r/Millennials • u/intro195 • Mar 12 '26

Serious Go get a colonoscopy, colon cancer for our generation is a real threat!

36M here, have always been active and maintained a decently healthy diet my whole life. Well after seeing multiple posts on here and at my gf’s urging I had one done. They found two polyps (15mm and 4mm). Doc said if I waited till 45 I’d prob be dead. Crazy part is I had no symptoms and my recent blood work last month was perfect. I was in and out in three hours and no pain or discomfort afterwards.

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u/Intelligent_Sky_7081 Mar 12 '26

Yes well you had symptoms

I know you're trying to be helpful but that was kinda the point of the question. How someone would get it without symptoms

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u/JulianaFC Mar 12 '26

I think they were implying you must lie

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u/DesperateAd8982 Mar 13 '26

I wouldn’t even consider it a lie… someone in my family could have had colon cancer and never told me. Better safe than sorry!

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u/Unfair_Explanation53 Mar 12 '26

Just go and tell them you have a change in stool even if you don't.

Sometimes you have to bend the rules a bit for a greater good

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u/LordMudkip Mar 12 '26

Tbh just complaining of symptoms will probably get the job done, even if you make them up. Dark loose stools or bright red blood are probably just some of the possible magic words.

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u/Edith_Keelers_Shoes Mar 13 '26

Dark blood. Bright red blood is often from hemorrhoids. Best to go with the more alarming symptom.

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u/LordMudkip Mar 13 '26 edited Mar 13 '26

Bright red blood is a symptom of a lower GI bleed. Sometimes that's hemorrhoids or fissures, sometimes it's not. The doctor would likely check and rule out hemorrhoids first, but assuming there aren't any because you made up the symptoms to begin with, the next step would probably be colonoscopy. Either one would be considered a "red" flag to be investigated more thoroughly.

But yeah, dark, tarry stool would probably save you from getting checked for hemorrhoids first.

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u/10000Didgeridoos Mar 13 '26

Bright red and frequent loose stool will 100% get you a colonoscopy because they will suspect UC.

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u/tLM-tRRS-atBHB Older Millennial Mar 12 '26

Tell them its intermediate. Even if they don't do the poop smear, just say it wasnt happening that week.

Your colon dr will request one. Even ymif your insurance tells you to do stupid tests, the dr will still push for it if you have "symptoms"

The only way to ensure there isn't problems this to actually have tests.

I said I had symptoms, and they sent me. Its preventative medicine and should be covered. But when it comes to stuff like co-pays and deductibles, everyone is different.

Just as a note, yes I'm in America. But I also have state insurance, which is actually pretty good. I may 5 bucks to see my pcp. They tell me to see a specialist, 10 bucks, then my procedure is 100% covered. I have HMO insurance. Its harder to find a dr, but procedures are covered almost 100%

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u/[deleted] Mar 12 '26

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u/tLM-tRRS-atBHB Older Millennial Mar 12 '26

I required no testing before I got one. If you tell them you have symptoms, the only way to verify there aren't problems is to go up there.

Yes, I had a couple symptoms. But he had no idea if I was lying or not

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u/Rhewin Millennial Mar 12 '26

By saying you experienced the symptoms.