# Home colon screen test



## AprilSun (Nov 24, 2017)

Have you received an at-home test kit to screen for colon cancer? I received one today from my insurance company. This is the same insurance company that had been calling me wanting me to have in-home checkups but I ignored them and blocked their number. You would think they would get the message some time. My doctor takes care of this and I'm not letting some stranger in my house when it's not necessary. I'm not taking their color test either. Do all insurance companies do this? This is getting old and I know I have some time left to change is why I'm asking.


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 24, 2017)

I have belonged to Kaiser for decades now, they do send an annual fecal occult test in the mail that is sent back to them for evaluation.  The results are given either by regular mail, email or both, and the test is free.  I would never agree to in home anything unless I was an invalid and housebound, never heard of that.  I think there might be an option to stop having them send it to you, is your doctor affiliated with that insurance company?  All doctors I ever saw (which are few) are Kaiser affiliated.


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## Marie5656 (Nov 24, 2017)

*My husband asked his doctor about the cologuard that they advertise on TV> Doc said they were not reliable, and he would not endorse it  Due to my husbands bad arthritis in his sine, he feels he cannot lay down long enough to have the colonoscopy done.  But, last wee we got a home kit from the lab we use, so he is going to do that*


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## Warrigal (Nov 24, 2017)

If it is the fecal occult blood test, you don't need anyone to enter your house. You just need to follow certain dietary restrictions for a few days then take a smear of faeces on a wooden stick, which is then sent to a lab for analysis.

This test is designed to err on the side of false positives rather than false negatives, so a positive test needs follow up i.e. colonoscopy. 

There is no point me having this test because of piles that occasionally bleed. My primary carer says I should not bother with this test. My doctor did a sigmoidoscopy in his surgery to confirm the piles. That required no preparation at all and was just a visual examination of the rectum area of the bowel.

However, if there is a history of gut cancer in your family, this screening test is a good idea. Any blood in the faeces does need to be looked at one way or the other.

My hubby has recently been having low haemoglobin scores and gut cancer is common in his family. He has had regular endoscopies and colonoscopies since his brother died 30 years ago from bowel cancer and another brother has had his stomach removed because of a cancer. The doctors take this history very seriously and ordered further tests. First he had a pill camera procedure which failed the first time and had to be repeated. Nothing showed up so a double balloon test was ordered. This showed that because of an hiatus hernia, his stomach was being pushed up into his chest cavity and this was causing some areas of bleeding. The bleeds were cauterised during this test which should solve the problem, at least for now.

These high tech examinations are very expensive, although under our health system they cost us nothing, so the insurance company is doing the right thing really. The low cost occult blood test is the first step in identifying patients who may need some follow up procedures which are totally unnecessary if the test is negative.


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## SeaBreeze (Nov 24, 2017)

The test I get in the mail has no dietary restrictions anymore, they used to request something like you don't eat red meat for 24 hours before testing.


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## tnthomas (Nov 24, 2017)

The at-home test kit is muuuch easier and much cheaper than getting a colonoscopy.    Of course, it's not a _replacement_ for a colonoscopy, but your health provider can advise you on that.


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## Warrigal (Nov 24, 2017)

Thanks SeaBreeze for the information about the lack of dietary restrictions now. 
It has been a long time since hubby has had to do the screening test.


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## AprilSun (Nov 24, 2017)

SeaBreeze said:


> I have belonged to Kaiser for decades now, they do send an annual fecal occult test in the mail that is sent back to them for evaluation.  The results are given either by regular mail, email or both, and the test is free.  I would never agree to in home anything unless I was an invalid and housebound, never heard of that.  I think there might be an option to stop having them send it to you, is your doctor affiliated with that insurance company?  All doctors I ever saw (which are few) are Kaiser affiliated.



I don't know if my doctor is affiliated with them or not. This is the first time I've received one but it will just go in the trash as their other junk. They have been helping me pay for my physicals, etc. so I don't understand why they don't stop this nonsense! The only thing I can figure out is it must be an "across the board" thing that they send to everyone regardless.


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## Denise1952 (Nov 24, 2017)

isn't this one of those "don't try this at home" things


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## tnthomas (Nov 24, 2017)

AprilSun said:


> I don't know if my doctor is affiliated with them or not. This is the first time I've received one but it will just go in the trash as their other junk. They have been helping me pay for my physicals, etc. so I don't understand why they don't stop this nonsense! The only thing I can figure out is it must be an "across the board" thing that they send to everyone regardless.



The at-home test kit is a screening tool, so as to avoid un-necessary(and more expensive) invasive procedures...like the colonoscpy, or (god forbid) *surgery*, in the event that a cancer goes undetected.

Frankly, I'd much prefer using the at-home test kit once every year, rather than put myself at risk by shunning such a valuable screening procedure.

You *do not *want colon cancer.


My wife had colon cancer about 8 years ago; perhaps it could have been detected before it got so advanced,  if she had used the at-home test kit.


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## Ruthanne (Nov 24, 2017)

That was mighty invasive of them since you didn't agree to that.  The nerve of them.  In this day and age though companies have become aggressive and inconsiderate!  I agreed to have one sent to my home but found out I didn't qualify for it when I read all the indications on the instructions.  I have a condition that makes me ineligible for it.  I don't know why the doctor didn't ask me about this when I saw him.


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## Big Horn (Nov 25, 2017)

My doc told me that the home test can detect cancer, but they cannot detect polyps which may be precancerous.  I'd prefer preventing rather than hoping to cure.  Colon cancer is supposed to be a nasty way to die.


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## tnthomas (Nov 25, 2017)

Big Horn said:


> My doc told me that the home test can detect cancer, but they cannot detect polyps which may be precancerous.  I'd prefer preventing rather than hoping to cure.  Colon cancer is supposed to be a nasty way to die.



Good point.  Sometime after age 50(ish) a person should get a colonoscopy, then again in another 10 years, provided there are no abnormalities.    

I had a colonoscopy this past June, they found and biopsied 2 poylps which were negative for cancer.  However, because of the poylps I've been advised to have another colonoscopy in 5 years.


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