Colonoscopy no insurance or medical card

snoopy12

Evening all,
Can anyone advise on the fastest way to get a colonoscopy and how much it would cost? There's no insurance and no medical card.Tia

getaroom

My 20 year old has no medical card or insurance, I took him to GP with heartburn etc etc. Dr arranged for endoscopy and colonoscopy, I knew that we would be waiting a year at least. Then we got a call three weeks later got the tests done immediately no waiting.
Got results ten days later with a prescription for triple treatment. THEN got a call a month later for a breath test to make sure infection was gone.
I was mightly impressed .

getaroom

My 20 year old has no medical card or insurance, I took him to GP with heartburn etc etc. Dr arranged for endoscopy and colonoscopy, I knew that we would be waiting a year at least. Then we got a call three weeks later got the tests done immediately no waiting.
Got results ten days later with a prescription for triple treatment. THEN got a call a month later for a breath test to make sure infection was gone.
I was mightly impressed .

Pretzill

I think the wait is a case by case basis so if there is a family history or bad symptoms you may get seen quicker - I think publically the standard rate for a scope will be written on your appointment letter - and it may depend on the hospital - maybe you could ring your local hospital department I'm sure they will tell you the cost.

Clockwork Owl

I was waiting between two and three months from GP referral to the scope itself. I'd say the price depends very much on the hospital, but mine was €75 w/o medical card or insurance.

snoopy12

Hi all,
Thanks so much for your replies. It has given me hope that the wait won't be that long. Symptoms are very bad so hopefully sooner rather than later!

joeprivate

snoopy12 wrote: »

Hi all,
Thanks so much for your replies. It has given me hope that the wait won't be that long. Symptoms are very bad so hopefully sooner rather than later!

Has your doctor discussed in detail what foods you eat , what we eat is the cause of most long term illness so it could be a good idea to try to eliminate processed foods from your diet, are you over weight? do you eat junk food? If so perhaps this might be the cause of your problem and if you changed what you eat might fix this problem.

Also you could do some research into the risks from colonoscopies.
Has your doctor discussed the risks of colonoscopies and is there a less risky test that might be as good .
I have included some links that you can look up and possibly discuss with your doctor if you have any concerns.

Many doctors and experts that used to recommend getting a colonoscopy done have changed their mind and are now advising a less risky screening method.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-canadian-experts-say-no-to-colonoscopy-for-colon-cancer-screening-2016-2?IR=T

While attempting to prevent one death from colon cancer with 1,000 examinations, two people may suffer from this potentially fatal complication (in addition to other complications, such as those from bleeding and anesthesia). Fortunately, similar cancer benefits can be had with a safer sigmoidoscopy examination, at almost no risk, or a test of the stool for blood or DNA at no risk of physical harm.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/aug/early.htm

Serious harm in 1 out of 350 colonoscopies? See the video for all the gory details:

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-all-get-colonoscopies-starting-at-age-50/

What gives? Well, a conventional colonoscopy isn't simply a routine doctor's visit, but an ambulatory surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia. According to the same Annals of Internal Medicine, serious complications occur in 0.5% of all cases

https://www.gutsense.org/crc/crc_side_effects.html

sullivlo

joeprivate wrote: »

Has your doctor discussed in detail what foods you eat , what we eat is the cause of most long term illness so it could be a good idea to try to eliminate processed foods from your diet, are you over weight? do you eat junk food? If so perhaps this might be the cause of your problem and if you changed what you eat might fix this problem.

Also you could do some research into the risks from colonoscopies.
Has your doctor discussed the risks of colonoscopies and is there a less risky test that might be as good .
I have included some links that you can look up and possibly discuss with your doctor if you have any concerns.

