This is reasonable for this kind of study. I would expect a false negative / false positive rates in a study on the commercial device.
2023 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38055711 Are colonoscopies worth it?
2022 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33147680 Effect of Colonoscopy Screening on Risks of Colorectal Cancer and Related Death
That’s 1 million people every year who don’t need to die because colonoscopies are extremely effective at catching early cancer.
> You are, charitably, ignorant wrt colorectal cancer diagnostics, treatment, and quality of life
More and more, we're finding colorectal has very strong genetic correlations.
It's not as strong as Huntington's or BRCA, but akin to carpel-tunnel with repetitive hand motions or melanoma with UV exposure, a diet that's "fine" for most, turns out to be a "killer" for a minority.
What don’t you think I understand?
Get your butts probed. Don’t know what else I could say really.
As someone who's had enough of them to have a favorite flavor of prep solution (lemon gavilyte-c, which tastes to me like a very mild lemon meringue), a couple tips:
1. Mix the solution with HOT water 12 hours before you need to drink it, and then refrigerate for the 12 hours. This way it doesn't taste salty.
2. For your "clear liquid" diet, drink bone broth with avocado oil in it, alternating with some coconut water. Get some protein and fat calories in you so you're not starving and not spiking your blood sugar all over the place. If I add 50% to my regular calorie intake, I'm not even really noticeably hungry.
I find the carbonation masks most of the odd mouth-feel of the solution.
And, it's the only occasion on which I let myself indulge in that stuff :)
Everyone I know just poops in a box and mails it to a lab nowadays.
In Australia, at 50, everyone is given a poop stick which we send to a lab for results. I think one comes in the mail every 5 years if your previous result was negative.
Once you get a positive, even a false positive, health providers tend to try to switch you from an annual poop in a box test to whatever the normal colonoscopy schedule is at your age (e.g., every 10 years unless your previous colonoscopy found something that calls for a shorter interval to the next one).
It is definitely worth it if you are past 45.
I've found reducing solid food a couple of days before the prep helps as does using diaper rash creme before you start the prep, all the way until you get the colonoscopy.
Also, grab some chux or plastic/garbage bags for the drive to the procedure and bring with an extra change of pants.
Still not something I'd order off a menu at a restaurant even if it didn't have the intended effects, but it wasn't remotely unpleasant taste-wise this way.