When to get a colonoscopy with family history??

[TehKitz]

Hello all, I have been lurking here for a long time although this is my first post....My father who was 65 passed away from Stage IV Colon Cancer a few weeks ago. He was diagnosed in 2013 and survived 23 months after initial diagnosis...he never had a colonoscopy until diagnosis. I will be turning 31 in a few weeks and although I know I am very young to be worrying, since my father was diagnosed over the age of 50 I have been told that I do not need to be scoped until I am 40 unless I have any symptoms. I cannot imagine waiting another 9 years to have a colonoscopy. My mother told me to lie to my doctors about some symptoms but I really don't want to do that. My Aunt (dad's sister) has had a colonoscopy twice in the past 8 years and has what she said was an "unusual amount of polyps" she also told me that my dad's parents had some colon issues although it was caught early. I maybe over reacting but I don't want to sit around for the next 10 years worrying myself like crazy if something is going on. I am going to my primary in a few weeks and going to have a serious talk with him and see what he says but I don't think I will be able to get my insurance to pay for anything since I am still young....any advice for anyone who has been in a similar situation would be great! Thank you..

P.S. during my father's illness I visited this forum daily and learned a lot about what to ask oncologist and other doctors. Everyone who has to deal with this horrible disease is so incredibly brave and I am glad this forum exist as an outlet and a great source of information....God Bless.

[Nik Colon]

If you really want one just ask. You will probably have to pay out of pocket tho.

[janklo]

I think if you can get your doctor to order a colonoscopy, insurance will cover it. Our daughter was diagnosed at age 25 and so my husband, younger daughter and I all had colonoscopies paid by insurance and repeated them three years later also paid by insurance.

During this time my 40 year old male cousin was diagnosed and died of cc too. I think you have enough family history to get tested.

[orcasres]

I believe that age 40 would be the latest age recommended for your first scope. With your family history I would not be surprised if a good GI would want to see you get it earlier and a GI will carry more weight with the insurance company. I was diagnosed at 57 (I did have my first scope at 50), so my sons are slated to have it done by 40, but there is no other history, so that will probably be when it happens. Good luck and keep pushing. Lois

[rp1954]

If cumulative family history still doesn't satisfy insurance demands, there are a number of things you could do:

1. Get a lesser, cheaper shorter scope as a GI outpatient for a few hundred cash, and maybe the insurance will go for this. They like cheap. Catches 2/3 of the problems a full colonoscopy will catch. (Also might check the original site locations for dad and aunt)
2. Check your vitamin D levels and consider supplementing - familial deficiencies...
3. Check your blood sugar and weight.

[sadysue]

My son was 40 when he had his first scope due to my dx. I don't know what insurance he used (I think it was his wife's insurance) but I know insurance paid for it. The GI doc told him that he would be on a 5-year plan for follow up colonoscopies. I think your primary doctor could write an order for a colonoscopy regardless of your age given the circumstances. Good luck!

[peanut_8]

Hi TehKitz, I can only add our experiences with insurance and colonoscopies. My Dad was diagnosed when he was 65 with RC. My sister and I immediately had colonoscopies. I was 46 at the time, and she was 42. I continues to have them every 5 years, and was diagnosed with RC at age 56. My daughter has signs of IBS, and had her first colonoscopy at age 26, and a single polyp was found. This was prior to my diagnosis and insurance paid for it. She is now getting ready for her second. Good luck. Around here, they cost upwards of $3000, if your insurance doesn't pay. One good thing if you have ACA compliant insurance they are completely covered with no deductible.
peanut

[drebay]

I was told 10 years before age of Diagnosis of family member. My children will have theirs at 35.

[TheLadySkye]

It's never too early and it could save your life.

Sometimes you have to ask though because the docs just aren't paying close attention or share the general answer which may have very little to do with YOU.

I have a very strong family history of colon cancer. Both of my paternal grandparents passed away from it. A paternal aunt has had it. My Dad has had polyps removed. Because of this, I've been having scopes since I was 20.

Now if only mine was *IN* the darn colon, perhaps it would have been caught earlier. Alas, there are no good tests to check out the troublesome small intestine, and it wasn't until I had a blockage from the tumor that it was discovered at all (after over a year of issues and tests and no one getting to the bottom of it). And even then, my new (then) GI doctor was fighting with the doctors at the hospital who swore they would NOT operate on me because their radiologists could not confirm what HE thought he was seeing on the CT and there's no way someone in their 30s has a cancer so rare it accounts for less than 2% of GI cancers and is almost always found in people in their 70s. Luckily my GI guy is a badass and brought me in at 0600 two days later and figured out a way to get in there himself to biopsy the dang thing and gave a big middle finger to the hospital. Needless to say, I had my treatment at a different facility because the hospital would have just sent me home and told me to lay off the cheeseburgers for a week or some such nonsense. Because SCIENCE.

Sorry, I digress. If you have a family history, I am a STRONG advocate of test early and often (as is reasonable and safe). So ask your doctor, and insist if need be. The prep is the worst part. If you share your concerns with a good doctor, they will help you through the process and work it out with insurance. If anyone gives you crap (pun only marginally intended), my understanding is that flamethrowers work well to bring one around to your point of view.

[MamaN]

My son is 15 I spoke with his ped. About our family history I was diagnosed at 45 stage IIIB . Hubs at 24 had maroon stripes in stool I made him go get checked... He had precancerous polyp. So that said son needed to get screened at 14 . He is 15 getting his colonoscopy this summer, and he has no symtoms. By the time you have symptoms it already s cancerous . So early screening is key . Imo

[TehKitz]

Thanks for the responses. The general consensus from the research I have done is 50 with no family history, 40 with direct relative with cancer or 10 years before the age of diagnosis for a direct relative under 50. Since my dad was 63 at diagnosis this puts me in the 40 year old rage which is a VERY long time from now. Looking back on the past year it breaks my heart of what my father had to endure especially during his last few months and I want to be in control of my health and know that if I do get some form of disease in the distant future that I did everything to prevent it. I will talk to my GP In a few weeks, I have really good health insurance, so I will just have to go from there....Thanks everyone

[llupp]

Our doctor told us the kids should have their first colonoscopy at 30 . Son had some issues so he had his at 27 with a precancerous poly . So for him every 3 years now our daughter next year at 30.

[HannaandJuliansMom]

I was diagnosed at 46 and so my doc said that my kids will have to have their colonoscopies done at the latest at 35.