Putting my colonoscopy on hold till I investigate this ,

[Lumbini]

When I read this and other accounts of contaminated colonoscopy scopes I canceled my colonoscopy and looked into this colonoscopy procedure.

Rather than the traditional method of performing a colonoscopy, doctors gave Spurlock a capsule to swallow equipped with cameras to live-stream video and pictures of his colon.

http://skift.com/2015/01/30/cnn-documentary-shows-medical-tourism-in-thailand-is-a-serious-business/

Nightmare Bacteria And Dirty Scopes - Ignorance And Want In Medicine - Forbes

http://www.forbes.com/sites/stephenbrozak/2015/02/20/nightmare-bacteria-and-dirty-scopes-ignorance-and-want-in-medicine/

Will report back ASAP

[tonray]

Your fears are unfounded....millions undergo (including me) the procedure with no ill effects...and many of us also have had pre cancerous polyps found that were easily removed during the procedure.....just do it.

[Lumbini]

Did you do it here ? What Dr. and what hospital ?

[tonray]

Did you do it here ? What Dr. and what hospital ?

No...in the States...but the exact same concerns are voiced over there about dirty scopes

[mikebike]

Mmmmmm... taking medical advise from a businessman doesn't seem too bright. As THE poster boy for big pharma and Wall St. Steve Brozak is a man with ulterior business motives for most of his articles. He is not a doctor and his driving motivation is profits, not your health.

[ghworker2010]

Bumrungrad have a virtual colonoscopy that involves a CT scan for thb 21000. Would this be as effective as the camera up the butt method?

[lujanit]

My MIL had a colonoscopy recently. Her siblings wanted the down-the-hatch camera but her Doctor talked them out of it. He said that modern colonoscopy probes also have a laser attachment so if they see a polyp growth it can be removed immediately. Also the mouth down camera only gets one pass whereas a colonoscopy probe can be passed over a suspect spot many times if the doctor is suspicious.

[Sheryl]

The "virtual" colonoscopy is not as effective and has the very big drawback of not being able to remove any polyps or suspicious tissue seen with the result that you may end up having to do a real colonoscopy after it.

Many, many TV members myself included, have had colonoscopy done here. Google it in this forum.

[Lumbini]

Thanks Sheryl , there is so much information here about different places to go I end up confused . Is there a definitive BEST Dr. to preform this as it is a little scary and on this expedition not too concerned with saving $ if there is a definitive top place and Dr. ? Where and who did yours ? Thanks again for your priceless help on this site [emoji120]

[Sheryl]

It depends on why you are doing it. If for a specific problem then the doctor should be chosen accordingly. If for routine screening then any competent GI specialist will do.

Mine was done by Prof. Varocha Mahachai, she is at Bangkok Hospital, BNH and also at a private GI clinic https://www.medigo.com/en/clinic/thailand/bangkok/digestive-health-clinic-53bd12e8ba522 though I am not sure if the latter is still open. She is also on faculty at Chula but I'm not sure how easy it is to arrange a colonoscopy for routine screening purposes there. maybe someone else can advise on that.

[Lumbini]

Routine screening .... And I really like Chula not just because cheap but has a whole different feel . Thank you so much for quick reply and just frightened as I have waited long time to do this and hope I am ok [emoji87]

[ghworker2010]

Routine screening .... And I really like Chula not just because cheap but has a whole different feel . Thank you so much for quick reply and just frightened as I have waited long time to do this and hope I am ok [emoji87]

Dont fear like a baby. Its not that bad. Go under sedation if your that worried. When you wake up you dont even know whats happened. Thats what I did and they cut out a polyp. The worst part is starving yourself for 3 days prior. Man up dude

[tonray]

Routine screening .... And I really like Chula not just because cheap but has a whole different feel . Thank you so much for quick reply and just frightened as I have waited long time to do this and hope I am ok [emoji87]

Dont fear like a baby. Its not that bad. Go under sedation if your that worried. When you wake up you dont even know whats happened. Thats what I did and they cut out a polyp. The worst part is starving yourself for 3 days prior. Man up dude

