Didn’t read the whole thread but my doctor just recommended my first colonoscopy at 40. Dad died of stomach cancer so he’s suggesting it earlier.
My doctor was an old asshole and tried to convince me that I didn't need one due to age and stats but I attended a funeral a couple years before for a family friend who died before 40 to colon cancer. He was the doctor who did my scoping procedure, and I think he just didn't want to.
I tend to think being afraid of your colon is just human survival instincts kicking in... at least based on the experiences shared on this board over the years.
I've definitely been through some shit.... But the ER staff recommended to get scoped if a similar incident happened again, and then it happened again. Sorry, I'm not getting bullied by an old asshole with a bad attitude when I just saw a friend in his casket, wasted completely away, surrounded by wife, children, mother and siblings. I'll pay the copay and know for sure.
We don't have a clue what's causing it, but colon cancer rates are climbing like crazy in younger people. If you have any family history or something is "off" about your bowel movements please insist on a colonoscopy.
It's definitely worth being your own advocate. My friend had pre-cancerous cells in her stomach that were found because she insisted on getting scoped. 38-years-old.
I haven't dug into the research, but I read a few facts that made sense together to me, assuming they are true. We ingest, are exposed to, and have in our bodies more and more microplastics. Cancer cells can use microplastics in your body as a scaffold to start growing.
Remember when they started switching from glass containers to plastic because “it’s better for the environment”? I remember.
When I went to Africa and did a trip through Kenya, the overwhelming smell on all the roads was burning plastic. There were plastic water bottles EVERYWHERE. It was fucking gross. Fires that were barely smouldering, slowly melting/burning plastic at such a low heat that it was as if they were trying to maximize the amount of black acrid smoke being produced. Every potential stop had people with cases of water trying to sell you one, and so much garbage just piled up and burning. It was really sad.
I remember reading a sci-fi book a while ago that used plastic as the start of the Armageddon. So much plastic everywhere that the scientists had to create some virus that would naturally eat it, and it got out of control, and basically destroyed civilization. I can kind of get how that could happen. It's kind of starting off now: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/sep/28/plastic-eating-bacteria-enzyme-recycling-waste
I read that book (or was it a series) also! Daybreak Zero maybe? And that’s why I cringe every time I read things like the article you posted. How would you possibly keep the bacteria from eating the plastics we actually DO need? It just seems like a magnificently bad idea.
Yeah, could be the microplastics. It also could be the accumulation of "forever chemicals" or something about our diets. Protein seems to have become the latest buzz word and studies have shown that high protein diets increase cancer risks. Also, most of us aren't getting enough fiber in our diets. It's a complex question. Hopefully research figures it out soon.
As much as Elon is a Nazi, SpaceX is pretty fucking cool. The launch went so well, and what they are doing is mind blowing.
The bacteria in "The Andromeda Strain" could eat rubber. That was a really disappointing book, all things considered. I wrote up a great review of it years ago, and posted it on my Facebook page. I'd post it here, but I've spend the last half of a GODDAMMED FUCKING HOUR trying to find it. I have no idea how to navigate that fucking site anymore. I used to be able to pull up whatever date I wanted, and see what I wrote, where I wrote it, and who wrote to me, but it's been changed so many times I have no idea where to find that feature, or if it even still exists. Also, Facebook doesn't work on my phone anymore (one day, it logged me out, and now it won't allow me to log back in), and it's really slow on my home computer.
Strongly disagree. It was groundbreaking for what it was at the time. It helped pave the way for newer, better sci-fi.