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i will be 98 on 9/4/2026. should i get a colonoscopy?
Aging Well | Last Active: 1 day ago | Replies (50)Comment receiving replies
@fred1 I had a colonoscopy at Mayo Clinic at age 83 and they told me to come back in 3 years (age 86). I have a history of multiple colonoscopies and each time I had colon polyps.
Cologuard Plus site specifically states that this blood test is for adults 45 years of age and older who are at AVERAGE risk for colon cancer. It is not for people with history of colon polyps It is not a replacement for colonoscopy in high-risk individuals.
Replies to "@fred1 I had a colonoscopy at Mayo Clinic at age 83 and they told me to..."
@vic83 Very helpful information. My father is 91 and has a history of colon polyps which needed to be surgically removed after each colonoscopy. Now he does nothing.
His doctor recommended that he stop getting colonoscopies in his 80’s (around 85 from memory). She didn’t see the need for them due to the risks involved in surgery, he didn’t want to do chemotherapy if there was anything found and the likelihood in his case that he probably pass from something else not colon cancer if he let them be.
As a family we are comfortable with that decision he made some years ago and he now has dementia so we honour that approach he chose
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@vic83 - Glad you were able to get the needed medical procedure to keep you going. I was only posting what my gastroenterologist told me, about 15 years ago, when he said that I could not have it done any more. Plus what appears to be a general consensus that the age limit is fairly well adhered to. Of course, as in just about everything else - there are, fortunately, exceptions to the rule.