No starving is not the worst part.....get some baby wipes so you won't be sore

[inbangkok]

Thanks Sheryl , there is so much information here about different places to go I end up confused . Is there a definitive BEST Dr. to preform this as it is a little scary and on this expedition not too concerned with saving $ if there is a definitive top place and Dr. ? Where and who did yours ? Thanks again for your priceless help on this site [emoji120]

I have had both done. Just get it done the traditional way because if there are any problems or polyps the Dr can remove them on the spot. If you get the digital one and something shows up..... You have to go through the prep again and then get it done the traditional way.

It is a super simple procedure (despite how scary it sounds) and the vast majority of GI Dr's can to it with no problems. I got mine at Bumrungrad and was knocked out so I didn't feel a thing. I would highly recommend being sedated for this. Had it done back home once and the nurse didn't put me under all the way and it was not pleasant. She finally knocked me out about 30 seconds into the procedure.

[Lumbini]

[emoji120]Thanks inbangkok sounds like Bumrungrad is one of the best places , how much was it there ?

Edited January 13, 2016 by Lumbini

[harrry]

The "virtual" colonoscopy is not as effective and has the very big drawback of not being able to remove any polyps or suspicious tissue seen with the result that you may end up having to do a real colonoscopy after it.

Many, many TV members myself included, have had colonoscopy done here. Google it in this forum.

On the other hand Sheryll in Australia they have had several deaths in people with compromised airways with colonoscopy and gastoscopy (if that is the correct word in paitients with respatory problems... I know one surgeon point blank refused to give me one due to this.

The pass through camera would avoid this.

[ExpatOilWorker]

At what age or sign of what symptoms is it a good idea to have a colonoscopy done?

[tonray]

At what age or sign of what symptoms is it a good idea to have a colonoscopy

General practice is to have one at 50 years of age: if polyps are found (even non cancerous) then follow-up every 5 years / if not..then every 10 years

if younger than 50 but seeing blood in stool or occult blood in stool via chemical test..then need one.

[Lumbini]

Dirty scopes in US now big news today ..... Possibly here things are cleaner [emoji780]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-senate-scopes-20160112-story.html

[arby]

This is from newshound Dave Barry's colonoscopy journal:

I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis .. Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'

I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box

Large enough to hold a microwave oven.. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America 'S enemies.

I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my

Preparation .. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically

Water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep. You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter

Plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.

The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.

MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle.. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.

After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.

At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothes and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.

Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.

When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.

You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me. 'Ha ha,' I said. And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.

I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I f elt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that It was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.

ABOUT THE WRITER

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald.

On the subject of Colonoscopies...

Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:

1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!

2. 'Find Amelia Earnhart yet?'

3.. 'Can you hear me NOW?'

4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'

5. 'You know, in Arkansas , we're now legally married.'

6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'

7. 'You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...'

8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'

9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!

10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity..'

11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'

12. 'God, now I know why I am not gay.'

And the best one of all.

13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?

[hbullinger]

I had 2 colonoscopies in 2 different Hospitals. the first one was under a mild sedation. They found a polyp and a sort of an ulcer near the anus. Both were successfully and painfree removed. My second procedure 4 years later was under complete anaesthetics. My colon was clear that time.

I can confirm that by far the worst and messy procedure is the preparation for the colonoscopy.

Summarising, there is nothing to fear about these quite harmless procedures.

[Sheryl]

[emoji120]Thanks inbangkok sounds like Bumrungrad is one of the best places , how much was it there ?

It will cost significantly more at Bumrungrad than elsewhere. More even than at other "high price" hospitals like Bangkok Hospital. I believe they are currently charging over 30,000 baht which is almost double what they charged not too many years back.

If the clinic I mentioned before is still operational it is actually possible to set the whole thing up in advance avoiding the need to have a doctor consultation visit first. At hospitals you will have to do it in 2 stages, first doctor visit (with fee) then the procedure on a different day. Though if at Chula, the significant cost saving would probably make this worth while.

