Came across an interview by Dr. Mercola's with a Dr. David Lewis. This doctor is "a retired microbiologist with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)."
The reason for bringing this up has to do with many women I know who have all been prescribed this treatment of colonoscopy; like a swarm/cluster of prescriptions from physicians suddenly became widespread. I know this becomes a greater for plus 50 years of age people, too. However, this struck me as odd that so many women (all friends or colleagues), my partner included, were suddenly facing this procedure with no real problems other than a blood test that had markers to indicate that a colonoscopy was required. Then I thought, what's with that, wondering if a notice had gone out from the CMA (AMA in the States) to start screening women (maybe men too) more frequently. Then I thought, well perhaps the threshold bar for blood in stool samples had been lowered - I don't know, yet all of a sudden many diagnostic prescriptions were be issued, and it has the women obviously scared. I don't know if as many men are being tested.
Nonetheless, my partner feels just fine and so do the other women and cannot understand, however, they were and are being bombarded with calls from the prescreening agencies (tied I think to the Cancer society). The questions asked in the screenings, or so I was told, were upsetting and once an appointment was made very little information was forthcoming. Since, my partner drove one of here friends to an appointment for this procedure at hospital, and said friend had prepared herself as prescribed; and it sounded horrible, she was very ill from it. During surgery they drugged her up using some form of fentanyl - considered safe https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17762959 The surgeon not only used a scope from behind yet also during the procedure went down her throat. A nurse we know said this should not have happen; far to invasive.
This woman was so overcome by the procedure that my partner, during the long drive back home, actually feared for her as she was very sick on the way home. Two days later things became worse and finally she checked herself into the hospital whereby she was assessed as having a very bad infecting in her stomach and put on antibiotic drip.
With my partner, somehow she has fallen through the cracks on this (lost paper work or something), and although other women have been called, they have forgotten about her. I'm pretty sure she will not follow through with the procedure even if they do call, and it has been a few months now.
Concerning the infection described above and Dr. David Lewis, here is some of what Dr. Mercola had to say in his article, and this is aside from the 14 page interview with this microbiologist who discusses; not insofar as the procedure, yet described the instruments and the microbiology - the full interview reveals a lot, osit (link to full Pdf paper here):
Sterilization of Endoscopes
:
A Special Interview with
Dr. David Lewis
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
My partner brought along another friend down for screening today and, apparently, she asked the nurse about the sterilization process, and in authoritarian fashion, was told to mind her own business as we know what we are doing.
Anyhow, if this helps, great. If there are other things to know or errors here on this subject, I would appreciate the feedback as forewarned is forearmed.
The reason for bringing this up has to do with many women I know who have all been prescribed this treatment of colonoscopy; like a swarm/cluster of prescriptions from physicians suddenly became widespread. I know this becomes a greater for plus 50 years of age people, too. However, this struck me as odd that so many women (all friends or colleagues), my partner included, were suddenly facing this procedure with no real problems other than a blood test that had markers to indicate that a colonoscopy was required. Then I thought, what's with that, wondering if a notice had gone out from the CMA (AMA in the States) to start screening women (maybe men too) more frequently. Then I thought, well perhaps the threshold bar for blood in stool samples had been lowered - I don't know, yet all of a sudden many diagnostic prescriptions were be issued, and it has the women obviously scared. I don't know if as many men are being tested.
Nonetheless, my partner feels just fine and so do the other women and cannot understand, however, they were and are being bombarded with calls from the prescreening agencies (tied I think to the Cancer society). The questions asked in the screenings, or so I was told, were upsetting and once an appointment was made very little information was forthcoming. Since, my partner drove one of here friends to an appointment for this procedure at hospital, and said friend had prepared herself as prescribed; and it sounded horrible, she was very ill from it. During surgery they drugged her up using some form of fentanyl - considered safe https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17762959 The surgeon not only used a scope from behind yet also during the procedure went down her throat. A nurse we know said this should not have happen; far to invasive.
This woman was so overcome by the procedure that my partner, during the long drive back home, actually feared for her as she was very sick on the way home. Two days later things became worse and finally she checked herself into the hospital whereby she was assessed as having a very bad infecting in her stomach and put on antibiotic drip.
With my partner, somehow she has fallen through the cracks on this (lost paper work or something), and although other women have been called, they have forgotten about her. I'm pretty sure she will not follow through with the procedure even if they do call, and it has been a few months now.
Concerning the infection described above and Dr. David Lewis, here is some of what Dr. Mercola had to say in his article, and this is aside from the 14 page interview with this microbiologist who discusses; not insofar as the procedure, yet described the instruments and the microbiology - the full interview reveals a lot, osit (link to full Pdf paper here):
Sterilization of Endoscopes
:
A Special Interview with
Dr. David Lewis
By Dr. Joseph Mercola
As discussed in my interview with Dr. David Lewis, a retired microbiologist with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) last year, non-disposable tools such as flexible sigmoidoscopes and colonoscopies are also risky for the patient. Since they must be reused, these tools require cleaning and sterilization before each use, both inside and out. However, testing reveals that this is virtually impossible, and the disinfection process used by most clinics and hospitals fails to properly clean and sterilize these tools.
As a result, patients take great chances when these tools are used on them, as they can spread all manner of infections from one patient to another. There is a solution: create flexible scopes that can be autoclaved (heat sterilized). But manufacturers have not been pressured to come up with such a design. As noted by Lewis, it really boils down to federal agencies failing to take the contamination issue seriously enough.
If you’re having a colonoscopy done, or any other procedure where a flexible endoscope will be used, be sure to ask how it is cleaned, and which cleaning agent is being used.
If the hospital or clinic uses peracetic acid, your likelihood of contracting an infection from a previous patient is very slim.
If the answer is glutaraldehyde, or the brand name Cidex (which is what 80 percent of clinics use), cancel your appointment and go elsewhere.
Asking what they use to clean the scope is a key question that could save your life. It’s important that we all start to do this because the FDA simply does not have the incentive to take action on it.
However, once enough people refuse to have these procedures done with glutaraldehyde-sterilized instruments, then clinics and hospitals will change, even if the FDA does nothing. It’s also crucial that health care professionals who are reading this start addressing the issue from the inside. You really need to be aware of this issue, and how it’s placing patients at risk.
As for flawed surgical tools, there’s very little you as a patient can do about it. Ideally, hospitals everywhere would hire someone to carefully inspect all surgical tools prior to use. In all, Poling’s report reveals there is much room for improvement in this industry, if we are to place patient welfare first.
My partner brought along another friend down for screening today and, apparently, she asked the nurse about the sterilization process, and in authoritarian fashion, was told to mind her own business as we know what we are doing.
Anyhow, if this helps, great. If there are other things to know or errors here on this subject, I would appreciate the feedback as forewarned is forearmed.