Kathleen A. Dobie

In Australia if you are over the age of 50 you get to send your shit to Canberra postfree. It's the National Bowel Cancer program and I can only guess that they made Canberra the address to which you send your samples because it would encourage people to do so. I believe that voting is still compulsory, even if you do partake of the screening.

The system has been a cause of controversy as to its efficacy. My Swiss doctor was most unimpressed when I said no thanks to the colonoscopy and that I'd do the mail order one next time I was in Australia. Her argument was that if you send your shit to Canberra and the PM has an issue with it, the next thing is a colonoscopy. If nothing is found, however, it doesn't mean you are okay.

One of the arguments in favour of that not mattering is that you do the test every year, so that increases the chances of something being found compared with a colonoscopy that is done less often. One of the arguments in favour of the colonoscopy is that it can remove things during the investigation which may turn out to be problematical if left. Things that the mail kit will only find out when it does become a problem.

In some countries, at least, cost will be an issue. Colonoscopies are expensive. Americans, for example, aren't likely to be able to afford one unless it is specified as part of their health insurance. Should they be an American who qualifies for health insurance, that is.

My doctor was pretty passionate about this so in the end I agreed to the colonoscopy. Now that I've done one, my whole-hearted advice is to ignore the stuff you read on the internet about how awful it is and just get on with it.

Yes the prep the day before is less fun than watching reruns (a word I use advisedly) of things you hate. But it isn't a big deal.

For me on the day, I found it kind of irritating that the stuff I was given to make me sleep wasn't working. I was lying there for half an hour as wide awake as I am now, wondering what had gone wrong when the doctor came in and started telling what she'd done when she went in. I was like 'But you haven't been in yet.' Which quite took her aback. 'Nobody's ever said that to me before' she said. Goddamn those drugs are good. Not only had I missed the whole thing, but I even drank a bit of Earl Grey tea. So, that good.

I think it's a no brainer. Do it.
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