It should be easy enough to get price quotes for colonoscopy from all the major hospitals, but be sure that the prices are inclusive of removal of any poylps found as some hospitals make that an "extra" charge. There will inevitably be additional charge for the biopsy of any removed lesions and the more lesions the more cost, and that has to be extra since they have no way of knowing how many if any will be required. But the removal itself should be included in the colonoscopy price.

[inbangkok]

[emoji120]Thanks inbangkok sounds like Bumrungrad is one of the best places , how much was it there ?

It was expensive. I don't remember the exact cost because my insurance covered it. If you call them, they should be able to quote you the average price.

[inbangkok]

[emoji120]Thanks inbangkok sounds like Bumrungrad is one of the best places , how much was it there ?

It will cost significantly more at Bumrungrad than elsewhere. More even than at other "high price" hospitals like Bangkok Hospital. I believe they are currently charging over 30,000 baht which is almost double what they charged not too many years back.

If the clinic I mentioned before is still operational it is actually possible to set the whole thing up in advance avoiding the need to have a doctor consultation visit first. At hospitals you will have to do it in 2 stages, first doctor visit (with fee) then the procedure on a different day. Though if at Chula, the significant cost saving would probably make this worth while.

It should be easy enough to get price quotes for colonoscopy from all the major hospitals, but be sure that the prices are inclusive of removal of any poylps found as some hospitals make that an "extra" charge. There will inevitably be additional charge for the biopsy of any removed lesions and the more lesions the more cost, and that has to be extra since they have no way of knowing how many if any will be required. But the removal itself should be included in the colonoscopy price.

If I remember correctly, it was WAY more than 30,000 at Bumrungrad.

[Lumbini]

Thanks inbangkok & Sheryl [emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120]

[ExpatOilWorker]

Bangkok General Hospital: Colonoscopy : 22,000 baht

http://www.thaiwebsites.com/bumrungrad-prices.asp

[mariohh1]

Routine screening .... And I really like Chula not just because cheap but has a whole different feel . Thank you so much for quick reply and just frightened as I have waited long time to do this and hope I am ok [emoji87]

what is chula?

[inbangkok]

Thanks inbangkok & Sheryl [emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120][emoji120]

Do you have insurance? If you do, a colonoscopy should be covered (or at least partly).

[Lumbini]

Chula is abbreviation for King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (sometimes abbreviated KCMH, Thai: โรงพยาบาลจุฬาลงกรณ์) is a general and tertiary referral hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by the Thai Red Cross Society, and serves as the teaching hospital for the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and the Thai Red Cross College of Nursing. With an in-patient capacity of 1,479 beds, it is one of the largest hospitals in Thailand.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Chulalongkorn_Memorial_Hospital

.....

No insurance , If the colonoscopy is 30k at Bumangrad must be very expensive now in the states if one has no insurance because Bumangrad still with its top prices here is usually around half of what things are in the US at major hospitals or less .

Edited January 14, 2016 by Lumbini

[inbangkok]

Chula is abbreviation for King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (sometimes abbreviated KCMH, Thai: โรงพยาบาลจุฬาลงกรณ์) is a general and tertiary referral hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. It is operated by the Thai Red Cross Society, and serves as the teaching hospital for the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and the Thai Red Cross College of Nursing. With an in-patient capacity of 1,479 beds, it is one of the largest hospitals in Thailand.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Chulalongkorn_Memorial_Hospital

.....

No insurance , If the colonoscopy is 30k at Bumangrad must be very expensive now in the states if one has no insurance because Bumangrad still with its top prices here is usually around half of what things are in the US at major hospitals or less .

Almost everything I have had done at Bumrungrad is far less than half the price of what it would be back in California. So it is definitely worth getting done while here. Some of the smaller private hospitals in BKK (not international, but private) offer good service for a fraction of what you might pay in the states. Navigating them might be tough though if you don't speak Thai or have someone with you.