Many doctors and experts that used to recommend getting a colonoscopy done have changed their mind and are now advising a less risky screening method.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-canadian-experts-say-no-to-colonoscopy-for-colon-cancer-screening-2016-2?IR=T

While attempting to prevent one death from colon cancer with 1,000 examinations, two people may suffer from this potentially fatal complication (in addition to other complications, such as those from bleeding and anesthesia). Fortunately, similar cancer benefits can be had with a safer sigmoidoscopy examination, at almost no risk, or a test of the stool for blood or DNA at no risk of physical harm.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/aug/early.htm

Serious harm in 1 out of 350 colonoscopies? See the video for all the gory details:

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-all-get-colonoscopies-starting-at-age-50/

What gives? Well, a conventional colonoscopy isn't simply a routine doctor's visit, but an ambulatory surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia. According to the same Annals of Internal Medicine, serious complications occur in 0.5% of all cases

https://www.gutsense.org/crc/crc_side_effects.html

:rolleyes:

OR, and call me crazy, the OP could listen to a medical professional about what tests he/she needs. Doctors are not in the habit of randomly sticking cameras up people's bottoms - they only do the camera tests when there are clinical indications.

Also quite an ignorant response regarding food. I'm sure all of the 100's of people with chrons and colitis (which aren't caused by diet and can only be alleviated by diet not cured), would only be delighted to read that they caused their own issues.

And perhaps check your facts before copy paste. In Ireland routine colonoscopies are done under mild sedation, not GA. In fact I have had my last 3 camera tests (2 up, 1 down) without any sedation at all.

The figures you quote are based on screening for bowel cancer. Screening. Not when there is clinical evidence of potential issues. Please don't try to discourage people from taking medical advice off trained medical practioners.

OP, as mentioned, it usually depends on the severity of symptoms. I've heard of people been seen and scoped within a month. Once you get the outpatient appointment for the clinic, the wait time likely won't be too long for the procedure.

Kurtosis

If you are still waiting to get a colonoscopy snoopy and have concerns about it, please do discuss these with your doctor. As mentioned sullivlo above, in the majority of cases a general anaesthetic won't be used so depending on the issues you're having, the risks/benefits cited above may not apply in your case. Your doctor will be able to help interpret these in the context of your circumstances.

joeprivate wrote: »

Has your doctor discussed in detail what foods you eat , what we eat is the cause of most long term illness so it could be a good idea to try to eliminate processed foods from your diet, are you over weight? do you eat junk food? If so perhaps this might be the cause of your problem and if you changed what you eat might fix this problem.

Also you could do some research into the risks from colonoscopies.
Has your doctor discussed the risks of colonoscopies and is there a less risky test that might be as good .
I have included some links that you can look up and possibly discuss with your doctor if you have any concerns.

Many doctors and experts that used to recommend getting a colonoscopy done have changed their mind and are now advising a less risky screening method.

http://www.businessinsider.com/r-canadian-experts-say-no-to-colonoscopy-for-colon-cancer-screening-2016-2?IR=T

While attempting to prevent one death from colon cancer with 1,000 examinations, two people may suffer from this potentially fatal complication (in addition to other complications, such as those from bleeding and anesthesia). Fortunately, similar cancer benefits can be had with a safer sigmoidoscopy examination, at almost no risk, or a test of the stool for blood or DNA at no risk of physical harm.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2014nl/aug/early.htm

Serious harm in 1 out of 350 colonoscopies? See the video for all the gory details:

http://nutritionfacts.org/video/should-we-all-get-colonoscopies-starting-at-age-50/

What gives? Well, a conventional colonoscopy isn't simply a routine doctor's visit, but an ambulatory surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia. According to the same Annals of Internal Medicine, serious complications occur in 0.5% of all cases

https://www.gutsense.org/crc/crc_side_effects.html

Mod note:

joeprivate please keep on topic, the OP enquired about the process of getting a colonoscopy. They did not ask for advice on how to deal with whatever issue they may have (which they did not go into detail about). Please refrain from posting uncited (i.e. "what we eat is the cause of most long term illness") or inaccurate information.