First colonoscopy at 62

[wingsgal]

My husband is 62 years old and has never had a colonoscopy.  He has a physical every year and has done the stool test a couple of times in the past 5 years and everything was fine.  His diet could be better and he is slighly over weight.  He does not have any symptoms - no cramping, bleeding, changes in bowels, etc.  I started reading up about colonoscopies and am shocked that most people have them starting at age 50.  His doctor never suggested one until this last appointment.  Do I have reason to be worried?  Could there be polyps that have now turned into cancer that may have been caught earlier?  If he did have colon cancer would there be some symptoms?

[wingsgal]

Thank you so much.  Your post is very very encouraging.  I am a worrier by nature and I let my emotions get the best of me.  What you said is very logical.  And I do need to remember that not everyone is going to get colon cancer - screening or not.

[ggreg]

I'm no expert, just family who have experienced colon cancer.  Most of the time, you'll get unusual digestive symptoms and often blood if there's colon cancer.  Your husband didn't have blood in his stool samples, so that's good, and he hasn't experienced digestive problems, so that's also good.  The whole idea is to catch colon cancer early, better prognosis, and that's why they push these colonoscopies.  Any polyps can also be removed during the procedure, which sometimes polyps can turn into cancer, so that's a good preventative measure on top of looking at the bowel.  

There is no point in worrying over the idea that he hasn't had a colonoscopy at the recommended age of 50.  Chances are excellent that he's okay, because of the reasons I've mentioned.  Not everybody gets colon cancer; it's just the exam helps prevent and catch quickly any problems that may develop in a person who's going to get colon cancer.  Having the procedure is all about prevention, that's all, because it's one of the easiest cancers to stop if caught early.  I had a colonoscopy at age 55, they removed two polyps, my bowel was in great shape, and they said I didn't have to come back for five years!  This will likely be what happens to your husband.  

See, if he had a tumor that was growing to some size in his bowels somewhere, it would have likely stopped him up, perhaps began bleeding at some point, and various other types of discomfort in the abdomen.  Since that hasn't happened, then even if he has colon cancer, it should be at an early enough stage that they would likely be able to successfully remove it, maybe need to give him just some chemo, and he will go on to live a long and healthy life!  

I had a relative who never went in for physicals, unlike your husband, and when he got blood and indigestion symptoms he finally relented and went in, his colon cancer was at Stage 3, he underwent surgery, chemo and radiation, years of followup, and even tho his Stage 3 was serious, he's a 15-year survivor with no further problems, other than occasional constipation because they removed some of his colon.  I hope all this info helps you cope.