had a $20 co-pay for my colonoscopy. My union health insurance paid
the rest. The doctor was terrific, a woman with a raucous sense of
humor. She had me laughing before the procedure and when the
anesthesia wore off.

My wife got the photos of my "tract." She and the doctor agreed I was
a perfect asshole in every way that was important.

No one 50 or older should pass up this screening because of a lack of
money, and it should be done every five years.





$10 co-pay here. Top notch place. We who have insurance are lucky.

The owner of the ketch next to me would agree on your last paragraph,
I'd bet he wishes he had done it. He's not expected to make it, but
has to go through hell first.

For those who are apprehensive, I laid there looking at the heart
monitor. The nurse said, "OK, your done." My reaction was, "Done
with what?" To say it's nothing is an understatement. The
preparation used to be the worst part, but they make it easy now.

They don't knock you out, they erase your memory. Then go out and
have a nice breakfast.




The worst part, and it would rank as the worst part of many experiences,
was the crud you have to drink several times the day before to clean out
your intestine. Incredible. Awful. Worse than flying in a helicopter
with SW Tom.



They gave me Maalox (?) and 64 oz of Gatorade. It tasted like Gatorade,
but you have to drink 8 oz every ten minutes. You lose your taste for
Gatorade.

Not that bad. Next time will probably be even easier.