I wish. My dad died of colon cancer at age 59. Unfortunately i have had polyps, not the bad ones. I also have bad ibsd. So i remain on the 3-5 year colonoscopy plan. Age 75 is a long time away.

amen. only had one in my 30's before an operation. if a person has problems with colon, examine your diet to make sure you are eating natural foods, fresh fruits and veggies, only wholegrains, drinking water. Not eating or drinking garbage foods and drinks. In my OPINION, you will have no negative symptoms in colon it you do these thing and other natural habits like as walking. for many years have read how everyone must have yearly tests for this and that. I never did. Then after many years, one by one, I read that the tests can be dangerous. I will refrain from being crude or descriptive, but they are not for me. I am 76 and have watched 34 people pass away from diseases that could have been prevented by healthy choices.

Hi! It's my understanding that Medicare and therefore, insurance companies offering Advantage programs place no age limit on having colonoscopies, although if you're older and your doctor has not found any polyps in two sequential colonoscopies, he or she may recommend not having any more or extending the amount of time until the next one to 10 years. If your doctor did find polyps--especially of the type that are considered to be precancerous--they generally want to see you again in three years. Government agencies and agencies like the Cancer Foundation and others say that doctors and patients should talk together and decide what tests to continue and what can be stopped after 75.

There's a little-known task force called U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) that sets guidelines for preventive screenings. They appear to use age to determine when preventative screenings should be stopped, which personally, I think is appalling. I favor individualized decision-making over blanket policies, especially policies based primarily on the age of the patient. The USPSTF is made up of volunteers and appears to keep a very low profile. They are a part of HHS.

I'm 76 and just learned that my GI's office has decided that colonoscopies are "no longer appropriate for me." I've learned that this is medical-speak for "you don't need them anymore." This is a blatant contradiction of what the doctor told me at my last colonoscopy three years ago when he removed 4 polyps, one of them quite large that was of a type known to be precancerous. Doctors have been finding precancerous polyps in my colonoscopies since 1993. Clearly, denying me a colonoscopy based on my age (they use 75 as the cutoff age) is NOT appropriate. To be clear, I'm pretty sure my GI doctor doesn't know that my records have been tampered with (his statement saying I needed another one in 3 years is missing). When I discovered that, I downloaded a copy of the lab report. My insurance company says that lab report should prove that I need to have a colonoscopy.

If you feel that you need a colonoscopy and your current doctor won't give you one, contact someone else for a second opinion. That's what I plan to do even though I'm pretty sure my current GI doctor will give me one if I ask. It's just too much of a hassle dealing with some of his nurses. I hope this helps!